Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you so much for your interest in our services. This page is dedicated to answering some of the most commonly asked questions about permanent makeup. Please read through this entire page before booking your appointment to ensure you are a good candidate and fully prepared for your appointment. If you have any additional questions click “contact” at the top of the page and we will do our best to respond to your question(s) within 72 hrs.
The process of implanting pigment into the skin with a row of tiny needles to create hairstrokes that imitate the look of actual hair.
Machine Shading can be added to Microblading to give the brows more density.
Best suited for normal/dry skin types.
Microblading is not recommended for mature of very oily skin types.
Touchup needed 6-12 weeks after initial session
Powder brows (also known as ombre brows) are made up entirely of machine shading (no hairstrokes).
This style will mimic the look of powder or pencil makeup. We can customize the saturation and go bold, or keep them light and airy.
This brow style works for all skin types.
Touchup needed 6-12 weeks after initial session.
Combination brows combine Microblading hairstrokes with Machine Shading.
Hairstrokes are placed only in the bulb(front) of the brow and are blended into shading through the arch and tail.
This brow style works for most skin types.
Touchup needed 6-12 weeks after initial session.
Lip blush helps redefine your lips by restoring lost color and shape.
Color/density is customizable.
We can do light and sheer, or a bolder lipstick effect.
Please be advised that we cannot tattoo outside of your vermillion border.
Touchup needed 8-12 weeks after initial session
* If you have ever had a cold sore before, you MUST get a prescription for an antiviral medication such as Valtrex or Zovirax and start taking it 2 days before your procedure, the day of, and 2 days after to prevent getting a cold sore after the procedure.
Areola restoration is a 3D, hyper realistic tattoo procedure that replicates the look of a nipple and areola.
This procedure is for anyone that may have had total loss, irregularity or inconsistency in their areola and nipples after any type of breast reconstructive surgery including a mastectomy, breast lift, etc.
A Lash Enhancement gives the eyes subtle definition by darkening the lash line.
Pigment is deposited right on the lash line only (not above).
Permanent Eyeliner will start at the lash line and extend above the lashes.
Thicker/bolder than a lash enhancement.
Touchup done 8-12 weeks after initial session.
* Cannot have lash extensions on for the procedure – they must be removed at least 2 days prior to the procedure. Please discontinue the use of lash serum at least 4 weeks prior to the procedure (it will thin the skin and cause excessive bleeding) If you wear contacts, please come to your appointment with your contacts out and bring your glasses. Please arrive at your appointment without any eye makeup on.
You cannot receive permanent cosmetics if you currently have any of the following conditions:
- Pregnant
- Currently undergoing any form of cancer treatment. (Must be off chemo/radiation for at least 6 months and get a doctor’s approval)
- Taking blood thinning medication or antibiotics (must be off antibiotics for at least 2 weeks before your appointment.
- Freshly tanned or sunburned face
- If you are sick with a cold/flu please reschedule when you are feeling better.
- Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, dermatitis, acne or irritation in the area where the procedure will be performed.
- * Please get a doctor’s note if you have any sort of autoimmune condition, heart condition, or any other major medical condition that may affect you during the procedure and/or healing process.
You do not need to tweeze, wax or groom your brows before your appointment but if you do, please make sure to do so at least 72 hrs prior to your appointment so your skin is not irritated.
Wait at least 2 weeks after getting botox or fillers before any permanent makeup procedure.
Wait a minimum of 4 weeks after any facial treatments such as microneedling, chemical peels, laser treatments, facials, etc.
If you have inspiration pictures you like please feel free to bring them to your appointment. You can also come with your brows filled in how you normally do them so that I can see in person how you like to shape/color them. This will help me to have a better idea of what style, shape and color you prefer.
I will be taking before/after pictures. You can wear makeup if you would like - or no makeup. Whatever you are comfortable with. I will be removing any makeup around the area during your procedure, so feel free to bring your makeup with you to touch it up before I take after pictures if you’d like.
Doing any of the following will cause excessive bleeding during your procedure and will hinder your final result:
- Do not exercise the day of your appointment.
