They say that eyes are the windows to the souls, and it was believed that through peering at your pupils you could read someones true feelings. This makes framing them ever so important, as lashes and brows can really define your face. Years of zealous over plucking had left me with sparse looking brows with little shape, and I relied heavily on my trusty brow pencil. However I was sick of penciling in my brows and was looking for a more permanent solution. The EF Medispa looked like it could be the answer to my problems.
Dunja, their on-site specialist has a a reputation for creating perfectly shaped brows, and her client book includes a list of celebrity fans, including a Slumdog Millionaire beauty! I knew I'd be in good hands with her, and I headed down to Kensington for my first appointment. To start with she assessed the shape of my brows, and asked me what I was looking for. I've previously had my eyebrows tattooed and loved the results, but it had faded and now looked uneven- and I wanted two matching eyebrows that were well defined!
See pictures after the jump.
We talked about what colours she'd use, as I tend to keep my hair blonde, so something darker wouldn't look natural. A quick patch test later and I was off- with an appointment booked in for two weeks away.
I arrived once again at the EF Medispa, sunlight twinkling in through the large glass windows and light shining off my slightly nervous face. Sure, it seemed like a great idea, but I was quite nervous about someone actually plunging a needle into my skin. Dunja applied EMLA cream over the brows, a topical anaesthetic used to numb them, and set about preparing her tools. She donned a rather officious looking facemask, and started mixing the pigments in what looked like a mini hand blender.
She had over 60 pigments to choose from, and she told me that she liked to use two or more shades in the brows for a multi dimensional colour.
Rather than apply the colour in one straight line she used the feather brushstroke technique, which makes the colour looks like fine hairs, rather than an obvious tattoo.
The inks don't penetrate as far as a regular tattoo, but they do get into the epidermis, which means the results will last for 12-18 months, After that time the colour will get absorbed into the skin and eventually fade away.
It's was a very strange sensation to be lying there whilst the needle buzzed above me, but it was strangely pain free. It felt like someone was scratching hard at my brows, but the pressure was uncomfortable rather than agonzing.
Before I knew it I was staring myself in the mirror and was slightly disconcerted by just how dark and pronounced my brows looked. 'This will fade over the next two weeks', Dunja told me. 'Then you need to come in for a top up, where I'll go over the brows once more, and address any concerns or issues about colour'.
I was told to keep my brows dry for two weeks, with no direct water, and coat them with Vaseline every two hours to keep them moisturized. 'If they get to dry they could crack and leave an uneven colour', Dunja told me. The colour is initially 60-80% darker than they'll end up, as the dark shade exfoliates off during the week.
Two weeks on and I'd been very good with my routine and went back for the checkup. I'd decided I really liked the defined look I'd got, and opted to have a touch more brow added to the tip, as I like that long extended look.
I'm very happy with the results and love leaving the brow pencil at home. A number of people have commented on how well I look- not realizing the fact that it's my brows!
Dunja specializes in permanent makeup and can be found at the EF Medispa.
I had my brows done at the EF Medispa, 29 Kensington Church Street, Kensington London W8 4LL. Treatment cost from £250.
For appointments phone: 020 7937 5554 or go here.