I am a Permanent Make Up & Microblading artist, AMA

[opalplumstead]

Whenever people find out this is what I do, they always have loads of questions for me. I absolutely love my job, and I am super passionate about it.

So I thought I would see if anyone on here wanted to be nosey!

I have thin brows from years of over plucking and they just don’t grow back. I would love microblading but as a redhead I have naturally fair brows. I tint them dark brown and much prefer them darker but my worry is, if I get them microbladed will it be difficult to then match the tint to the microbladed sections? What if the tint fades and the microbladed bits look too dark? Or what if the tint goes too dark and doesn’t match? Would it just look really obvious?!

Can you tattoo onto the scalp to cover areas where hair is thinning?

@opalplumstead I have very pale eyebrows. If I have them bladed, will the fair hair not show through? If I still need to tint and shape the brows I have is blading worth it?

Mine have faded out and left me with a pinkish smudge. I’ve been told that you can’t keep micro blading indefinitely as it caused scarring over time

What can be done about the pigment that’s left after fading?

I've had mine done and it makes a big difference, was quite scary to start with as I'm very fair. But I really love the difference.

My issue is I feel the brow mapping makes my brows sit too high, so I'd have to tweezer off most of the middle hairs of underneath my brow. I have very blonde hair. I hate tweezing as so painful. What would you do ? Can I just fill my natural brow and maybe have some bigger stroke at the middle. (And yes it needs a top up, had strokes and some shading in a blonde tone might go more brown next .) I don't want to look too surprised 😯

I have very fair eyebrows and I'm lazy. The microblading is enough to keep my eyebrows nice and visible for me. Yes the hair can be dyed if it bothers you that it's not matching, I don't bother unless I really want them to stand out. As for regrowth outside the area I do a quick wax when I remember but I don't find I have to be too finicky and get every hair the microblading hides a multitude.

@BellyMelly

Botox before or after micro blading? Obviously Botox changes your eyebrow shape and wears off. So which is better to have done first?

WHOOPs

Ignore previous post ! I meant to say Microblading before botox 😳😳😫

@HitsAndMrs

Are you based in the North West :)

No I'm afraid not ! I am Midlands based

If you'd like though I can possibly recommend one in the NW? I'm a member of an association of PMU artists and should be able to find you a great one through that group.

@morechocolateneededtoday

I am in awe of you for finding a successful career that you love and earn so well from :)

I wanted to ask about lips - I have dark skin and awful dark patches on my lips that I am extremely self conscious about. I have been considering neutralisation for a while but would love your opinion on whether those with dark skin are high risk of suffering from hyperpigmentation? I have found a local practitioner with good reviews and seen lots of her work but I am not fully confident in case I make things worse

I would be careful with neutralisation

It is very hard to get right and I personally don't touch it as I only ever want my results to be perfect

If you do go for it - look for a very established artist (5 years plus - and ask for proof of qualifications) with tons of positive reviews with before and after pics

@Hoorayhenryyah

I have thin brows from years of over plucking and they just don’t grow back. I would love microblading but as a redhead I have naturally fair brows. I tint them dark brown and much prefer them darker but my worry is, if I get them microbladed will it be difficult to then match the tint to the microbladed sections? What if the tint fades and the microbladed bits look too dark? Or what if the tint goes too dark and doesn’t match? Would it just look really obvious?!

A good artist will find you a colour that will naturally blend in with your hair and skin tone and existing brow hairs. So you should not need to tint the hairs

My brows are blonde but very very sparse thanks to over plucking. I have a dark brown powder brow (done by another artist, not by myself lol) and my blonde hairs don't even show

@wizzywig

Can you tattoo onto the scalp to cover areas where hair is thinning?

Yes this can be done

It's called Scalp Micropigmentation or SMP

I personally am not trained in it but there are some artists who can do this

[quote JamMakingWannaBe]@opalplumstead I have very pale eyebrows. If I have them bladed, will the fair hair not show through? If I still need to tint and shape the brows I have is blading worth it?[/quote]
I have answered a similar question upthread and the answer is no it should not show. It kinda all blends in as long as the artist has done their job well

I'll return and answer the other questions !

Can you recommend anyone for eyeliner in the NW?

I am really interested in training to do this. Can you recommend any good, reputable courses? Where did you train?

@opalplumstead id love to know more about this- can you tell me where you trained, or recommend any good training providers? How easy is it to train and is it ok to do it without beauty industry experience?

@Handsnotwands

Mine have faded out and left me with a pinkish smudge. I’ve been told that you can’t keep micro blading indefinitely as it caused scarring over time

What can be done about the pigment that’s left after fading?

Yes that is correct ...it's not advisable to keep having microblading over and over.

What is normally recommended after that time is a powder brow over the top

In terms of previous pigment being left in the skin, it can be tattooed over. I personally use a pigment brand that can neutralise old work that has turned an undesirable colour.

@Rollerbird

Can you recommend anyone for eyeliner in the NW?

I can find out for you ? Where abouts in the NW?

[quote Adirondack]@opalplumstead id love to know more about this- can you tell me where you trained, or recommend any good training providers? How easy is it to train and is it ok to do it without beauty industry experience?[/quote]
I personally went into it with no beauty experience whatsoever. I think I'd have found it a little easier if I already had beauty experience but it's not essential.

It's really important to find a reputable training academy. There are lots of really crappy ones that just want to take peoples money.

Reputable providers charge at least £3000. And then your starter machine and equipment will be at least a few hundred plus you'll need a licence from your local council and insurance. You will also need somewhere to work from.

Overall though I would say it's definitely well worth it. I can pm you the name of my training academy if you'd like ? And if you want to ask me any more detailed questions I'm happy to help !

@opalplumstead have messaged you

I had microblading/phi brows done 18 months ago. I liked my brows OK but now wish them gone. They have faded to a light black shadow or blur around my eyebrows. Will they ever totally fade? When I got them I naively believed that if I didn't top up they would fade away in time. I had a consultation with a laser clinic but am petrified of the idea of orange or yellow or red brows as apparently they can change colours as part of laser removal. My brows aren't awful so if I thought they would just eventually fade I would wait it out. Any experience of how or do microbladed brows eventually go?

Can I get eyebrows done with a ppd allergy??

Please can you explain the difference between microblading and permanent make-up? Which option is most natural looking? Can PMU damage follicles like microblading?

Can I say congratulations for turning your life around. Lovely to hear a success story xx