Eyebrow Tinting - What to Expect

Hey everyone,
Sorry about how long it's been between posts recently - school this year is set to be ridiculously busy and I really have been burning the candle at both ends. If it weren't for my little survival guide, I would quite possibly be dead right now.

But enough with the moaning, and onto the good stuff. Eyebrows have always been a pet peeve of mine. Instead of having my mother's thick, dark, shapely eyebrows passed down, I inherited my father's scrawny blonde strips - fine on him, not so cute on me. I've plucked, pencilled, powdered, you name it, to try and make these babies into the strong, face-framing brows of stars like Keira Knightley and Miley Cyrus (love her or hate her, the kid's got good eyebrows...). But no dice.
Until one day, I was reading a magazine article on eyelash and brow tinting. The idea seemed bizarre to me . The eyelashes in particular could be quite scary if something went wrong - I still haven't been brave (or stupid) enough to try that. But I did a little research into eyebrow tinting and eventually worked up the guts to give it a go.
I found a salon that uses holistic and henna-based dyes. I'd recommend finding one in your area; I'd rather use a product with lower levels of crazy chemicals if someone intends on waving a stick of it around my eyes for any length of time.
All in all, the process is surprisingly quick. Here goes:

1. You'll have a brief consultation with the therapist where he or she will ask about what you want from your brows and how light or dark you're looking to go. If you've dyed your hair very far from your natural colour, they'll also ask if you're looking to match your brows.
2. You'll then have a cleanser swiped over your eyebrows to remove any makeup, dust from the great outdoors and anything else that could prevent the product adhering to your hair follicles.
3. The therapist will then outline your eyebrows with a barrier product like Vaseline in order to prevent the tint bleeding where you don't want it.
4. Your dye colour is quickly mixed and applied with a little spatula-thingy (teehee). If you're only going a few shades each side of your natural colour, the dye's left on for a maximum of five minutes. If you're doing crazy colours, time will vary.
5. The dye's wiped off and your brows are cleansed again to remove traces of any product.

Threading -YOUCH!!

Usually with tinting, it's advisable to have your brows shaped in some way (whether done at the salon or afterwards by yourself at home). This makes sure any stragglers match the colour of the dyed hair and makes it look more natural. The three safest shaping methods for brows are plucking, threading and waxing. Plucking is time-consuming and I prefer to do it myself if needs must. Threading hurts wayyyyyyyy more than waxing. Trust me, I learnt the hard way. I also find that threading causes me to break out much more than waxing does.

When you're all done, an anti-inflammatory product like aloe vera is applied to soothe the area and reduce clogged pores, which can lead to spots and blackheads.

I really recommend brow tinting to anyone trying to enhance their face. Your brows frame your eyes, the area of the face you notice first. If you have good brows, you can pretty much get away with no makeup. The tinting darkens the blonde hairs in my brows and makes them look much fuller. If I want a really dramatic look for a night out, I'll still powder over my brows with an eyeshadow (brow powders are generally a waste of money), but I'm pretty much good to go.

A final word? The results last for about three weeks, and this varies from person to person. So make sure to scout around for good prices, as upkeep can be costly!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

Lots of love xx