(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- As the skinny-brow trend of the 1990s gave way to today’s preferred bushy look, one thing became clear: Powders and pencils were an OK fix for overplucked arches, but they weren’t a lasting—or efficient—solution. This may explain why beauty editors and stylists are so excited about microblading, a form of tattooing that mimics individual hairs.
The treatment gained fame recently when Lena Dunham wrote in Vogue about having her brows done; she credited Dominique Bossavy, a cosmetic artist in Beverly Hills, with giving her a pair of perfect, new “face friends.” Bossavy says her method, which involves custom-mixing pigments, takes three sessions: In the first, she shapes a flattering outline, then starts to color it in. “I always go very light,” she explains. The second session is when most of the work happens, and the third is for fine-tuning. The bottom line, she says: Clients “aren’t going to look like the Joker.” The opposite, in fact, is more likely, because the technique uses less ink than standard tattooing. The downside is the brows last only one to three years.
Side effects can include redness or swelling, but Bossavy says they’re rare, and pain tends to be minimal.* The price might hurt, though. The service can cost as little as $500, but it can run considerably higher depending on who’s performing it. Bossavy’s treatment starts at $3,500. After the procedure, patients should plan to keep their brows clean and dry for a few days (face washing is OK as long as brows aren’t soaked), but that’s about all there is to remember. Bossavy says a recent patient told her she was going straight from the salon to have a cocktail.
*Don’t take her word for it! Our model (and photo editor) Stephanie Tran describes going under Bossavy’s blade:
“My ‘before’ brows weren’t in the worst shape. I did have hair, but after a decade of religious plucking, I needed help filling them in and creating a face-framing shape. The process felt like a series of tiny taps, not at all like getting a tattoo. The session took about an hour, and I was able to go about my day as usual afterward—no sunglasses necessary. It’s been almost a month since then, and though I’m ready for a touch-up, I’m happy with the results, which are subtle. It looks as if I just got my makeup done, when, actually, I woke up like this.”
To contact the author of this story: Kayleen Schaefer in New York at Iknowkayleen@gmail.com.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jillian Goodman at jgoodman74@bloomberg.net.
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