Have You Heard of Microblading: It Is The face tattoo you will definitely want to have

Unless you’re Mike Tyson, chances are you’d think twice before getting a tattoo on your face.  Permanent ink on any part of your body is a big commitment, but getting one smack dab in the middle of your forehead just seems like a risky move. But there’s a beauty trend that pretty much involves just that, only this tattoo is one you’re actually going to want.

Microblading is a type of tattoo that will give you perfectly shaped brows without any makeup. Sounds too good to be true, right? It’s not — so long as you’re willing to pay the high price tag for this specialty service.

The increasingly popular procedure involves a highly-skilled artist drawing individual hair-like strokes of ink that mimic your brows. The process only takes about an hour and a half and works for just about anyone, whether you’ve got thick brows you want to perfect or brows that are barely there.

“Microblading is great not just for anyone looking to improve or enhance the appearance of their brows, but also for those with fine and gappy brows, and even those suffering from alopecia, as sparse or missing brows can be completely restored,” says New York City microblading expert Peret Aava, known to her nearly 34,000 Instagram followers as The Eyebrow Doctor.

To give you the brows of your dreams, Aava uses a pen-like device with a micro blade to scratch and etch the thin lines into your skin. This special tool deposits the color closer to the surface than a regular tattoo needle, which leaves you with very fine, crisp, hair-stroke lines that heal thinner and sharper.

“With this method I can create almost any look, from a very natural light finish or a beautifully bold brow. Each set of brows I design is bespoke to you and your measurements and the color we choose should complement you without any makeup but can easily be amped up for an evening out with a little added brow makeup,” Aava says.

Unlike regular tattoos, however, Aava explains that microblading is not permanent and will need to be touched up every year or so, depending on your skin and lifestyle. In some cases, the color can last up to three years.

During the appointment, Aava will spend about an hour drawing out your brow’s perfect shape using an eyebrow pencil to ensure you get the look you want. Once you’re happy with it, she applies a numbing cream to help ease any discomfort and begins drawing on the hair strokes.

Your brows will look pretty much flawless right after the appointment, but the ink will appear slightly darker than the final results. Over the next couple of weeks, your eyebrows will go through an awkward healing process where they’ll begin to scab and fall off before the crisp 'hair' strokes show up again. It’s crucial to avoid picking or scratching them during this phase, as you risk damaging the pigment. Patients will also get a cream to apply on a regular basis to keep brows moisturized and protected.

After about four weeks, you’ll need to go back for a touch-up appointment, as the ink doesn’t always take the first time around. But once they’re completely healed, hopefully you'll be left with the most flawless brows of your life.  

See How I Made My First Wrinkle Disappear Easily Without Any Special Treatment

Hollywood's proclivity for Botox, fillers, and other under-the-needle procedures yielding magically smooth, line-free complexions is at an all time high. And I'm not afraid to admit that as a beauty editor, and pop-culture-devouring woman in 2017, it's fed a beautiful dark-twisted fantasy of staying wrinkle-free forever. I mean, I have yet to see any semblance of crow's feet on a Kardashian. I have nothing against cosmetic surgery. In fact, by nature of the job, I'm up on every cutting-edge procedure and toy with the idea of them daily. But as of now, I'm looking to topical solutions to ward off the early signs of aging I'm dealing with. 

While my regimen used to be comprised of a myriad of different products, lately I've been looking to one: La Prairie's new Line Interception Power Duo. Two weeks in, it's worked better than anything else so far and I've got the litmus test to prove it—my very first wrinkle! Or rather expression line, which is one of the three types of wrinkles one can have. The other two are sun-induced and gravity lines. The latter being vertical and the hardest to counter. Thankfully, the combination of a day and night cream found in the Power Duo address all three in Botox-like fashion—but *sans* needles.


"The day cream focuses on expression lines," explains Dr. Jacqueline Hill, director of innovation and science at La Prairie. "The three peptides we use in our day cream work on expression lines by interfering with the signaling process that leads to muscle contraction at three different levels."

