Eyebrow, You Brow, We All Brow

When I hinted last week at my need to share about my eyebrows, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of you were eager to discuss. (Nicole, I actually belly laughed at your comment) So, I figured that was all I needed to actually write the post.

Let’s Start with My Eyebrow Horror Story.

Picture this: Suz’s first day of 10th grade. I’m about 4’10 and I weigh no more than 80lbs. Awkward turtle with zero wardrobe compared to my peers. My brother Mark tells me as I’m getting ready that I need to clean up my unibrow. (I didn’t have a unibrow, but there were some stray hairs) He handed me a disposable razor and said: Here, use this to clean it up.

I took one swipe down the not.so.middle of my brows which took out the stray hairs and a good portion of my right eyebrow.

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME.

What a way to start my not.gonna.be.awkward.this.year at school. My friends with straight brothers had no idea the fun I went through with him giving me terrible perms and bad eyebrow advise. I wish there was photographic evidence because I was something to behold for the first few weeks of my sophomore year; I did not have school pics that year.

EVIDENCE OF EYEBROWS A FEW YEARS AFTER RAZOR-GATE

My glamour shot photo from Beauty School. Can you even see my eyebrows with all that eyeshadow? No.you.can’t.

Through the years I did light plucking to keep my brows at bay without making any real damage. I did a lot of careless things as a young woman, but thank goodness I never over-plucked. For a time in my 30’s/40’s I would get my brows waxed just to keep them clean. When I was coming up on fifty I realized that waxing was overkill because my brows didn’t grow that much and all they required was light plucking on my part; no razors thank you very much.

It was shortly after turning fifty when I noticed in photos, I appeared to have little to NO brows. But when I looked in the mirror, it seemed like they were there, as they have always been. But obviously they, unlike my thighs and demeanor were thinning and getting lighter.

I would use tinted gels if we were going out for a special occasion and there would be photographic evidence. I’ve also been taking hair/nail vitamins for quite a while without much fanfare. Recently I invested in Revitalash. I honestly can’t say anything good or bad because I took my NEXT STEP before really giving that a chance.

Taking The Microblading Plunge

I’d been contemplating having Microblading for over a year, and the nail in the eyebrow coffin was when I saw my bestie Kelly a few months ago and she had this done without conferring with me. She lives on the East Coast, so occasionally she does things without letting me know, but still…

Her brows looked great. I did some research and found someone in my area who has been doing it a long time and had over 500 great reviews.

I made my appointment for Microblading and mentally prepared myself for this because the title of this procedure has BLADE in it. Did you notice that part?

Really though, my blade lady numbed the area and I felt nothing. Zilch. Zero pain. She drew the outline of my soon-to-be brows after measuring my crooked ass face. Woo. It looked like a LOT was going to be filled in, but I suppose when I didn’t have much to start with anything looked like a lot.

She made tiny little cuts along the drawn out areas and filled them in with ink. I was told to not have any caffeine, wine, vitamins, etc prior to this; you know, anything good that thinned out my blood. She was actually having a hard time filling in my left brow more than my right and she said that was common; that is the side where our heart is and there is more blood flow. And we all know how EXTRA LARGE my heart is. ♥️

She told me when all is said and done to not get them wet for 3-5 days. Me: Is it three? or is it five? I went with five. Which meant I couldn’t sweat, which meant I couldn’t work-out or walk to the mailbox because each of those activities involve me sweating.

Just before my procedure and right after. I hope you know how much I despise taking photos of myself, especially sans makeup; I did this for you.

What I didn’t fully understand prior was that you go through a few ugly phases while healing and you don’t get the full color/look until six weeks later when you have a touch up appointment.

Photo borrowed from here.

The first few days I couldn’t pass a mirror without surprising myself. They seemed SO dark, so BIG, so Groucho Marx. Even the Coach kept staring at them…he said he wasn’t, but I know he was.

Do you ever watch The Walking Dead? You know, with all the zombies. Sometimes they’ll be walking around willy nilly and a body part (fingers, leg, arm) just falls off, but they keep going. Well, there were a few days where I would walk by the mirror, take a glance and see part of my brow just hanging there, willy nilly. For real. They were scabbing up and falling off. It was SO hard to not just rip off the dangling bits, but I didn’t want to ruin all that I’d gone through. Within 12 days, they looked pretty normal and I’d gotten used to them. Although, the left one does need more fill-in than the right one; I have an appointment in October to have them touched up.

The procedure is supposed to last 12-24 months depending on your skin type, how much you sweat, etc…so I’m guessing mine will last 4 months. KIDDING, I’d better get two years out of these brows. I was in her chair for just over two hours, but part of that was us talking about it and the numbing part. Overall it was an easy procedure and depending on how long it lasts, I’d probably do it again.