- Do not take any medications that may thin your blood (i.e. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, diet pills/fat burners, etc.) for at least 48 hours prior to your appointment or immediately after your procedure.
- Please discontinue Fish Oil & Vitamin E Oil for at least a week prior to your appointment.
- Please discontinue the use of Retinol/Retin-A for 2 weeks prior to to your appointment.
- Do not drink alcohol within 24 hours of your procedure.
- Avoid caffeine for 12 hours before your procedure.
Everyone’s pain tolerance is different but most clients say pain is minimal.
A topical numbing is applied before and during the procedure to help keep you as comfortable as possible.
If at any point during the procedure you need a break(or if the numbing has worn off and you need more) just let us know!
Keep in mind having permanent makeup services done during your menstrual cycle may increase discomfort during your procedure.
** All previous work must be approved before booking your appointment. **
In most cases, your previous work needs to be at least 60% faded for me to be able to work over it.
Please send me a picture straight on, in natural lighting without any makeup on.
I can usually tell by a picture whether or not I will be able to work over your previous permanent makeup.
If it is too dark/saturated, or if the shape is off, I may suggest removal to lighten or completely remove your previous permanent makeup before I am able to work on you
If l am able to go over your previous work, you will need to book under a new client appointment NOT a touchup. Submit photo to info@magnolia-artistry.com
- Skin type plays a big factor in healed results. Oily skin tends to not hold the pigment as long and usually needs touchups more frequently. Oily skin/larger pores also tend not to hold microblading as well and the hairstrokes can blur so a combo brow or powder brow would be the best option for this skin type.
- Sun Exposure will fade the pigment. It is important to wear sunscreen to protect your brows and/or a hat to keep them covered when you are out in the sun.
- Excessive bleeding during the procedure will greatly affect how your body retains pigment. It is important that you follow all pre-care instructions carefully to avoid excessive bleeding as much as possible. However, some people are just naturally more sensitive and tend to bleed more than others.
- There are many different factors that will determine how long your permanent cosmetics last.
- Skin type, age, sun exposure, lifestyle, medications, skin products, etc. will all have an affect on the “life span” of your permanent cosmetics.
- Most clients come back every 18-36 months for a touchup (depending on the service).
- We want your pigment to be at least 50% faded before we do a touchup to avoid over saturating with pigment.
- If you are unsure if you are ready for a touch up please email a picture to info@magnolia-artistry.com and we will let you know if its time to come in for a touchup or not.
Brows usually take around 10-15 days to heal. Minor swelling and irritation is normal for the first few days. Brows will appear darker days 2-5. Usually around day 5 or 6 they will start to get dry and begin to flake off and continue flaking for 5-7 days. Do not pick! This can cause scarring and loss of pigment. On average, most of my clients are done healing by days 10-12.
Lips usually heal fairly quickly on average 3-5 days but can sometimes take up to 7 days. Color will appear bright and vibrant and lips will start to peel usually by days 2-3.
Eyeliner usually takes about 7-10 days to heal. Swelling and irritation is normal. Swelling usually subsides withing 24 hrs. Eye makeup cannot be worn for a minimum of 10 days.
Areola Restoration healing takes anywhere from 10-15 days. Area may be sore for the first 24 hrs. Make sure to wear a comfortable sports bra while healing to avoid clothes rubbing and causing irritation/delayed healing.
Fine Line Tattoos will take anywhere from 10-15 days to heal. Saniderm will be placed over the area. This needs to stay on for a minimum of 24hrs but no longer than 5 days.
**See Aftercare for full healing details and healing instructions. **
Day 1
Gently blot brows with a clean tissue or cotton round every 15 mins for the first 2-3 hrs after the procedure to remove excess lymph fluid. Wash brows within 2-3 hrs of the procedure and again the night of the procedure. Apply ointment before bed.
Days 2-7
Wash brows with lukewarm water morning and night using the provided cleanser. (Rinsing with water afterward to make sure all cleanser is washed off the skin.)
