Unless you’ve been chilling under a rock recently, I’m sure you’ve heard of microblading – the newest trend for obtaining consistent eyebrows on fleek. You might have also heard about microshading, the sister trend to microblading. Both of these methods are hugely popular in Korea. After doing tons of research and speaking with a brow artist, I decided to have my brows microshaded. In this post, I’ll talk about my eyebrow experience in Korea, and the process that I went through to get my I-woke-up-like-this brows.
I admit I’ve never been very fond of my eyebrows. Thinking about it honestly, I don’t often meet many women who like their natural brows. Whether you just pluck them occasionally to shape them, or spend lots of extra time grooming them with brow products every day, it’s a feature that many feel self-conscious about. Although I’m half-Asian, I’ve always been cursed with unruly brows. My mother has sparse, short brows that are typical for Asians, but it’s not something that I inherited from her. I definitely got my brows from my father – and his really aren’t much better.
One of my first memorable attempts at grooming my brows ended with me accidentally shaving off half of my right brow the night before school picture day in 6th grade. I’ve tried my best to convince my parents those pictures should be burned, but they insist on keeping them around so they can show them to my future children in order to embarrass me. Make no mistake, my parents are terrible, cruel people.
Brows might seem like such a small thing, but they can really frame your face. They make a huge difference, and having good brows can make you feel like a million bucks even without any makeup. I heard about microblading a few years ago when I still lived in the U.S., but it’s an expensive procedure there. The results looked amazing, but I just couldn’t justify the cost. In the U.S., microblading can run anywhere from $500 to more than $1000 depending on your location and the artist. And that’s just the initial session – many places will charge another $150 – $200 for touch-ups afterwards.
When I moved to Korea, I discovered that microblading and microshading has been popular here for over 10 years. There are many talented microblading and eyebrow tattooing artists here, and because of that the pricing is much lower. Most places charge between ₩250,000 – ₩350,000 ($225 – $325 USD) and that includes the touch-up after 8 weeks. That’s less than half the cost in America! After doing tons of research and finding a reputable artist that spoke English, I decided to have my eyebrows microshaded.
Microblading versus Microshading
What’s the difference?
Microblading
Microblading (sometimes know as 3D Eyebrow Tattooing or Eyebrow Embroidery) is a technique that uses a very fine pen-like device (with several very tiny needles on the end) to deposit pigment into the skin. The tip is so fine that the brush strokes look like real strands of hair. The needles only reach into the superficial layers of the skin, which is why microblading is only semi-permanent. Microblading makes your eyebrows look fuller while still giving off a no-makeup look. It usually lasts anywhere from 1-3 years, so it’s great for anyone wanting a low-maintenance natural brow.
Microshading
Microshading is similar to microblading in that it uses a similar device to deposit pigment into the skin. However, instead of using brush-like strokes to create lines, microshading uses small dots to fill in your brows – like pointillism! It mimics made-up brows, and it’s best for people who already have plenty of brow hair and just want a filled-in look. Microshading is sometimes also called a “powder brow” because of this. Microshading lasts about 1-3 years as well, although it usually lasts a little longer than microblading. Many cosmetic professionals also recommend microshading for people with oily or sensitive skin as it’s a little easier on the skin.
4D Eyebrows
4D Eyebrows are simply the combination of both microblading and microshading. It is usually done with two separate procedures. If you don’t have much eyebrow hair and you’re looking for a fuller, made-up look, you should consider 4D Eyebrows. The cosmetic artist will probably start with microblading to first define your brows. Once your brows have healed from your first session, you would return for your cosmetic artist to fill them in with microshading.
The Process
When I decided to have my brows microshaded, I wanted to make sure that I would be working with an artist that spoke English. I wanted to be sure that we would be able to communicate well (I mean…this was my face!). I researched different clinics and artists in Seoul and looked through their work before deciding on Ji Soo Lee. She runs her own small beauty salon called Abil in an officetel in Gangnam. Her prices were very reasonable (I paid ₩250,000 for microshading, which is about $225), and her work looked great. She spoke fantastic English, and she was happy to answer all of my questions regarding the process.
I was a bit worried because I have a tendency to form keloids and thought this might be something that I should be concerned with. However, Ji Soo herself is prone to keloid scarring and assured me it wouldn’t be a problem because the needles don’t penetrate deep enough. I first contacted her on a Thursday evening, and she was able to book me on the following Saturday afternoon. I had asked her if she would be able to fit me in on the upcoming weekend, since I don’t live in Seoul and would be making a special trip in for it. This picture is of my natural brows the morning before my appointment.
Step 1: Eyebrow Stenciling
When I first arrived, we sat down for about 10 minutes and talked about the shape of brow that I would like. I showed her a picture of how I usually filled in my brows and told her that I didn’t want anything too unnatural. I already had brow hair and a decent brow shape, it was just a matter of filling everything in and refining the shape a little. After we decided on a shape, she plotted out the perfect shape and style on my brows with a brow pencil. After some back and forth with me asking for a few adjustments here and there, we were ready for the next step.
Step 2: Numbing Cream
Ji Soo applied a numbing cream to my eyebrow area next. Then she covered it with cellophane so that I wouldn’t accidentally touch it. I had to wait for about 30 minutes for the numbing cream to fully take effect, while we were waiting, Ji Soo mixed the color that she would be using to build up my brows. We had decided on a dark brown even though my brows are black. The hair on my head is naturally brown, and I wanted to go with a similar color to my hair. After the 30 minutes had passed, Ji Soo wiped the numbing cream off and we were ready to start! It was a really strange feeling not being able to feel my eyebrows at all.
Step3: Microblading/Microshading Application
Next was the actual microshading process. Before we started Ji Soo told me to tell her if I felt any pain, but the numbing cream had worked really well. I only heard some gentle scraping and felt a bit of pressure from her tools – no pain! I had expected that it would hurt a little bit, but luckily that wasn’t the case. There wasn’t even any blood since this technique only involves depositing ink on the surface level of the skin. Ji Soo used a disposable microblade tool with a series of tiny needles. She would first dip the pen into the ink and then gently apply it directly to my brows, building up the color.
She was very thorough and kept checking to make sure everything was symmetrical. Although she had drawn measured lines on my brows at the beginning, she also did some eyeballing to make sure that everything looked even on my face. No one’s face is perfectly symmetrical, so it’s important to make sure everything looks visually balanced as well as following the measurements that are first drawn. All in all, the microshading process took about an hour.
After she finished, my brows were a bit raw and sensitive (which was expected) but they still didn’t hurt. The color was also very dark, but Ji Soo assured me that the color would fade after my eyebrows had healed. Overall, I thought they looked great. I was so glad that I had done the procedure, and no longer had to do my brows every day. I was already anticipating those 5 extra minutes of sleep every morning.
Step 4: After-care
Before I left, Ji Soo gave me instructions for after-care so that my eyebrows would heal properly. She also included 3 packets of after-care cream to apply to my eyebrows twice a day for the next 7 days. I was a little self-conscious after leaving, because the skin around my eyebrows was so red. However, within an hour the redness had calmed down, and I loved my new eyebrows even more. I was able to go around Seoul for the rest of the day running errands.
The after-care for your new brows is really important. If you want them to heal correctly, you should strictly adhere to the rules that your eyebrow artist tells you. Ji Soo told me that I shouldn’t let my brows get wet for 24 hours following the procedure. After the 24 hours had passed, I was allowed to wash my face, but no scrubbing or rubbing!
It will take about 7-10 days for your eyebrows to start feeling normal again, but your eyebrows won’t be completely healed for 4-6 weeks. During the first 7-10 days the skin will scab and peel as it repairs itself. This is normal, and it’s nothing to be worried about. After your eyebrows scab and peel off, you might notice that the color has significantly faded. Again, this is very normal. Give your skin a little time to fully repair itself and the color will come back to the surface of your skin.
The final look of your brows will be apparent about 30 days after the procedure. It’s at about this time (4 weeks ~ 3 months after) that you should schedule your touch-up session. A touch-up session is when the artist goes over any healed spots where the ink didn’t take well or places where you might need more definition.
Lastly, remember to wear sunscreen over your brows once they’ve healed. Lots of sun exposure fades the color quicker. (But really, if you’re not already wearing sunscreen everyday already, you should be. Take care of your skin!)
Full After-care Instructions
- Apply the healing ointment to the area with a cotton swab at least twice a day (morning and night) for 7 days.
- Keep the area moist with the healing ointment at all times while the outer healing occurs.
- Refrain from smoking, swimming, sauna, and drinking alcohol in excess for a week.
- Avoid strenuous activity for 3 days. (Excess sweating will push the ink out of your skin.)
- No scrubbing. Do not rub, wipe, or scratch the area. Use patting motions only.
- While showering, keep your face away from the shower head or take a bath. Do not expose the area to the full pressure of the shower.
- Do not smash your face into a pillow while sleeping, especially during the first couple of days.
- Do not peel or pick at the crust. This could cause pigment loss, scarring, and delayed healing.
- Keep the area clean. Blot or rinse off oozing. Soap/cleansers may be used as long as they are not alcohol based and do not have any anti-aging acids or anti acids.
- Itching and flaking may appear during the first seven days post-microblading procedure. However, experience has shown that if you follow these after-care instructions, these symptoms may quickly disappear.
At the time that I’m writing this, I’m only on day 3 of the recovery period, so I’ll update this post at a later date with the end results of my brows!
My Microblading/Microshading Shop Recommendation:
Tel: 010-3436-0999
Email: abil_pmu@naver.com
Facebook: Abil Facebook Page
Instagram: abil_official
I just want to let you know that this is NOT a sponsored post.
I merely want to share my own personal experience and provide relevant links and information to other people who might be interested in similar services.
Would you ever have your brows microbladed or microshaded?
Let me know in the comments!
Did you enjoy this post about microblading in Korea?
Why don’t you try reading my post about birth control in Korea?