Before
Just after
20 days post-Side eye

My hair also got a little attention between the ‘just after and 20 days’. After my upcoming touch up, I believe my brows will be a little bit darker, but not by much.

I never in my life imagined that I would give my eyebrows a second thought. What a time to be alive.

Do you think I’m crazy? Don’t answer that.

Have you been microbladed? Were you taught to over-pluck your eyebrows and are now eyebrow bald?

XOXO

42 thoughts on “Eyebrow, You Brow, We All Brow”

  1. Oh, the joys of being a woman. Men will never understand the lengths we will go to be satisfied with our looks. I’d never even heard of micro blading until a southern friend of mine had it done last year. Your results look great! Though the process does make me glad I’ll never have to undergo it. My brows have the opposite problem, too thick. Think fuzzy caterpillars. Your brother’s razor might not be up to the task.
    🤣

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I read this with RAPT attention! And wow — they look FANTASTIC. I feel like my brows have thinned and lightened over the years, too. Currently I have my stylist color them when she does my hair, but I have to also use eyebrow mascara after a couple of months — the dye doesn’t hold that long in my brows. I have only ever waxed them once and only occasionally pluck them. And may never pluck them again, as my daughter has “borrowed” my tweezers and doesn’t remember where she stowed them.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Suzanne
      It sounds like you’ll have the Brooke Shields look soon if you don’t find your pluckers. 🙂 Do you remember when her thick brows were all the rage? Maybe you’re too young.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, this is the only tattooing I can get on board with. And you know if I went there, I’d prefer a butterfly over a flaming skull and crossbones. 🙂

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  5. Thank you for explaining what microblading is, because I really didn’t know! But now I realize I’ve been seeing it all the time in pictures of women on the internet.

    I have the opposite problems………very dark brows that are bushy. I have to tweeze every morning, and it’s always a worry about over-tweezing or how far to go on each side. But since I wear glasses, they aren’t that noticeable!

    I do hope you get the full two years out of the treatment!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Well, you look great. I did not even know this was a thing. I am pretty confident that most females with my eyebrows would find some way to maintain them, pluck them, or something? Me? Nope. Just reading this made my hands get a little weak. Particularly the razor blade to your young face. Being numbed before the proceedure. Eek. Remember it took me 4 years to touch my eye in order to get contact lenses.

    I laughed so much at Coach looking at you even though he said he wasn’t – the blood started pumping to my hands again and I forgot to be grossed out.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. They look really good. My daughter-in-love Emily had her eyebrows done, too, so I knew about the procedure. Yours look better than hers.

    My own eyebrows are thick and dark, and I am still putting off arching them. I have my own professional waxing kit, but it’s tedious and I hate doing it. I wear bangs, so I can get away with procrastinating.

    Every time I see a glamour shot photo, I think of the movie Napoleon Dynamite and Glamour Shots By Deb. Classic!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There were a few days when I worried I’d made a mistake. But I am happy now.
      How are so many of you holding onto thick and dark eyebrows? I hardly have any gray hair on my head, but I do have some in my brow area…they aren’t helping things.

      Napoleon Dynamite will never get old and I think Deb’s Mom did my shots for me.

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  9. Ohhhh…. your eyebrows look great, Suz!!

    I have several friends who had it done. One of my friends in my closest friend group was the first to get hers done, maybe 4-5yrs ago. I didn’t realize they only last a year or 2? I have never heard her say she had to have hers touched up/redone.

    LOL — a unibrow! That was me! I had to pluck my eyebrows in my younger days but I have never been very motivated (i.e. I’m lazy) when it comes to beauty-type care so more often than not, my eyebrows were unplucked and needed attention. Then all the thin/overplucked eyebrows became the “in” thing — but luckily, my husband isn’t shy about his opinions….he does NOT like the looks of thin eyebrows on anyone. It was perfect because hey, I didn’t want to spend time/energy getting my eyebrows plucked and my husband doesn’t like those over-plucked eyebrows anyway. I’m so glad because I now realize that my eyebrows just don’t grow much anymore as I age. Pre-COVID, I’d go get my eyebrows cleaned-up and I’d always say, “Don’t make them thin — just clean up stray hair!” 2.5yrs later, I haven’t gone back so I pluck a stray one here and there.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Overplucked brows make me a little sad. Like, you can’t come back from that. I’ve noticed a lot of people my (our) age who overplucked and then I see their daughters, and they followed suit.

      Thank goodness you didn’t go there!

      I do wonder if your friend had microblading or tattooing? Years ago they would tattoo eyebrows on, now most people do the microblading which is more temporary.

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      1. She had the microblading. It was so new then and she was so proud to be one of the first to have known about it and gotten it. Like Nance said up there, your eyebrows look much better/more natural than hers. I think hers is a bit too thick/wide…but maybe it’s what complements her face/features?

