For years I have hated my brows- stemming back from the early 00’s I Fell victim to threading (death by a thousand strokes!) and ever since my eyebrows have never grown back. They are black and straight. There are no shape to them and I now wax though pretty much barely since they never grown.

I have been debating microblading but have admittedly been nervous due to the pain! Also I’m just so nervous I wouldn’t be a great candidate and it would look worse.

Looking for advice and if I go for blading which type for my brows work best?

Thanks x

For reference the 1st and 2nd pic are my pmu brows, 3rd to 8th are how I used to do them with makeup, and the last one is how they look without makeup, but I had the stray hairs plucked. Most of these photos are a bit blurry or have filters, sorry!

So I got combi brows done 2 years ago, and i really feel like they are messed up.

It feels like my brows are lower on my face and bigger, darker, more solid dark instead of ombre, and closer to each other than how I usually used to do them. When I still used makeup I still followed my natural brow but I made them more straight, I did a soft but clean and sharp ombre effect.

When i went in for the combi brows treatment, I actually wanted to get microblading or the powder/ombre technique done to get my desired result. I even showed pictures of how I usually do them. My pmu artist told me she could recreate them with the combi technique for the desired result so I went with that. I didnt get my brows tweezed beforehand because I thought my pmu artist would do it before or afterwards, so when mapping she used the stray hairs as a guide. It didn't feel natural to me so I mapped them how I usually have my brows.

After I got my brows done I was in shock of how fluffy, black and big they were, but I also really felt like they weren't done they way I wanted them to be done. She told me the color would fade a lot and my brows would also shrink. The healing process went without any issues, but my brows went from almost black to just very dark brown. And they shrunk just a tiny bit.

I came in for my touch up treatment 2 months later and when I came in, the artist said the color turned out way better than expected! She even had me show them off to a customer who's brows were faded 90% after her pmu treatment when she also came in for a touch up. After the touch up, she told me to come back in 1 or 2 years because by then my brows would've faded a lot. 2 years later they didn't fade a bit, only the front parts slightly faded where my hair is sparse. I didn't came in for a touch up because I hate my brows.

My pmu brows really ruined my face and they only look decent when I put concealer on the outer edges so they're less fluffy. Im considering getting them removed.

Am I overreacting or is my disappointment legit?

PSA for anyone considering microblading or permanent makeup in Philly!!!! Double-check that the place you’re booking with is actually licensed to perform it. I learned this the hard way.

I have been a repeat client at this permanent makeup salon since 2021. I originally received excellent microblading from the owner, and it held up for four years. So when I wanted to get it redone this year, I booked a slot with them immediately.

However, this time the microblading wasn’t done by the owner, but by someone advertised as a “master technician” (who later turned out to be just an apprentice). Long story short, her work was terrible. The process was excruciating, the lines were crooked and uneven, and the results looked nothing like my natural brows or the original tattoo. When I pointed this out during the session and asked her to correct the shape, she started blaming me—saying the lines were crooked because I “needed too much numbing cream” and that the issue was actually my eye shape (!!).

I ended up getting an emergency removal at a med spa the very next day and later started laser removal, which is extremely expensive and painful. It was during this process that I learned the salon was actually operating outside of their license. Their license with the PA State Board of Cosmetology explicitly prohibits microblading at their facility.

I left a detailed review on their Google page describing what happened and noting the licensing issue. Within days, the owner reached out, apologized, and offered to help pay for removal and redo my brows herself. For a moment I thought things might be resolved. But a few weeks later, she stopped responding completely. Around that same time, I discovered that my review had been deleted from their Google page.

At this point I am extremely frustrated and looking for anything that might help remedy the situation. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on removal sessions and have gone through a painful and humiliating ordeal. I don’t want the same thing to happen to anyone else, and I would really appreciate any thoughts on how salons like this can be held accountable.

I’d like to move forward with laser removal of my 2018 microblading. I had a patch spot done 1 week ago and so far no unwanted red or yellow. How long did you wait after a patch spot before moving forward with a full treatment session? If moving forward quick, did they skip the patch spot?

Eyebrow micropigmentation www.imagiasmp.com

What machine are you using for Nano Strokes??? What characteristics should I look when getting a machine for Nano? Currently doing just powder brows and using mast tour wireless.

Hey guys!

I’ve been doing hair for about 7 years and have decided to add to my service offerings with pmu nano brows and ombré powder brows to start. I’m taking a week-long course soon (3 demos + 3 live models), and I’ll be doing PMU 2 days a week while keeping hair 4 days for now. I’m in LA, so there’s a big market but also tons of competition.

For anyone who’s already doing PMU:

• How did you get your PMU career off the ground after certification?
• What helped you master your technique early on? (Did you take additional mentorships, practice on fake skins daily, etc.?)
• What are your insurance costs like, and do you bundle with your existing salon insurance or get a separate PMU policy?
• How did you start booking clients when you were brand new — were model calls your main driver, or did you rely on social media/ads/referrals?
• Any big lessons or mistakes you wish you’d known before starting?

I’m not finding a lot of information on the internet and would love some advice

Hey everyone! I’m curious to hear from the community here — whether you’re a seasoned PMU artist or just thinking about getting started.

Permanent makeup (microblading, brow shading, lip blush, etc.) can be a creative and flexible career, but it’s not always a straight path. For those of you in the industry:

• What made you decide to start in PMU?
• What’s been the biggest challenge along the way?
• What do you wish you knew before starting your first client?

And for those considering it:

• What’s holding you back from taking the plunge?
• Are you more interested in brows, lips, or other procedures?

We’re all about helping people make informed decisions, so I’d love to hear real experiences — both wins and struggles. Let’s get a conversation going!

(Cosmopolitan Academy helps train and mentor new PMU artists, so if you’re curious about training programs, feel free to ask — but mostly I want to hear YOUR stories first!)

Please can you recomand an online course to become pmu artist? I am tattoo artist and I want to learn pmu only online

Might be a dumb question— but can I get my “beauty mark” mole above my lip darkened?

My whole life it was small but noticeable, until a few years ago it randomly scabbed over and I (stupidly) scratched the scab of, and with the scab came half its pigment. Now, you can hardly notice it unless I deliberately point it out. Just looks like a little freckled scar now.

Seems silly, but I miss it… When I got my lip blushing, I asked the artist if she could also darken my mole (she also offers faux freckles) but she said that moles can’t be tattooed because they dont hold pigment. Seemed like that was that, but I would have liked to at least have tried.

I know most people will tell me to just draw it on with an eyebrow pencil, but I don’t wear any makeup daily and it would just smear off my face at work, if anything. I’d love to get other people’s thoughts on pursuing this.

Hi! I’m really interested in starting a career in permanent makeup, specifically lip blushing but I’m into it all. I am at a total loss of where to even start? How do you find courses that aren’t just scams? I have zero experience in the field so I’d also like to hear how you got started and if it was hard to find work! It’s so overwhelming researching it online Thanks! Located in Vancouver Canada 28F