October 25th, 2018 • Posted by Written By Emily Rekstis • Permalink
My average makeup routine only takes me around seven minutes, but about four of those minutes are spent perfecting my brows. I love the dark brow, light hair combo, but my natural brows are pretty sparse and lighter than I'd like. So to get the look I‘m going for takes time and concentration in the morning. Between the tweezer clean up, the brushing, and the penciling in, the time adds up.
My ultimate dream is to roll out of bed with the brows of Cara Delevingne. So when I heard about the option for brow tinting, it seemed like a logical answer. Excited to give it a try, I added lash tinting to the experiment for a little extra oomph. If I could have my lashes and brows already done for me each morning, imagine the things I could do with the extra time! Learn everything you need to know about coloring your lashes and arches ahead.
The Process: Brows
Two minutes after walking in to Wink Brow Bar, an adorably small boutique in the West Village, the technician and I were talking brow shades.
Owner Umbreen Sheikh explains that they look at complexion, eye color, hair color, and the color of your hair’s roots when it comes to choosing the right shade. For women with lighter hair (blondes and redheads), the coloring will typically go about two shades darker than the roots. If you already have dark hair and brows, it's actually better to go lighter. “Black on black can make a very harsh brow,” she tells SELF.
For me, we ended up going with a mix of light and medium brown. Next thing I knew, I had a thick brush of dye over each of my brows—which honestly looked terrifying. But after about two minutes, the technician swiped away the dye, revealing a surprisingly natural-looking brow. And the dye only tinted my little brow hairs, leaving no stains on my skin.
The Process: Lashes
Next up, lashes. Before even deciding what color I was going to do, the technician reiterated how important it was to keep my eyes closed through the whole lash tint. I was not to open them even the slightest. Message received.
We decided to use blue black, the darkest color you can go and one of the most popular options according to Sheikh. Other shade options include black or brown for women with very light blonde lashes.
After placing a protective eye patch under my bottom lash line, the technician started dying the lower lashes while I looked up. I hadn’t even thought of the lower lashes! That realization was exciting because I never wear mascara on my bottom lashes because it always ends up clumpy.
Then she moved on to the upper lashes with my eyes closed. After sitting there for about eight minutes, my left eye started stinging. Sheikh explained that it may have been a result of dry lashes and skin on my lid. It was only a small sting but to ensure it doesn’t happen to you, use a little oil around the entire eye area before the service. The dye stayed on my lashes for 10 minutes total. Once it was wiped away, my lashes looked extra dark and separated.
The Results
A week after getting them done, I have yet to take a pencil to my brows. At most, I’ve brushed them up then moved on. They look exactly as if I put makeup on. Actually, they look even better because the shape is symmetrical, which never happens when I pencil them in.
As for my lashes, I really liked how the lower lash line looked with the small hairs tinted and separated. All around it looked like I had applied a very natural-looking mascara. Paired with the brow, it looked like I was wearing my usual off-duty makeup look (filled-in brows to shape the face and a light mascara to emphasize the eyes). But a week later, it doesn’t really look like I have anything on.
Related: 5 Habits That May Be Causing Your Eyelashes to Fall Out
How long does it last?
According to Sheikh, both tints typically last three to four weeks, but it can vary from person to person. Some clients see the tint start to fade after two to three weeks. You can help extend your dye job by keeping brows moisturized. Sheikh recommends putting on serums and oils to keep the hair hydrated. “Moisture is usually the key ingredient to keeping healthy longer, no matter what you’re doing.” In general, she also urges women to be gentle around their eyes. This means no using your fingers to pull off mascara or rubbing your eyes.
Would I do it again?
The whole process was seriously one of the most efficient beauty services I’ve ever gotten. It took about half an hour overall (both tints and a brow cleanup), but never once felt rushed. I would definitely go back to get my brows tinted again. While I did like how the subtle lash results looked, most days I still used mascara. I never felt like they needed to be darker, just bigger. If you have naturally blonde lashes, I would give lash tinting a try.
Credit to: https://www.self.com/story/brow-and-eyelash-tinting-tips
