I have been very stupid: permanent makeup

[maggiethemagpie]

I can't believe I have let this happen... I have always had a bit of a complex about my brows as I was injured as a child so one is scarred and they are thinning and quite wide apart. I am getting married in April and was a bit paranoid about wedding pics...

My beautician, who waxes my eyebrows, said she could tattoo over the scar, so I agreed to go and have this done. She then talked me in to having both eyebrows done for a little extra.

She hasn't done an absolutely terrible job but I don't like it. It is thicker than I would like. Also the gap between my brows is still too large and they look slightly uneven.

There was barely any consultation, and she didn't show me exactly what she was going to do before she did it. She is not a permanent makeup specialist, just a beautician with some extra training. I'll admit it, she was charging a low price so I thought I was getting a bargain. I now realise I have made a mistake and should NOT have skimped on this.

On the way home from the salon it struck me: This is PERMANENT. WTF have I done. The gap between my brows is similar to before, as I did not want her to tattoo there but now looks a lot more noticeable as the brows are thicker and darker.

I just feel like an absolute idiot. How could I have let someone tattoo my face without fully checking them out, or knowing exactly what they were doing? I don't know what I was thinking.

The only good thing is, at least the bit I most want to correct, the gap between my brows, can be filled in if I go to someone reputable at the top end of the market. I mean better that it's too big a gap than too small, right? I know I will have to pay a lot but will dip into my savings to try and correct this as it's worth it not to feel like a fool every time I see my face in the mirror. Such a false economy to go the cheap option as now I'll pay the full price for a proper professional to do them, on top of the price I paid.

Has anyone been through anything similar or can offer any advice?Actually, I'm probably the only person foolish enough on mumsnet to do this. I'm getting married in a few months time and just wanted to look good and hide the scar in my eyebrow. Now I'm worried I will look worse.

Anyway hope someone can learn from my mistake please never go to anyone cheap for permanent makeup it's not worth it! It sounds so obvious writing it down, I can't believe I have done this, feel sick....

[Vixxfacee]

Let's see. I'm sure it's not that bad!

Have you heard of eyebrow extentions!

[Chocolou]

Where abouts are you op?

[Whoknewitcouldbeso]

Just use a pencil to get them the shape you want.

[maggiethemagpie]

Stockport. Not sure I need eyebrow extensions, I need the job to be finished off right. Someone please tell me that there is help out there.

[VimFuego101]

are they actually bad or are you just not used to your brows looking bolder? Have you asked someone else for an opinion?

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Don't panic, it's not actually permanent it will fade with time. Permanent make up actually needs to be topped up.

It's not like a tattoo, the ink doesnt penetrate that deep.

Get them shaped and sorted by a professional and chalk it up to a learning curve.

It will be fine honest

[ItsAllGoodMan]

I have no idea if possible but it's a tattoo right? Can you have lazer tattoo removal if it really is that bad? Also I don't think it's really permanent... It should fade. Someone with more experience will be along soon I'm sure. Good luck

[maggiethemagpie]

They don't look right... they were uneven before and still uneven. And too short.
To be fair she has stuck to my natural hair line, so they aren't any thicker than my natural eyebrow but because there's so much pigment they seem a lot lot thicker.
I just feel like she did what she wanted to do without really taking the time to understand what I wanted. As I say she's not an expert just a beautician and I realise all too late that it's too important to f*ck about with if it's permanent.
Does anyone know how permanent permanent is with these things, is it like a few years or actually forever?

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

It's not like a conventional tattoo. People I know who have them need to get them topped up as such.

I'm sure they look fine, your probably just not used to them yet.

[ExasperatedAlmostAlways]

Add a picture with just your eye brows, I bet they absolutely aren't as bad as you think.

When I first started working in cosmetics and had to start using eyebrow product and doing my brows in a specific way. I hated it at first and thought they looked ridiculous because I wasn't use to it. Then one day I noticed when I didn't have anything on, how stupid it looked and my brows looked a mess without.

I do wedding make up and any good make up artist could tone them down potentially.

[maggiethemagpie]

Ginger, does it fade to nothing or just to a sort of shadow of the pigment that was there before... ie will there always be a mark there? Thank you for your kind words and the bunch of flowers, I am in a pretty bad place right now!

[maggiethemagpie]

I will try and take a pic.... hang on

[ExasperatedAlmostAlways]

Just to add there seems to be alot of 'training academies' popping up who train girls on one day courses and who are then set free to do treatments. Half the time the girls doing the training have actually only done the one day courses. Having done an HND in Beauty Therapy for two years, it really angers me.

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Maggie breath....

At least their too short and not too long so you can have length added, also a professional will even them out shape wise and close the gap in your brow.

It will fade I'm time, it depends on your skin, Sun exposure things like this. As you shed skin layers you will gradually shed the make up.

[maggiethemagpie]

The beautician said to keep putting vaseline on to stop it fading...so should I not do this if I want it to fade quicker?

[ExasperatedAlmostAlways]

You need to usually go back after a couple of weeks for a top up because they fade. Did she tell you this. Did she explain about aftercare, that you put vaseline on them for first few days to prevent colour fading?

The pigmentation absolutely fades in the first two weeks. Where are you based I could recommend someone to help if you are near me.

[BooAvenue]

Is it actually permanent as in a tattoo or is it semi permanent makeup?

[ExasperatedAlmostAlways]

Cross posted. Show us a picture if you can so I can see the colour of your brows. Because the fading may not be the desired effect you are after depending on the colour.

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Just keep telling yourself it's not a tattoo. because it isn't. I'm not sure what they fade too, my friend gets them topped up every said months or so, so I think they fade to a shadow, and if you didn't top them up it wouldn't be noticeable probably.

Don't fret about it, it can be sorted. Find a good Permanent make up artist in your area and go for a consultation meeting.

For now just even them out with a brow pen or pencil best you can.

If it makes you feel better I spent 3months with only one eyebrow I accidentally waxed half of it off using a home facial waxing strip, panicked tried to rectify the situation with tweezers, made it worse...ended up drawing my eyebrow on for my friends wedding haha

[SingSongSlummy]

They always look thicker/darker for the first week or so after treatment,so don't panic yet!

[maggiethemagpie]

ok here goes

[TheCraicDealer]

They usually say use Vaseline or bepanthen to stop it drying out and scabbing over- obviously don't do this. I was also advised to not use face scrubs or anything abrasive for a while, so perhaps in a few days you could introduce that into your skin care? Don't over do it though however tempting it may be, you don't want to really irritate the skin around your eyes.

Honestly I would go and find someone who does decent HD brows or similar and have them shaped. If you get a decent product to even them out whilst they fade you should be alright by April. They're not permanent*, they fade quite a lot and they do look a lot more 'in your face' (sorry) when they're fresh.

• I did see a girl on some C4 program who overplucked her eyebrows and went to a regular tattoo parlour and got them to tattoo them on. End result was two uneven black slugs halfway up her forehead.

[maggiethemagpie]

That pic a bit fuzzy, here's another

[maggiethemagpie]

Craic Dealer do you mean I should use vaseline or I shouldn't? And I should use a face scrub? So basically the opposite of the advice?