Tattooing the eyebrows - How it works (10 steps)

I get a lot of questions about permanent makeup and tattooing eyebrows. One of several permanent makeup treatments that my colleagues offer at the salon Creative Makeup, of which I am a partner in Uppsala.

So I thought I would write a detailed post about just tattooing the eyebrows, because it is the most common treatment :)

But you who have followed me for a long time know that in addition to eyebrow tattooing, I have also tattooed eyeliner up and down (size lashliner / eyeliner light), light inliner (waterline) and the lips! All are made on Creative Makeup.

Tattoo your eyebrows - Here's how

Look at such beautiful 3D eyebrows:

Big difference before and after eyebrow tattoo! I have tattooed my eyebrows once before as well, so the model was photographed 2 years earlier than the after model. Wanted to show how the brow looked completely "naked" on the model.

Tattooing the eyebrows is the tattoo that I feel was most worth doing. Having a pair of well-shaped eyebrows that fit your face shape makes such a big difference to the overall impression. To also wake up with them every morning and also have nice eyebrows when you are not wearing make-up - it is worth its weight in gold!

I tattooed my eyebrows because I have too sparse eyebrows to be able to pick the shape I want. Which is a rather narrow shape. If you have sparse eyebrows, it is difficult to get a narrow eyebrow shape without cavities or uneven.

Update: It is worth mentioning that I was not as good at picking / shaping the eyebrows as I am today either. A problem that many customers have! This tattoo was done before I started working as a makeup artist.

Here's how to put one together for use with your eyebrows.

(I start from how Annika is doing Creative Makeup works, because she's the one who tattooed me)

1. Draw the shape

What you start with when you come to the salon is to draw a shape together and determine the color. The makeup artist draws a flattering shape that fits the face. Usually you make two slightly different eyebrows, so that the customer can choose the most beautiful and then you work based on that. A dialogue so that it will be both nice and in the customer's taste.

2. Brow picking

A common misconception is that you have to shave your real eyebrows before, which is not true! But you may need to pick some straw around the shape while drawing.

Stunning

Then you add one numbing cream that works for about 15 minutes.

4. Tattoo the eyebrows

The technique that most people use today is a so-called hair technique or 3D technology, which means that you tattoo small lines to get a more natural result. Annika has developed her own hair technique which she has taught to other practitioners at the salon who also have extensive experience now.

At Creative Makeup, you tattoo with a machine. There are also other methods (eg microblading) and both provide 3D eyebrow / hair technique, so the difference is the tool you work with.

Comparison: The picture on the left was made by Annika at Creative Makeup. The one on the right is made in another salon. Both use the hair technique, but Annika manages to get an eyebrow without her own hair (everything is a tattoo as the customer has no eyebrows at all) to look natural. The other has quite a lot of eyebrows and it is still clear what is tattooed and what are real straws.

 6. Anesthesia during the tattoo period

You always get a tattoo in several rounds during a treatment. Because you constantly switch between the eyebrows, the anesthetic has time to act on one eyebrow while tattooing the other. It may feel a little at first but the more you tattoo the less you feel. Most people say that it makes it worse to pluck the eyebrows.

The needle goes up and down the skin (like a sewing machine) with a super-thin needle that does not go as deep. It is thus more gentle on the skin than e.g. body tattoo when you have bigger and often more needles at the same time go deeper into the skin. It is also gentler than the methods where you cut incisions in the skin (eg microblading). These factors together with the anesthesia make it not feel very much, it is not at all possible to compare with a body tattoo!

I have done body tattoos with a regular tattoo artist and two with the permanent makeup equipment. So I can compare :) Therefore, I can also add that even if you do a deep and full-permanent tattoo on the body without anesthesia (wrist and behind the ankle) with permanent makeup equipment, it does not hurt as much as a "regular" body tattoo. Thanks to the needle being so thin.

7. Immediately afterwards

The tattoo looks very dark when you are done, and is often red and slightly swollen. The swelling usually lasts only a few hours, but the dark color can last for a few days. It also looks sharper.

Some panic the second day, but the tattoo ska look too much during the healing period! If you had made a perfect result immediately afterwards, it would have been too bubbly after healing. A lot of color disappears during healing.

8. Healing

When the tattoo heals so flakes it. You get a caring cream to take home with you to lubricate the tattoo with. The healing process on the brows is very mild because the wounds are small lines, not a whole cake.

