Beauty Explorer: Bolder Brows for Spring

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Now that face masks are the new normal, it’s more important than ever to make sure your eyebrows are looking good. A new brow look can enhance your whole face. Several long-lasting treatments can give you bolder brows and save you trips to the salon. If you’re tired of filling in your brows every morning, explore the following four methods to give your eyebrows a fresh, defined look.

Microblading

Microblading | Courtesy Ida M. Slaughter

Microblading uses a small needle to create the appearance of fuller brows and add color. Your artist will use a topical numbing cream first to minimize any discomfort. Baltimore-based permanent makeup artist Ida M. Slaughter says that many of her clients experience a tiny scratching sensation, although the feeling depends on your pain tolerance.

During the week following your procedure, you’ll need to follow an aftercare skin routine and avoid excessive sweating, Slaughter says.

After that, the effects can last between one to three years, depending on genetics and your skin type, although her clients often come in for touch-ups every six to eight months. This microblading process costs $550 with Slaughter and includes a follow-up appointment.

 

Lamination

Lamination | Photo courtesy Heather Hudgins

Lamination enables you to easily shape your brow hair and generally gives you a “bigger, fluffier eyebrow,” says Heather Hudgins, owner of the Baltimore Brow Bar. You’ll get a chemical treatment gel on your eyebrows, which stays on for 10 to 15 minutes. The stylist will brush your brow into the desired shape.

Hudgins uses a neutralizing cream and micellar water to keep the hairs in place and tweezes a bit. She also offers a brow tint included in the lamination—more on that later. Once done, your brows must stay dry at least 24 hours to ensure the gel sets in.

You’ll need to come back about every two months to get the process redone. Lamination with Hudgins costs $90, including the tint.

 

Powder Brows | Photo courtesy Ida M. Slaughter

Powder Brows

This technique requires a regular tattoo machine, similar to the handheld tool used in microblading. The key difference is that with the powder brows method, the artist uses a pattern of dots to create more of an ombre effect, instead of the straight lines used in microblading.

A powder brows session with Slaughter costs $550, including a follow-up appointment, although the effects can last for more than a year, similar to microblading. The amount of time varies based on genetics and aftercare (such as using sunscreen effectively). She also offers a combination service for the same price. You can get powder brows and microblading at the same time to achieve a greater effect.

Tinting

Eyebrow Tinting | Photo courtesy Heather Hudgins

Eyebrow tinting can be a great method if you want your brows to have a uniform, bold color. Hudgins describes the process as similar to hair color. Your artist will mix color and a developer before applying the mixture to your brows. The final result will give you a bolder and bigger brow look, Hudgins says.

Tinting lasts for four weeks. If you get tinting and lamination done in the same session, it’ll last longer—about eight weeks, Hudgins estimates. She charges $30 for an eyebrow tint.

If you’ve recently had your brows waxed, or you have eczema or sensitive skin, talk to an aesthetician first before proceeding with any of these procedures.

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