If you read my first blog post on microblading, you know that I'm a huge fan of this beauty treatment. I was a victim of the "thin eyebrow" syndrom in middle school and plucked my precious brows almost into oblivion. Once I had the epiphany that I had become tweeze happy and realized thin eyebrows were a fad, it was too late. The damage had been done and I had been on the hunt for a remedy ever since.

Lucky for me, Michelle Marie a good friend of mine from my home state (Michigan) opened up her own salon and was offering this thing called 'microblading'. It took a few years for her to convince me that I wasn't going to look like a clown after getting this treatment done. What really sealed the deal was seeing the work of her microblading Esthetician, Linsi Pena. The before and after photos she was posting on her Instagram were incredible. People went from having a few tiny hairs to having full blown gorgeous eyebrows.

So as you know, I got my eyebrows microbladed by Linsi and have never looked back. I LOVE my results. Because I don't have to spend ten minutes filling in my brows every morning, it has saved me hours of time and the best part is they look natural. They don't come off as being 'done'.

Since getting microblading I've talked to numerous friends that were interested in this service but too scared to take commit. So for this follow up post on microblading I interviewed my brow artist, Linsi of The Standard. Hair. Lash. Brow. to answer your brow questions. 

If Linsi didn't touch on a microblading question you were curious about, leave a comment below and we'll be sure to write you back with the answer! 

Enjoy! 

XX, Katie 

Q & A with microblading specialist, Linsi Pena

1. How did you get started in your beauty career and get into microblading?

I graduated high school in 2010 and coming out of high school I had two career options in mind, automotive repair and cosmetology. I went to Lansing community college for business/automotive repair for a couple years and decided that it just wasn’t for me, so I took a couple years off of schooling and finally decided to go to school for esthiology.

Looking back now I’m glad I waited to get into beauty, if I would have went straight out of high school I would have done the cosmetology program and my whole career/life would be so different now. With taking that time to really think about what I wanted to do I realized how much skin care fascinated me.

So I went to Douglas J where I studied skincare and waxing. I loved doing facials and body waxing but I knew I wanted to do something more to standout. I was seven days away from graduating when I saw a post from Michelle's Salon, The Standard Hair. Lash. Brow, on social media saying they were looking for someone to learn microblading.

Immediately, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do! I messaged them right away (while in the laundry room at school, washing all the sheets from the facials we had done that day) and ended up scheduling an interview a couple days later.

The interview went well and a month later I was off to learn microblading! I have been at The Standard, microblading full time just shy of 2 years.

2. What’s the difference between someone doing microblading vs tattooing their eyebrows?

There are many differences between microblading and a traditional eyebrow tattoo.

The most obvious difference is, microblading looks more natural than a tattoo. This is because when microblading we follow the natural hair flow of your eyebrow with individual strokes to mimic natural hair.

We use a hand tool that looks like a pen vs a tattoo machine, giving microbladers more control. When tattooing the ink is deposited in the dermal layer of the skin which is deeper than microblading, where we insert the pigment into the epidermis layer. 

3. What’s the procedure of microblading like? Can you describe it for us?

When you get microblading done you can expect your artist to draw an outline of where your new eyebrows will be, this is called brow mapping. Sometimes a ruler or caliper will be used to help aid in symmetry. Eyebrows are not one size fits all.

Next your artist will choose a color. I like to have my clients see the colors, so I swatch them on their forehead so that they can see them next to their current eyebrow hairs. What you are looking for is a color that is as close to your natural eyebrow color as possible, this will help conceal the microblading and make it look as natural as possible.

Most artist will numb their clients. I let the numbing cream sit for about 20 minutes. After the numbing is done is when the actual microblading process starts. A very tiny blade is dipped in pigment and pulled across your skin, opening the skin up and inserting the pigment. This is done for both brows and repeated 2-3 times until we reach the desired fullness and shape that you want your eyebrows to be at.

Everybody has a different pain tolerance, I have some clients that don’t feel it very much and I have some clients who are uncomfortable. Generally on a scale of 1-10 most clients are a 3. I believe the feeling of microblading is very comparable to getting a paper cut. 

As you can see in the picture of Katie below, her eyebrows were slightly red after the treatment which is normal for the first 1 - 3 days after.

4. What is the average pricing for microblading and how long does it last?

Pricing for microblading can vary greatly, depending on your location and the artists experience.

Someone who is in a smaller city and just starting out is going to be a much lower price than an artist in a large city with years of experience.

Depending on your demographic you can expect pricing to be anywhere from $200-$800.

Most artists would like you to have two sessions done, usually within 4-8 weeks of each other. Some artists will include the second session in the initial cost and others will not, so that is something to keep in mind when you are looking for an artist.

Once your second session is complete you can expect your microblading to last about 12-18 months, there are many factors that can effect your retention greatly. Such as sun exposure, genetics, and skincare. 

5. Obviously if someone lives in Michigan they should come to The Standard to get their eyebrows done with you but if they don’t live close enough, what are the things someone should look out for before booking a microblading artist? How do you find someone trustworthy enough?

When searching for an artist that fits you there are many factors you should take into consideration.

First, make sure they post their work often. Every artist has a slightly different style and you can see it in their work. Make sure their style appeals to you and if someone isn’t posting their work that is a red flag. Most artists will have free consultations also. Definitely take advantage of that if it's an option.

Secondly, when you go into the salon/studio there are a few things you should be looking for, first is make sure that the salon/studio is clean. Ask as many questions as you can think of while you are there. Do some research on your state/county and figure out what the regulations are on body art facilities (body art facilities are classified as any place where piercings or body art is being performed). Most states/counties require a body art facility to be licensed and inspected every year, this is a huge thing! You should be able to find a list of places near you that are registered with the state/county online, and there should be a piece of paper stating they are licensed hanging in the salon/studio. If you can not find that information online and/or the mciroblading artist can not present you with a license that is an automatic red flag.

Lastly, make sure that you feel comfortable with the artist, if you just aren’t clicking with the person, keep searching for someone who you feel 100% comfortable with.  

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If you are ready to make your microblading appointment, I hope you feel excited and confident! If there's anything else that you want to know that I didn't cover in this Q & A, leave a comment below and I'll be sure to write you back! 

xo, Linsi

Follow along with Linsi on Instagram @thestandard.linsi