9. Return visit

After the tattoo has healed, you come for a return visit, when you look at whether the color feels right, and if there is something that needs to be corrected or filled in, which is usually needed.

10. Durability and filling

It is recommended to fill in the tattoo after about 1-2 years for the first time, but how quickly it fades depends on how dark color you use, age and how to take care of the tattoo. You do not pay full price if you just fill in the form.

But it often takes longer before the tattoo disappears completely. Once you have filled in 1-2 times, it may take even longer before you top up again.

To the left you can see how much my blonde tattoo had faded in 2 years (had a narrower shape then). So there is quite a lot left anyway! In addition, I like that it fades naturally and discreetly, it does not seem to be a "faded tattoo",

Frequently asked questions:

Did it hurt to tattoo eyebrows?

No, at first it feels a little small but still much smaller than plucking eyebrows. When the anesthetic goes properly into the skin, it does not feel at all. I have a pretty low pain threshold too!

Is it the same as a regular tattoo?

No, permanent makeup is a semi-permanent tattoo. You do not go as hard and deep into the skin as with a regular tattoo. This is to be able to change colors and lines as the skin changes with age.

If you use very dark colors and black, however, there are no guarantees that it will disappear completely. Eyeliners fade but not 100%. Therefore, you should think twice before doing e.g. and eyelinervinge.

What about allergies?

Allergic reactions to permanent makeup are extremely rare. However, it is important that you follow the instructions both before and after the treatment. Keeping the skin clean is A&O to avoid infections.

What color do you choose to tattoo eyebrows?

You usually start from the hair color, but a tip is to bring a brow pencil / shadow that you usually fill in with. So you can start from it. You must also keep in mind that the tattoo should look good even without make-up, so you often choose a shade that is a little lighter than the one you are painting.

Do all eyebrows turn red when they start to fade?

Unfortunately, this is a fairly common problem. This is because the pigments in the paint mixture fade at different speeds. Creative Makeup has changed all its colors for many years and now only works with colors that are specially developed to maintain their correct shade. If you have encountered this problem, you can arrange a color correction.

On the other hand, it is common for the tone to become dull over time, for it to lose heat in the tone. But better that than red!

Should one pluck the eyebrows before one can tattoo eyebrows?

No, it is always best to start from where your own hairs are when choosing an eyebrow shape. So save as much straw as possible in advance. And as I wrote earlier in the post, you do not need to shave off your own eyebrows or the like!

Tattoo Creative Makeup with the Taffy method or microblading?

None of it. It is a bit misleading for many customers that there are so many different names.

Powder brows and 3D brows (or a combination) are different results. Annika works mainly with 3D but can also make shaded powder brows on request.

Taffy and Phi Brows is a brand and an education. The salon has a few different brands of its colors and needles, when you tattoo for a long time you will find your favorites.

Microblading, diamondblading and machine tattooing are different methods. In other words, different tools and working methods. Annika uses a machine

There are pros and cons to these variants, but the most important thing is to go to a person who can make a nice shape, nice tattoo and an even result that stays nice even after healing. A talented permanent makeup artist quite simply. Then it will be nice no matter what!

I live in (another city), can you recommend a good salon here?

When you are going to do a tattoo on your face, you should really be careful about who you go to. Many trainings to become a cosmetic tattoo artist take place during just one weekend (!) And you do not need to have any training or experience before that.

There are a lot of people who work as e.g. skin care therapists and do permanent makeup only occasionally, but not full time. It goes without saying that a person who does permanent makeup for 100% is much safer to go to.

Compare pictures and be skeptical before you go to a salon, or be on the safe side and go to Creative Makeup because there I can guarantee a perfect result and good service! The salon gets customers from all over Sweden!

There are regularly sad customers who have tattooed themselves at other salons and received a failed result. It is very important to choose a good one from the beginning, it costs more and will not be as nice to make corrections later.

Throws in a picture I took of Annika before when she tattooed my sister :)

Annika has trained more people who are very good at permanent makeup, so whoever you book at Creative Makeup, you will get great results and good service!

Hope you got wiser by my post about tattooing eyebrows! Send a comment if you have any questions or concerns!

Also read:

• Complete your eyeliner tattoo
• Different methods for tattooed eyebrows, what is the difference?