To put it in perspective, Botox injections cause muscles to refrain from contracting by inhibiting the signaling pathway a bit later in the game (the second level, as opposed to the first). The day cream acts earlier on and in more complementary ways in gentler fashion—i.e. no weird facial expressions.

In addition to collagen-stimulating peptides and moisturizing hyaluronic acid, the formula also contains SPF 30, offering broad spectrum protection with UVA and UVB filters that prevent future damage from sun exposure.







Good News: At night, the skin is in a regenerative mode, meaning skin renewal is accelerated and repair processes take place. Bad News: These processes slow down with age. The silver lining? The night cream helps to compensate for this decline by regenerating the skin at several levels, counteracting the impact of daily aggressions.

"It helps stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid," says Dr. Hill. "Thus, helps to optimize skin renewal to fill wrinkles from within and strengthen the extracellular matrix. The appearance of wrinkles, even vertical, is visibly reduced."







The biggest claim of the La Prairie's groundbreaking duo is that it can visibly decrease the appearance of wrinkles after 14 days and 14 nights. Because I look at my face day in and day out, I knew the only way I'd be able to really tell is with the receipts. i.e. photographs of the expression line on my forehead in question. So I snapped a photo of myself pre-Line Interception, then after I used the day cream and night cream daily, along with my normal routine of cleansing, toning, and exfoliating for 14 days. As you can see in the before and after, my fine line is *technically* still there. However, it's far less perceptible in the hi-res shot, let alone with the bare eye. To me, that's a win.

A few other notes: Despite being packed with SPF, the day cream is ultra-lightweight and melts into the skin, making it imperceptible beneath my makeup, which cannot be said for most moisturizers with sun protection. The night cream is equally lovely to slather on before bed. Another thing I love about the duo is that it's two different creams housed in one airless—no oxidation 🙏—carry-on-friendly tube that just makes life easy. I can take it anywhere.




As far as the price tag, $350 is a precious amount of change, but when you consider that it's a non-invasive alternative to pricey procedures, as well as something that can complement and even prolong the need for cosmetic procedures like Botox, it's a worthwhile AM/PM investment for the woman that doesn't mess around when it comes to skincare.

La Prairie Line Interception Power Duo, $350; laprairie.com.

Kim Kardashian Opens Up About Her Challenges with Her Skin Disease called Psoriasis

Kim Kardashian’s complexion isn’t as flawless as you think. In a new post on her app, the reality star reveals her longtime struggle with psoriasis, an autoimmune disease characterized by patches of dry and itchy skin.

“Since I was first diagnosed with psoriasis in 2010, I’ve been pretty open about my struggles with it. I have that one patch on my right leg that is the most visible. I don’t even really try to cover it that much anymore. Sometimes I just feel like it’s my big flaw and everyone knows about it, so why cover it?”Kardashian begins. “After this many years, I’ve really learned to live with it.”

According to the 35-year-old, she first started noticing the symptoms almost a decade ago after mom Kris Jenner, who also suffers from psoriasis, spotted rashes on her leg. After having her dermatologist neighborhood confirm the diagnosis, Kardashian started getting cortisone shots to help with breakouts.

“Every few years, I get a cortisone shot to help combat the inflammation from my psoriasis,” she shares. “Everyone with psoriasis has different symptoms; sometimes the rashes are itchy, sometimes they’re flaky. Mine flares up from time to time for different reasons.”

For the mom-of-two, she now avoids acidic foods like tomatoes and eggplant to prevent flare-ups. Given that there’s still no cure, Kardashian says she has learned to deal with the disease and takes everything one day at a time.

“BTW, thanks for this amazing disease, Mom!!!” she jokes. “I use a topical cortisone ointment every night before bed. I’m always hoping for a cure, of course, but in the meantime, I’m learning to just accept it as part of who I am.”

Welp, she’s certainly not shy about showing some skin these days.