Eyebrow Microblading Review | Pain, Costs and Results

I FINALLY GOT MY EYEBROWS MICROBLADED Y’ALL.

After filling my brows in every single day for most of my adult life, it was no surprise that microblading – the semi-permanent tattooing technique that uses hair-like strokes – appealed to me ever since it emerged on the beauty scene a couple of years ago.

After following countless accounts on Insta and months of umm-ing and ahh-ing, I finally got them done last December. I had my top-up appointment about four weeks ago, and now feel ready to review the whole process properly. So if you’re curious about the costs, pain or results of microblading, read on.

How much does microblading cost?

From my research, I found the price for microblading can really vary depending on your location and the clinic. In Birmingham, I paid a deposit of £100 to secure my booking, and then another instalment of £210 on the day of my appointment. This included the top-up treatment in advance, so a total of £310 for the entire thing.

I know some places will list the top-up treatment price separately, but as this is an essential step, it’s a good idea to always add it on so you’re not tricked into thinking you’re paying less. Not that you should ever go somewhere purely based on price, but that might be a topic for another day and post…

Does microblading hurt?

As it’s essentially a semi-permanent tattoo, I was expecting that microblading would come with some degree of pain. My friend had her’s done a month before me, and advised me that it was the sensation rather than the actual pain that was the issue. This was 100% accurate: you can feel and hear the blade slicing into your skin, and it was this incredibly weird sensation that made me feel a bit sick at first.

Pain-wise, it was actually similar to the sting that comes with waxing or threading, but much slower. Once I made that connection in my head, I just tried to imagine that I was having very tiny strips of wax pulled off my brows. However weird that might be, the rationalisation helped to take my mind off the fact my face was basically being cut up.

After my first round of cuts had been made, my therapist then went on to apply numbing cream. That was a big relief, and I got through the next section of the treatment with ease (very nearly having a little snooze, in fact). Towards the end of the treatment, the cream started to wear off and the skin was obviously inflamed and sensitive, so that was definitely the point where it ‘hurt’ the most. However, it was always bearable, and I’d say the pain factor isn’t enough to put me off having them done again.

(My results after my first session. Lesson 1: don’t wear liquid eyeliner.)

What’s the healing process like?

Similar to when you get a normal tattoo, you have to be careful not to get your microbladed brows wet for a time after the treatment. I was advised against washing them, sweating or wearing any makeup on them for a full 10 days. GLAM.

I was dreading the scabbing process, but to be honest this wasn’t too bad. The skin flaked off quite gradually from around days 4-8, with the odd little bit hanging off my hair like a piece of eyebrow dandruff. GLAM ROUND 2.

When some of the skin scabbed off, it would look like there was no pigment left at all underneath; but that’s apparently completely normal, and the pigment just seemed to re-appear (nope, no idea how either).

Why do you need a microblading top-up?

Your top-up appointment takes place about 4-6 weeks after your first appointment, and is used to re-do or refine any parts of the brow that might have faded or that you’re not happy with. In the weeks between my healing and the top-up, the start of my left brow had faded quite a lot, and I also felt the right looked thicker. I also decided I wanted more of a defined, square look to the start of my brows, whereas my initial shape had ended up quite round.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t too pleased with the results at this stage. Howevs, I’m SO happy that I didn’t let myself panic too much, because after the second treatment I was 100% happy with my finished results.

(Results 4 weeks after my top-up appointment.)

Is microblading worth it? 

Of course this is a very subjective answer, but for me I’ve decided that it was worth it. Before my microblading, the only time I wouldn’t fill my brows in was for the gym – and even then sometimes I’d sneak a bit of Dipbrow on if I knew I was running some errands afterwards.

Since having my top-up, I haven’t had to touch them at all on a day-to-day basis. It’s already a massive time saver for me, and I know I’ll really appreciate them on holiday when I can just roll up to the pool with brows on fleek (soz, I really did try to get through the whole post without saying that).

It’s obviously hard to make a conclusive judgement without knowing how long the microblading will last. It’s supposed to be anywhere between 1-3 years, though the clinic that I went to recommends a top-up treatment, which should only cost around £80, after 1 year. I’ll definitely update this post if anything goes wrong with my brows before then; however, at this moment I have to say my experience was overall positive. My brows and I are very happy.

Have you considered eyebrow microblading? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!