Friday, August 28, 2015

The State of My Eyebrows (with Video!)

I never imagined "eyebrows" would be on my birthday list, but there they are, staring me down as sure as age thirty-seven is just around the corner. Nope, I am not complaining. I am happy for every year of it, but it is downright weird to be approaching my late-thirties. I still feel like I should be in law school babysitting for people in their late-thirties in order to have some grocery money.

Yet here I am, thirty-seven on the horizon, and my eyebrow situation has not improved much over the last couple of years. Chris asked me -- over bath time for Quinn, which is when we have time to talk lately -- how much they cost.


"Between $200 and $500, depending on who you go with," I told him.

"I feel like tattoos on your face aren't exactly the time to go with the discount person," he reasoned. "Unless you're Mike Tyson."

True, but even at the costlier, fancier place, the thought of tattoos -- specifically tattoos on my face -- scares me. I'm scared of both the pain and the permanence. I mean, what if I don't like them? What if the artist has a muscle spasm mid-brow? What if I look surprised or angry or any number of emotions expressed by one's eyebrows for the rest of my life?

And then Quinn broke my train of thought and asked why I would need someone to put eyebrows on my face. I could feel the mood shift as Chris waited to see how I would answer.

"Because I had to have some really strong medicine that made all my hair fall out, and all of it grew back except my eyebrows," I explained.

Quinn's eyes grew even more huge as he blinked back shock and processed the idea of something so strong it could make your hair fall out, and I realized he has no recollection of that time in our lives. Most likely because I am light years behind on putting together any kinds of photo albums from his first four years. We don't spend our evenings flipping through and reinforcing memories the way I did with my mom when I was Quinn's age. This is one huge downfall of the digital age, I think, but that's a whole other blog post. 

Have I avoided it because I don't know how to talk to Quinn about cancer? I have a therapy appointment for that exact topic tomorrow. I will let you know how that goes (and whether I have any major breakthroughs because this is still my biggest hurdle, how to explain what I'm living with to my son.)

In any event, here is a little something about my eyebrow process each and every day. In a nutshell, this is why I'm considering tattoos. Have you done them? Considered them? Would you? Let me stop before this gets to Green Eggs and Ham territory. 



Products used in this video and/or products I've found useful:

Makeup Forever's Aquabrow

MAC's brow pencil in Lingering

Anastasia Beverly Hills' Brow Powder Duo

Angled Eyebrow Brush


7 comments:

  1. Jen, Happy--early--Birthday! Here are some notes from my own eyebrow tattooing experience.
    1. You can keep a mirror with you so you can look at the work while it progresses. 2. Eyebrows will appear thicker in the beginning but will fade over time. Some types of skin hold tattoos better than others. 3. If there is a mistake or a line you do not like, you can take a cotton swap and work it into the line removing ink as you do it. All of it won't come out initially. After a few days of this, the line should become less visible. 4. I am disappointed in the amount of ink I have lost. Nevertheless, I am happy with the result. 5. I still use brow pencils so it may not completely eliminate the use of those. 6. You could try to use Latisse first. It can work on brows as well as eyelashes. There is a generic drug called Careprost. I used this for a little while and it worked, but I stopped using it when I discovered it was not FDA approved. I haven't investigated further. Both products can cause light eyes to darken when used for eyelash growth. At least go have a consultation with a person you might hire to do the tattooing. I think they may be able to ease your fears. You will still have a beautiful face even if you don't do it.
    Lisa

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    1. Lisa, this is SO helpful! I feel like I've been go-go-going for a month and a half straight, so I'm just getting around to telling you how great this advice is. Thank you! Now that I'm home for a stretch, I'm calling the tattoo artist to schedule an appointment. I'll keep you posted! XO

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  2. Have you considered an eyebrow transplant procedure. It is an expensive procedure $8,000 range but the results are closer to being natural. They use hair from the back side of you head. Full results are achieved with in a year

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    1. That's just a wee bit out of my price range, but good to know the option exists if I ever win the lottery!

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  3. I have had my eyeliner tattooed. It is uncomfortable, but nothing like what we have been through with surgeries. Also, you can use some lidocaine to numb your eyebrows beforehand. I asked for a lot of recommendations before choosing my tattoo artist. I also asked for pictures of work she had done before. I am considering having my eyebrows done (have to save up!). I am very happy I did my eyeliner. I went conservative (thin) so I can add more if I want a more dramatic look. I think you would be happy with the results. It is a time saver for sure!

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    1. Thanks, Cheryl! I've looked at having my eyeliner done as well, but I spend far more time on my eyebrows, so figured I'd start there. Good to know about the lidocaine!

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  4. I have had my eyeliner tattooed. It is uncomfortable, but nothing like what we have been through with surgeries. Also, you can use some lidocaine to numb your eyebrows beforehand. I asked for a lot of recommendations before choosing my tattoo artist. I also asked for pictures of work she had done before. I am considering having my eyebrows done (have to save up!). I am very happy I did my eyeliner. I went conservative (thin) so I can add more if I want a more dramatic look. I think you would be happy with the results. It is a time saver for sure!

    ReplyDelete