How to avoid an eyebrow microblading fail

A SYDNEY woman has turned to the internet for urgent help after her eyebrow beauty treatment went horribly wrong.

A SYDNEY woman said she is “completely shattered” after an attempt to get the perfect eyebrows tattooed on her face went horribly wrong.

Rather than enhancing the natural shape and colour of her brows, the strokes etched onto her face are clumsy, misshapen and clearly fake.

It’s not clear where she got the beauty procedure done.

She posted the disaster in a make-up forum on Facebook, comparing her new brows to her natural ones and begging users to help her out of her predicament.

“I just got them done today is there anyway (sic) to remove them or do I have to get them lasered off?”

Eyebrow tattooing first gained popularity when model Cara Delevingne burst onto the international scene with her trademark full brows.

They were so iconic that according to Vogue, in 2013 Google reported searches for “eyebrow plucking” trended down while the terms “fuller eyebrows” and “statement brows” rose dramatically.

Many who don’t have naturally full brows opt for a procedure called microblading, which embeds pigment under the skin using a small handheld tool rather than the buzzing needles commonly found in tattoo parlours.

New York microblading guru Piret Aavar, also known as the “Eyebrow Doctor” told Elle Magazine the idea is to make it look natural.

“I draw hair-like strokes with the tool to mimic natural hairs in your brows. Even though it’s not as deep as the regular tattoo, it’s still a tattoo because pigment is implanted under the skin,” she said.

Eyebrow treatments have been increasing in popularity since Cara Delevingne burst on the scene. Picture: George Pimentel

Eyebrow tattoos can work incredibly well when they’re performed by a qualified and experienced beauty therapist.

News.com.au reporter Julia Corderoy got a microblading treatment in December last year, and said she absolutely loves the result.

She visited Sydney eyebrow queen Amy Jean Eye Couture at the recommendation of a friend, and said it’s crucial to do your research.

“I think you need to look at before and after photos of previous clients, read testimonials, go in for a consultation first to suss out the process, look at their online presence, and check out the beauty blogs for reviews and advice,” she said.

She said the first consultation is about discussing shape, symmetry and colour until you both agree how the finished brows should look.

The actual tattooing process takes about 45 minutes.

“You can feel it and your eyes will water, but it’s not painful. It makes a horrible scratching sound though, so that’s the scariest part,” she said.

“It is like a little comb with tiny teeth which she uses to etch the colour into your brows by hand so they look like hairs, not a block of colour.”

Eyebrows typically look big and dark for the first few days, but the colour fades a little bit when the swelling subsides.

There’s usually a second consultation about a month later to fill in any patches and make sure they’re even, then yearly touch-ups.

On her website, Amy Jean said no one shape fits all.

“A brilliant brow artist is a skilled designer enacting a very precise art. It’s like haute couture for brows — the natural curves and arches are hand crafted to individual perfection so as to create a masterpiece, every single time,” she said.

“They can soften strong features, disguise the onset of gravity and create sophisticated definition on a fuller face.”