What is wrong with the images below?
THE EYEBROWS, that’s what. (Okay, except for the butterfly. I threw it in there to illustrate thin ‘butterfly antenna’-like brows that were so hot amongst all the Asian girls back in the 90s.)
I recall one incident in high school, when a classmate pointed out to the entire class that I did not have eyebrows. I must’ve been about 14 or so, and back then in much simpler days no one really gave a hoot about facial hair (or lack thereof?!). But still, I felt rather humiliated especially because said classmate was someone I had a major crush on. (For the record, I did have eyebrows but they were quite faint because I have baby fine hair. I guess this particular classmate was turned on by the thick unibrow look.) Anyway as the years gone by, thru a chance encounter I got introduced to a Taiwanese makeup artist in Flushing, NY who tattoos eyebrows for a living. So I went ahead to tattoo my eyebrows, after being assured that “it won’t look like our moms’ eyebrows, where they used dark blue ink and it made them look fierce and angry all the time.” True enough, the tattooed eyebrows looked really natural and I was very happy with the result. I’d gotten many compliments and subsequently many of my girl friends went to get their eyebrows tattooed from the same place I went to. (They too, were pleased with the results.) But alas, the tattoo I got in Flushing, NY had begun to fade in time and I’ve pretty much gotten by by hiding behind my bangs for the last several years. It was finally time to do something about my eyebrows. It was time to resurrect my brows. Brow Resurrection, as the procedure is referred to at BrowHaus.
The BrowHaus I went to was at Mandarin Gallery, Singapore. The brow technician who attended to me was super skillful. She first gave a consultation, examined the frame of my face, shape of my eyes and suggested a suitable design that complements. I will save the Before and After images for last.
To start, Wayne (my brow technician) cleaned up my eyebrows and got rid of all the distracting bits first.
A prototype of the suggested brow design was first drawn in pencil, to show me how they would frame my eyes. Wayne had made slight adjustments in the thickness, position of arch, angle of arch and the way the ends tapered.
Upon approval of the design, numbing cream was then applied to the brows. I have to say that in all of my experiences combined of getting tattoos (elsewhere) before, eyebrows were never an issue for me in terms of pain. Slight discomfort, yes. But nothing a couple of Tylenols can’t take care of.
This is the ink that’d be used during the procedure. It’s a vegetable-based dye, thus the greenish tint. No, I wouldn’t be sporting spinach-green eyebrows by the time I was finished.
Now, the technique used was new to me. Instead of using a tattoo needle, with its familiar “bbbzzzzz” noise, Wayne used a small Xacto-knife-looking tool. With the tool, she made an impression of the blade on my eyebrows, one at a time. If that sounds painful, it is not too bad thanks to the numbing cream.
So in essence, she’s kinda drawing or painting with individual strokes of ink, following the natural position and angle of the hair I already have. See the results below!
BROW RESURRECTION: BEFORE AND AFTER
This was what I started with originally. Not too bad under this natural lighting, but could definitely use some more definition.
So much more defined, yes? I am most impressed that each individual ‘strand’ is so distinct! It looks pretty 3D compared to the traditional tattoo-ing method of coloring in a chunk of solid shape, instead of applying individual strokes like this.
Close up. Somewhat thin and uhm, looking rather bald towards the tail end.
Close up. Ahhh, much better thicker with neatly tapered tail end.
This is what I ended up with on the same day of the resurrection. Touch-up will be scheduled sometime within the next 3 months, after the ink has settled, the skin has completely healed, yadee-yada. So any minor adjustments and fixes will be done at that time.
Verdict: Mad props to Wayne at BrowHaus for doing a good job. I think it’s very important for a service provider who does permanent (and even semi-permanent) inking work to have the eye and the hand. Wayne is definitely a seasoned professional as she has the aesthetic sensibility to suggest the appropriate design for different clients, and she also has steady hands. She is gentle enough not to hurt you but firm and act swiftly during the parts that feel uncomfortable.
By the way, brow resurrection isn’t just for ladies. Guys can also go for this (hello, unibrow!). Team Moonberry: GO ASAP!!!
BrowHaus, Singapore
Mandarin Gallery #03-37
Tel: 6235-3402
BrowHaus, New York
56 Spring Street (btwn Lafayette and Mulberry)
Tel: 212-431-1124
Some tips for grooming your brows like a star:
Pretty celebrity eyebrows.
1. Never underestimate your brows.
“They can make eyes look larger and bring up your cheekbones if they’re shaped correctly.”
2. Beware of the arch.
“If you over-tweeze there you’ll look surprised all the time.”
3. Don’t remove too much between your eyes either.
“That center space should be about the same size as one of your eyes.”
4. Thicker is better.
“Thick eyebrows are feminine, sexy and timeless.”
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