Microblading, Ombre, and All Things Between
In a world where beauty trends are evolving, we are now beginning to hear new phrases for permanent cosmetic beauty services. For example, brows that last years on years can be either a tattoo, OR permanent makeup (microblading, ombre, combo) — but what is the difference? Why is Permanent makeup different from a traditional brow tattoo, and what are all of these different techniques? Let’s dive into the world of PMU (permanent makeup): brows edition.
It is very common to place PMU brows in the tattoo category, as most states consider the act of implanting some form of color into the skin as a tattoo. However, let me break down the key similarities AND differences:
Color Vehicles: Tattoos are done with tattoo ink, which are designed to be bolder in color and resist fading, whereas PMU ink is designed to be softer and natural in color so that it fades over time. This, along with depth differences, is why PMU requires touch ups over the years.
Depth Differences: As stated before, depth makes a major key difference in the longevity and healed results. Tattoos are typically implanted deeper into the skin, down into the dermal layer, whereas the ideal depth for PMU is to land right in between the epidermal and dermal layers, allowing us to see those beautiful brown or blond shades. When Permanent makeup is TOO deep, the warmer tones that make the pigments more brownish will fade over time (as normal), but the blackish tones will usually be stuck which could make the healed results turn ashy or grey. ALSO, when a artist goes too deep with a PMU technique, like microblading, you end up losing the detail work that goes into making your eyebrows look as realistic as possible.
Longevity: When PMU pigment is implanted at the right depth, the longevity is about 1-3 years. This is actually ideal, especially because the beauty trends change so much. Yes, tattoos last so much longer, but at what cost? Black eyebrows?
Techniques: Usually when we think of tattooed eyebrows, we imagine pencil thin brows. No hair like strokes or ombre. With PMU brows, you are able to achieve realistic brows — meaning the brows will look like YOURS, or at least as thought you had them perfectly filled in every single day.
Tying it all together, it is important to note that because we do not go as deep as a traditional tattoo, part of the healing process with PMU brows is that they will fade about 20-30%. This is why I always say Touch Up appointments are important because 6 weeks after your first session, the color will be lighter than what you originally left with and your Touch Up will help to reinforce pigment to give you the color you want.
Techniques
Now that we understand the differences, let’s break down the different techniques in PMU brows and determine which technique is best for you.
Microblading
Microblading is the art of creating hair-like strokes to give the appearance of natural brow hair. With this technique, the artist uses a tiny blade that is composed of multiple tiny needles which is then dipped into pigment, and inserted into the skin to make thin cuts that look like hair.
This technique is great for those wanting a more natural and hyper-realistic looking brow, as the strokes will mimic the brow hair. Microblading increases the appearance of more density (more hair in one area) however, it will not eliminate the use of makeup if you are accustomed to or prefer to not fill them in everyday. This technique also requires the use of a topical numbing agent (lidocaine), as it is the most traumatic technique to the skin.
Microblading is best for:
youthful skin, typically those ages 18-40s (this is not to stay those older have wrinkles, but hormones change as we age therefore producing more oil or sweat).
normal to dry skin types; oily skin tends to have very large pores, which could result in blowout (when the strokes are no longer as thin as hair, but rather thicker like a pen streak).
an everyday, natural look; with microblading we cannot overlap or place the strokes too close together, so there will be spaces in between each stroke. Some clients do not like that they are still filling in their eyebrows. This is when shading is preferred.
fair skin to medium tan skin tones; as PMU heals, it tends to fade over time — from my experience with deeper skin tones, the microblading doesn’t show up as well once healed.
Microshading: Ombre and Powder Brows
Microshading, more commonly known as Ombre Brows or Powder Brows, is the art of using a shading motion to “fill in” the eyebrows. Shading techniques have an umbrella of it’s own (hence why there are 3 names above), and can be accomplished in various ways depending on the clients makeup preference. This process is done by using a shading machine and cartridge that has a tiny needle dipped into the pigment, and then whipped across the skin until the desired saturation. This look resembles brow makeup, and the effect can be natural or bold based on your skin type and preferences. The technique also does not require the use of a topical (lidocaine) numbing, as it is not as traumatic to the skin, but secondary numbing (epinephrine) is used to ease discomfort. (Don’t worry, almost ALL of my clients fall asleep if they’re not holding a conversation with me).
Ombre/Powder Brows is best for:
people ages 18 or older; clients with mature skin benefit the most from this technique since our elasticity reduces as we age, and the skin is more delicate.
all skin types (sensitive skin types may see a lot of redness); since shading will create a solid layer of color, there is no worrying about blowout.
both natural and bold looks; with shading we can create very soft, and airy looks, or more bold and fierce looks. You can have a more defined outline, or a pixilated outline
Brows of all shapes and sizes; Naturally thin and overplucked brows highly benefit from this as it is easier to blend thin slivers of hair with the ideal brow shape.
all skin tones; as stated above with microblading, clients with deeper skin tones have subpar results with the bladed hairlike strokes. This is NOT the case with Ombre Powder brows. Although 20-30% fading still occurs, ombre lasts longer with great results on every skin type
Combination Brows
Lastly, we have the Combo Brows. Now, most artist will say that Combo Brows has a specific look — I’m here to tell you that there is a variety of looks you can achieve with a combination technique. Combination techniques basically involve both Microblading and Shading combined. If you were to google “Combo Brows,’ the imagines would show you brows with only microblading in the front, and shading throughout the rest of the brow. While this is the most popular form of combination brows, it is not the ONLY one. For example, “Blade and Shade,” is a form of combination brows. This technique is where we have a full microbladed brow, with minimal shading to help fill in gaps or blend the implanted stroked with your hair. Combo Brows is one of my most favorite techniques because it gives the best of both worlds. We must still remember the pros and cons from the previous techniques, however, such as clients with more oily skin or deeper skin tones that want a realistic look (hairstrokes) would benefit from Ombre or the “popular” combo brow (strokes in the front, shading throughout the body). Combination with more shading is also not as traumatic to the skin. Combination like “blade and shade,” is great for sparse brows with very fine hair types.
With the knowledge of each technique, understanding which one that is best for you allows your healed results to be desirable. Now, this is not to say that clients with oily skin CANNOT receive microblading, for example, but it allows you to weigh your options before committing to something that may result in you coming in more frequently. If you have any questions about the techniques, please feel free to email me at ShaniaJHair@Gmail.com, text me at 980-433-2307 OR schedule an online consultation here .
Check out my other post to determine if you are a candidate for PMU, and to knock some misconceptions!