A while back I was invited to the launch of Vogue brows’ microblading treatment at The Urban Beauty Lounge in Wembley Square. Microblading’s been around for a while but now its kind of exploding, especially since it’s rumoured to be the technique that’s given the Kardashian kids their perennially perfect-looking eye brows.

So, for those of you who don’t know, what is microblading? In short, it’s a semi-permanent brow tattoo using a new technique that sees a teensy little micro blade create lots of ultra-fine hair-like strokes. This way, you’re not getting your ouma se permanent make-up, but a realistic-looking ‘brow’. Also, the look isn’t forever. As the pigment’s only deposited in your uppermost dermal layers it lasts between one to two years, gradually fading out over time. You can view several ‘before and after’ piccies from Urban Beauty Lounge over here.

At the launch, we got to watch a live demo by Urban Beauty Lounge’s Charlie Corkill who did a brilliant job of creating a perfect set of brows while fending off a zillion questions from a hoard of captivated beauty folk. The most asked?

Does it hurt?
Nope! You’re numbed to hell and gone with an anaesthetic gel that sits on your face for 30 minutes before the blade comes anywhere near you.

Can you see a preview of what it’ll look like?
Yep. Your brows will be shaped to perfection and filled in to give you an idea of the exact shape you’ll end up. Also, the brow ink is available in a ton of colours so you’ll find a good match.

How much does it cost?
Prices will vary depending on which salon you go to. At Urban Beauty Lounge you’re looking at a super affordable R2 500 for the first session and R1 250 for the second one a month later to touch things up. After that you’re all done.

What’s the down time?
There isn’t one. Straight afterwards you can expect a little redness and swelling, but you can totally go to work the next day and nobody would be the wiser. Just don’t get your brows wet for the first five days! About ten days later you’ll experience a bit of dryness and flaking, much the same way your skin creates a microfine ‘scab’ after a Dermapen session, but once this disappears, usually within two days, you’ll be hundreds.

In all, I was super impressed by Charlie’s brow skills. Urban Beauty Lounge has always been one of Cape Town’s finest when it comes to brow sculpting and lash extensions and now they can add microblading to the list. Still, your results will only ever be as good as your therapist so if this is something you’re considering be sure to ask to see your brow artists own ‘before and after’ porti, or find someone who’s results you adore and find out who did them. This treatment’s revolutionary but Charlie is the only person I can endorse, having seen her great work myself.

Love, love

Leigh

P.S. I asked glamtastical diva biets Jeannie D to come along as my date as she’d been interested in learning more about microblading for a while. I’m not going to say whether she eventually took the plunge or not but next time you catch her on Afternoon Express you can guess. Maybe she’s born with them… maybe it’s Charlie from Urban Beauty Lounge…

P.P.S. If you’re a beauty therapist and considering adding microblading to your mooi-making artillery know that Urban Beauty Lounge also offers training in the technique.