Apply a rice grain size amount of cleanser to the brows 3-4x a day (1-2x a day for oily skin.)
Make sure skin is completely dry before applying ointment.
Days 7-10
Once brows are starting to actively flake off you can stop washing and using ointment so the skin will exfoliate a little faster. Once all flaking is done use the ointment 1-2x a day to moisturize that area for 3-5 days.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for at least 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise until your brows are healed. Sweating can pull out the pigment and cause the color to heal ashy.
Avoid swimming, lakes, pools, saunas & hot tubs for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, steamy showers for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Wait a minimum of 4 weeks before getting any facial treatments such as chemical peels, facials, microneedling, laser treatments, etc.
Let any flaking or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. DO NOT PICK!! Picking can cause scarring and loss of pigment.
Keep lips moisturized at all times with the provided balm. Wash lips when you get home after the procedure & the night of the procedure to remove lymph fluid. Wash morning and night for 2 days after the procedure. Avoid spicy food for the first few days after the procedure and drink out of a straw as much as possible.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for at least 1 week after the procedure.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for a week after the procedure. Sweating can pull out the pigment.
Avoid swimming, lakes, pools, saunas & hot tubs for 1 week after the procedure.
Avoid hot, steamy showers for 1 week after the procedure.
Wait a minimum of 4 weeks before getting any facial treatments such as chemical peels, facials, microneedling, laser treatments, etc. Wait a minimum of 3 weeks after the procedure before getting lip filler.
Lips may shed a layer of skin. This usually only lasts a couple of days. Do not pick! Let the skin naturally exfoliate. Color may appear light right after they shed but will start to reappear after a couple of weeks. Lips will feel dry for a couple weeks after the procedure while the skin is still healing. You can use a sugar scrub 4 weeks after the procedure to exfoliate and excess dry skin. After they have healed, use a chapstick with sunscreen whenever you are out in the sun to protect them from fading.
Gently clean off the procedure area with a damp Q-tip and water the night after & morning after the procedure to remove lymph fluid. You can splash your face with cool water the day of the procedure but after that keep your eyes dry for 10 days (other than applying ointment.) Use ointment 4-5x a day to keep the area moisturized. Do not oversaturate with ointment. You should only be using a rice grain size amount or less for both eyes. Swelling is normal and usually subsides within 24hrs. You can ice your eyes to help with swelling just make sure to cover in a clean paper towel.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for at least 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for the first week after the procedure. Sweating can pull out the pigment.
Avoid swimming, lakes, pools, saunas & hot tubs for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, steamy showers for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Wait a minimum of 4 weeks before getting any facial treatments such as chemical peels, facials, microneedling, laser treatments, etc.
Let any flaking or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. DO NOT PICK!! Picking can cause scarring and loss of pigment.
Saniderm will be applied to the area right after the procedure. Keep this on for a minimum of 24 hrs but no longer than 5 days. Area may be sore for the first 24 hrs. Make sure to wear a comfortable sports bra while healing to avoid clothes rubbing and causing irritation/delayed healing. Once the sandiderm comes off, wash area with provided cleanser 2x a day (morning and night) and apply ointment 4-5x a day until the skin has flaked/exfoliated.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for at least 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for the first 3-5 days after the procedure. Sweating can pull out the color.
Avoid swimming, lakes, pools, saunas & hot tubs for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, steamy showers for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Let any flaking or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. DO NOT PICK!! Picking can cause scarring and loss of pigment.
Saniderm will be applied to the area right after the procedure. Keep this on for a minimum of 24 hrs but no longer than 5 days. Area may be sore for the first 24 hrs. Once the sandiderm comes off, wash area with provided cleanser 2x a day (morning and night) and apply ointment 4-5x a day until the skin has flaked/exfoliated.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for at least 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for the first 3-5 days after the procedure. Sweating can pull out the color.
Avoid swimming, lakes, pools, saunas & hot tubs for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Avoid hot, steamy showers for 2 weeks after the procedure.
Let any flaking or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. DO NOT PICK!! Picking can cause scarring and loss of pigment.