Microblading Gone Wrong: How To Avoid A Microblading Disaster
We’ve seen the “Microblading Gone Wrong” stories circulating the news and our social media. Naturally, we feel terrible for those who’ve fallen victim to bad microblading and at the same time we can’t help but worry that it could happen to us. We ask ourselves, “How could this microblading disaster have happened?,” and “How do I make sure I don’t end up with botched microblading?”
Are You Unhappy With Your Microblading?
How do Microblading Disasters happen?
To avoid a microblading failure, it’s best to first understand how microblading disasters happen. We see hundreds, and I mean HUNDREDS, of clients for bad microblading removal and/or shape and color correction every year and we’ve heard it all. “I never saw the shape before she did it,” “she promised the shape would look smaller after the procedure,” “She said that I needed to do the shape she wanted because she knows best.”
We hear “she said” after, “she said” from these unhappy clients. In a perfect world, all microblading artists would be operating honestly and in your best interest instead of theirs, (money, laziness, and ego.) Unfortunately, this too often is not the case so you need to make sure you are educated and not pushed around.
The Top 6 Reasons Microblading Goes Wrong
1. The microblading “artist” is untrained
Great microblading takes serious skill and every artist needs to be well trained to give you beautiful results. Some technicians are drawn to the microblading field because they’ve heard how much others are making and making money is all that they care about. They want to make as much as they can without spending their own money on proper training.
If an artist has been trained then she should be able to show proof of that training. Certificates are awarded to those who have completed training to the satisfaction of the school for a reason. Even online schools award proof of training.
Certification is unfortunately not required by the health department for an artist to work, which is why it is up to you to ask to see it.
2. The microblading artist didn’t draw for you
This is a big one. No artist, no matter how well trained, should be free handing microblading. A consultation is not enough to know exactly what you, the client, wants. Too often vocabulary and language will mean one thing to you and another to your technician. Just one of endless examples: Thicker can mean: a) more density, b) darker in color, c) wider in shape. The technician must outline the shape to be sure they understand you perfectly.
An outline is not only important to make sure you’re understanding each other, but an outline also prevents microblading mistakes. No artist is perfect, but the outline can be. Even the most experienced artist shouldn’t work without an outline. Sure, it could turn out okay, maybe even great if the artist is extremely experienced, but why risk it? You want guaranteed, beautiful eyebrows that you’ve pre-approved with your own eyes. Remember, an outline prevents microblading mistakes.
3. The microblading artist convinced you that the outlined shape would look smaller after the procedure
So you’ve found a certified microblading artist and she outlined for you. So far so good. Except, the shape looks too dramatic, or overall too big for your liking. What should happen at this point is that the artist adjusts the outline until it is exactly to your liking. What shouldn’t happen is that the artist convinces you that this shape will become somehow smaller after the procedure is done or healed. If the artist sticks to the outline, which she should, then the size of the brow does not become smaller.
Sometimes the darkness of the outline can make the shape feel larger than it is, especially if you are light-haired and the artist is using a dark pencil. The size, however, is true. Ask for a smaller shape if you are uncomfortable, it is easy to add and difficult to take away.
4. You chose an artist based on price alone
You’ll probably do some research on the price of microblading while looking for an artist. What you’ll usually notice is a wide range of prices. Finding a good artist within your budget is smart, but choosing an artist based on the lowest price alone is the quickest way to end up with botched eyebrows. Beware of an artist with heavily discounted prices.
In the microblading world, cheap means the artist either is not very good, and therefore isn’t able to charge an average or above price, or they are brand new and need practice models. New artists are told to charge low prices to get as much practice as they can. Don’t let this happen to you.
There is a very small chance that you can get extremely lucky and find a gifted new artist at a low price. I’ve certainly come across some gifted students, but I can not tell you how rare this is and you can count on her raising her prices soon.
5. You didn’t see before and after photos or have a referral
Not seeing your artist’s work before your appointment is a recipe for disaster, and we’ve seen the results time and time again. Even if the microblading is done well it may be a style that you aren’t fond of and are now stuck with for a long time. I’ve personally removed beautiful work done in a style that was just not what the client wanted. The worst-case scenario is of course that the work is not done well at all, regardless of the style.
When choosing a microblading artist, a referral is great. Nothing beats being able to see an artist’s healed results on someone in person and then being able to get their opinion on their artist. Since a referral is not always easy to find, request to see several before and after photos of the artist’s work before booking your appointment.
6. You have an uneasy feeling when meeting the artist
Nerves are common for any new client. We see it often, but there is something to be said for that gut feeling or intuition about a person or place. You are subconsciously picking up vibes from your surroundings. You may not know exactly why, but something about the way this technician is speaking to you is making you uneasy. Something feels off about this studio.
Sometimes it’s obvious, like it was for client Sharon Baily, “I walked in for my appointment and noticed an empty coke can just sitting on the front desk amongst some other clutter. I could tell it had been there for a long time. Then the girl came out, a bit late an out of breath, and she was speaking so fast, I could hardly understand her. I could tell she wanted to do this quick and she kept trying to get me to go in a back room with her when I still had questions. I felt really bad at the time but I had to tell her that I just wasn’t feeling right about having the appointment today and I left even though I’d paid and lost the deposit.”
Never feel pressured to stay for an appointment if you’ve decided this isn’t the artist for you. It’s easy to feel the social pressure to not abandon the appointment but this can result in microblading mistakes that last years.
How can I make sure I won’t end up with botched Microblading?
So here’s your cheat sheet to avoid a microblading fail and leave with the eyebrows of your dreams:
Seek out a trained and certified microblading artist.
Approve the outline before the procedure begins.
Choose the best artist based on their work, not price.
Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Looking to Try Out Different Eyebrow Shapes At Home Before Your First Appointment?
The Eyebrow Stencils Set For Eyebrow Shaping & Outlining allows you to try 12 of the most popular and flattering eyebrow shapes at home.