        Liked by 1 person

        1. It’s good to know your friends’ microblading has lasted this long.
          I had visions of my brows being too much, and I explained that to my Brow Lady extensively. 🙂

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  10. I have never even heard of microblading. I think it’s very brave of you to do it!

    I feel like this is going to be a controversial opinion, but I think your makeup in the glamour shot looks great, even the eye makeup. It was age and setting appropriate and you looked lovely!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’ve been curious about microblading so I loved this post ESPECIALLY (saying that because I love all of your posts, Suz). Something I might consider in the post-renovation future when I no longer have paint in my hair and on my face (hands, arms, legs, toes…) 😉. Your new brows are so polished and frame your eyes beautifully!

    Deb

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much Deb! Just make sure you do research first because, like everything, some people are good at their craft and others are not.

      I can’t wait for some renovation photos.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I love it!!  I, too, have non-existent brows and have used numerous products to fill them in since turning 50. I likewise had no idea what I was doing before the age of 50, but for some reason, I am suddenly obsessed with my brows. Nobody tells you this about menopause.

    You look to have darkened your hair a little? This weekend, I’m doing the same thing for the first time! If that’s the case, we really are like two peas in a pod.

    Oh, and I thought shaving meant shaving everywhere the summer before junior high. Including the hair on my forearms. 😂

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I had highlights for so many years, and my hair seemed overly blonde. The last few times I’ve been going, we’ve been putting in an all-over color that is just a tad lighter than my roots, and we pull it through to tone down the blonde. It lasts a few weeks before it starts to fade and blonder again. What can I say? My hair wants to be blonde?

      I never shaved my arms…but there was a time when I certainly wanted to but I was distracted with making garter belts for my hairy legs. 😳😜

      Liked by 1 person

  13. When you said “disposable razor” I actually gasped, GASPED. Even now I basically am breathing into a paper bag at something that happened decades ago. Woooooooooo.

    Okay, omg, the eyebrows look gorgeous. You look gorgeous! You did before but wow, those are some gorgeous eyebrows. I had thick Brooke Shields-like eyebrows in the 80s, then I succumbed to late 90s/ early 2000s pressure to pluck the bejesus out of them. Now I just have, as someone on IG told me, really ugly eyebrows that resemble a plant that was severely neglected. Thanks for letting me know, random stranger, as I do not have a mirror. Anyway, my brows are patchy and kind of going GREY, and if I plucked all the grey hairs I would be bald above the eyes, so I use a pencil to gently “enhance” things. I try not to look like Uncle Leo from Seinfeld. But it could happen. Maybe that would make my random IG commenters happy, who knows.

    One more thing: the glamour shot. THE GLAMOUR SHOT!!!! The 80s were such a special time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The ’80s were a special time, indeed!

      Never, ever pluck a gray hair.
      I read that somewhere!

      You might want to look into the microblading, too; it could fill in where you think you might be lacking.
      That being said, I never noticed anything wrong with your eyebrows, and that IG person can suck rotten eggs.

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  14. I have eyebrows that are a little dark in the beginning and then fade to nothing by the time they get to the outer corners of my eyes! I also have very deep set eyes so my eyebrows look like they are perched on the edge of a cliff! For my whole life I can count on one hand the times I plucked them! It never really bothered me until recently but I’m not sure what to do about them at this point. If I ever do microblading they would have to be really light to avoid such a drastic change! I should really go to an eyebrow consultant! Yours look great!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. You look great. I like the end result, as do you, I hope.

    I was taught to over-pluck my eyebrows, plus they’re sparse by nature, so I now have almost no visible eyebrows. I looked into mircroblading [of course] but was told there is no color light enough to look natural on me. Even the lightest blonde shade they tell me would make me look weird… well, weirder than I want. I’d do it if the right shade was available.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was under the impression that any type of brow was ‘fixable’. The lady that did mine does a lot of work with people recovering from cancer who’ve lost all their eyebrows, which would be a clean slate.

      Who thought it was an excellent idea to overpluck back in the day? I suppose to get that ‘arch’ look that’s what it took.

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  17. Oh, it looks great! I’m so glad you shared your experience. I’ve honestly only heard of micro blading and it sounded so painful that I never investigated it. However, your experience sounds quite the opposite! Now I’m intrigued!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. The eyebrows look good. I haven’t done microblading, but I know a few people who have. I was never much of an over-plucker. In fact, I didn’t really do much for brows until I was, what?, 25 years old or so. Yup, that’s right! I regret it. It’s all I can see in my wedding pictures. I wish I could re-do them. But alas, I’m happy with my brows now, and they’re pretty full naturally. They haven’t thinned out like my hair has.

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