This is for my girls (and guys) who weren’t born with eyebrows like Gigi Hadid, Cindy Crawford, or Zayn Malik. Their eyebrows are naturally full, have a distinct shape, and fill the face. Sadly, this is the complete opposite to mine. My eyebrows are naturally very fine and light in color. Therefore, in certain lighting or camera filters, it looked like my eyebrows disappeared! I would feel like Voldemart, and it was such an insecurity of mine growing up.
I would fill in my brows every single day, but it was such a hassle. I never could find a color that really matched. Even though eyebrows are supposed to sisters and not twins, mine looked like they weren’t even related. And I can’t even begin to tell you the journey of finding the right shape for me. I wanted professional help and a permanent solution.
Over the years, “Instagram brows” became really popular. However, it looked so unnatural because the edges were cleaned oh so perfectly using a concealer, and the shape was too crisp. This trend became so popular that people started to tattoo their eyebrows in this way– and if you love it, then hey, more power to you! However, in my opinion, these eyebrows only matched a look that’s full-glam. On the regular day-to-day with little to no make-up on, it looked strange and out-of-place. So unfortunately, this was a pass for me.
Some more years passed and the microblading technique started to popularize. This is a technique where eyebrow hairs are copied using stroke patterns from the technician. However, I noticed two main issues with this style. First, in order for it to look natural, the person needs to already have a decent amount of eyebrow hair. For someone like me, the tattooed strokes would be an obvious contrast to the rest of my brows. Second, in photos, microblading looks amazing. However, when I saw it in-person, there wasn’t a single time where I thought it actually looked good. (However, please keep in mind that I’m mostly surrounded by Asians. Therefore, I realized this technique does not seem to suit Asian features.) So again, this was a pass.
Fast forward to 2023, and I meet with a girlfriend who I’ve known since we were kids. She shares with me that she had her eyebrows tattooed a few weeks prior, and my jaws dropped to the floor. I was absolutely stunned because it looked SO natural. It really only looked like she filled in her brows using a powder or pencil. Immediately, I looked into what technique this was and where she went.
I learned that this style of eyebrow tattoo was called “powderbrow” or “microshading” because it mimics the look of filling in brows with powder. Also, instead of using stroke-like patterns, the technician uses thousands of small dots that are placed throughout the brow. This allows for an extremely natural look because the gradient can be controlled giving the eyebrow an ombre-effect (i.e., lighter on the inner brows to darker on the edges). I also learned that this technique is much better for the skin because it causes less trauma than microblading which cuts deep into the epidermis with each stroke. This is better for the ink as it will fade cleaner overtime reducing the risk of the color changing and leaving any permanent scar.
I was TERRIFIED of getting my eyebrows tattooed because I’ve seen so many horror stories of people ending up with atrocious eyebrows. However, I was at a point where a professional’s mistake was probably better than what I usually do to my brows. And HANDS-DOWN, THIS WAS THE BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE! My only regret was that I didn’t find something like this sooner!
The eyebrows came out so natural, and the color was perfect for my skintone. If you’re ever in Los Angeles, CA and in need of an eyebrow tattoo, I highly recommend Jina! Her instagram is @tattoo_by_jina, and she is AMAZING. She is so meticulous with her craft, and now, she’s the only person I trust.
The process will start with numbing your eyebrows. Then, you can tell her what you’re looking for (e.g., dramatic or soft arch, dark or light, etc.). She will clean up and map out your natural eyebrow shape and adjust based on your feedback. Then, she’ll find a color that suits your skin tone or hair color (up to you to decide)! And within 30-45 minutes, you’ll have new eyebrows! You can “test” it out the first month to see if there’s anything else you’d like to change. Then, within 4-6 weeks of the initial appointment, you’ll have to meet again for the final touch-up. This is where you can add any final touches on your eyebrows.
For me, during my first appointment, we went with the natural shape of my eyebrow. However, after wearing it around for about a month, I realized I liked an even softer look on my face. Therefore, for my touch-up appointment, we decided to make it a bit straighter. And JUST LIKE THAT, MY EYEBROWS WERE PERFECTION. It was better than anything I could’ve imagined, and I am so beyond happy with the results! I talk more about my experience in the vlog below. (: