Permanent Make-up's New Reputation

Gone are the days of harsh-black eyeliner, obviously lined lips, and disastrously skew eyebrows. The PERMANENT cosmetic industry has NEW ADVANCEMENTS and treatments that we have long been waiting for.

- Helen Wallace

Although bold and bushy brows became the ultimate look to covet a few years ago (thanks, Cara Delevingne), many people still hesitate to go the permanent route, and instead meticulously fill in their brows with temporary make-up. Enter microblading, which arrived on the beauty scene about four years ago, drawing in those who steered clear of the tattoo.

Microblading seems to be the more trusted technique when it comes to fuller brows. Nicol Frank, an intra dermal cosmetic tattoo and paramedical micro-pigment specialist, and owner of Blush salons in both Cape Town and Joburg, believes that this is because of the hyper-realistic results this procedure achieves.

‘Microblading is a unique treatment that creates hair-like strokes by inserting inert organic ink into the skin,’ explains Nicol. ‘Unlike the powder brow, which is the older technique that gives a more “solid” finish, it’s more natural and it looks just like real hair.’

Another bonus of microblading, and a significant upgrade from older techniques, is that the shape of brows is calculated according to the morphology of the face, and the shade is determined by the natural colour of the hairs that make up the eyebrows. The results are evidently organic. 

But what is the difference in pain between the microblading needle and the tattoo needle inserting ink underneath your skin? Nicol dispels the assumption that microblading is painful. ‘We numb the area completely with a medical numbing cream. It can be a little ticklish for some, but that’s about it.’