Some more about Ombré Powder Brows
Ombré is a great style of making Powder Brows
Ombré Brows is a very popular style of the Powder Brows technique. It is a way of creating Powder Brows, where the shaded and gradient area is larger and more prominent. It can be said that this intriguing Powder Brows technique has taken the beauty world by storm, promising to deliver natural, gradient shading that mimics the allure of softly powdered makeup. Let us take a closer look at some of the nuances of this technique.
“When things go wrong, the crucial errors regarding the shape can surely be seen in days and a couple of weeks, and one does not have to wait all 6 weeks hoping and praying the brows would shrink (if they happen to be too large,) or somehow move to the correct place. ”
What is the background and origin of "ombré"?
Ombré" is a French term that translates to "shaded" or "shadow" in English. The term originated from the Latin word "umbra," which means "shadow" or "shade." The modern French word "ombré" shares a similar meaning, indicating the progression of color from light to dark or vice versa. This technique of gradual color transition has been widely used in various art and design fields, including hair coloring, nail art, cake decoration, and textile dyeing.
In a broader sense, ombré refers to a gradient, a progression that often moves from a lighter shade to a darker one, though it can also work the other way around. The visual impact of this progression is an appealing aesthetic that is both simple and sophisticated, offering a depth and dimensionality that makes it attractive in a variety of applications.
In the realm of Permanent Makeup (PMU), the term "ombré" was adopted to describe a specific technique used in creating a more shaded version of Powder Brows. Ombré Powder Brows is thus a subcategory of Powder Brows that has, as said, a slightly softer and natural look. The Ombér style of the Powder Brows technique provides light to dark ombre, lighter at the bulb (front) of the brow and going darker towards the tail, giving a perfect ombre makeup effect.
Technical aspects
Technically creating the "ombré" effect is related to the placement of tiny dots or pixels of pigment in a specified eyebrow shape. By altering the pixel size, artists can control the degree of ombré style powder effect achieved. Each artist might have a unique approach, but the goal remains the same – to create brows that last 1 to 2 years. However, as we have discussed a lot regarding longevity, the realistic expectation should be to have around a year of care-fee time before the first yearly retouch. During the last years, especially after 2020 up to 2023, the Powder Brows industry has moved more and more in the direction of preserving the skin, opting for rather lighter treatment that may require more retouching but is at the same time healthier, more natural, and more attractive.
In Ombré Powder Brows, the front of the brow is kept deliberately subtle to enhance the ombre effect. This is achieved by applying light pressure and elongated strokes, spreading the pixels further apart, and ensuring they don’t cluster, thereby preventing the front from appearing too dense or clearly defined. The aim is a gradual fade, not an abrupt end to the brow.
Nowadays, professional artists often use many different needles for completing one procedure. Often two are used when it comes to combining the hair stroke technique (Nano Brows) and Ombré style (which results in Combo Brows), also three separate cartridges can be used. Still, one should not mistake the number of cartridges used for actual criteria that determine the quality of the result when it comes to brows - an artist who may not know exactly what she is doing may use tens of different cartridges, and the result of her works can never be compared to a professional completing Ombré style Powder Brows with just one cartridge. It is just an observation that for better results (especially when the artist adds hair stroke technique lines), it is common to use many cartridges.
Things to know regarding healing
The healing process comes with changes in both the pigment intensity and the shape of the brows.
Pigment Intensity. During the initial few days post-procedure, the color of your brows might appear significantly darker than expected. This is a common occurrence as the pigment is fresh and the skin is still healing. The intense color is also partly due to the scabbing that occurs as part of the healing process. In general, it's estimated that the color can appear about 20-40% darker during this time. Although some artists claim the difference in darkness to be over 50%, it is rather unlikely to experience such a drastic change. However, even the 20-40% change can be quite noticeable and thus one should expect it and be prepared for it. Also, this is something that the artist should prepare the client for. It is very common that also the clients who have been cautious before the procedure end up linking the result very much and then, during the first phases of healing may feel that they want the brows to become "darker again" at the retouching phase (6-8 weeks after the original procedure).
As the healing process progresses, these scabs start to flake off, taking some of the pigment along with them. After the scabs have fully shed, typically within the first week or two, you may find that the color of your brows has lightened significantly. This means, that there actually will be a time when brows are considerably (even over 50%) lighter than they are right after the procedure. That is something we have described in more detail about posts concerning healing.
After a full healing cycle of 4-6 weeks, the color should stabilize and reveal the true shade. It's also worth noting that everyone's skin heals differently and some might retain pigment better than others. Therefore, a touch-up session is usually scheduled after 6-8 weeks to fine-tune the color and shape.
Shape Changes. When Ombré Powder Brows are first applied, swelling and redness may slightly alter the perceived shape of the brows. However, this subsides within a day or two. The skin around the brow area may tighten as it heals, which can also give an illusion of a change in shape. During the healing process, some areas of the brows may fade more than others, creating a perceived change in shape. This is one of the reasons a touch-up session is crucial - to even out any irregularities in shape or color that have developed during the healing process. Thus it also means, that when the artist has made a mistake, God forbid, regarding the shape or symmetry, the brows will not magically heal to perfection.
The crucial errors regarding the shape can surely be seen in days and a couple of weeks for sure and one does not have to wait all 6 weeks hoping and praying the brows would shrink (if they happen to be too large,) or somehow move to the correct place. Most mistakes regarding the size are made in the brow tail section. It is delicate and risky to do it correctly, the skin is thin there, the pigment remains in the skin rather well and inexperienced artists tend to be caught in a deadly loop making one end section of the brow just e little bit thicker to match the other, then correct the first brow a little bit, etc. That results in just a bit too "fat" tail sections of the brow, the whole aesthetic of the face is changed and the result is not perfect. What such artists should do instead, is to explain to the client that such finetuning will be done at the retouch phase and just wait. But what can we say, the sad fact in the PMU industry and the world of Powder Brows is, that this happens.
In conclusion, Ombré Powder Brows is a dynamic process that involves changes in pigment intensity and brow shape and requires careful aftercare for optimal results. The healing process for Ombré Powder Brows depends on several factors, including skin pH, skin type, lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption and smoking, sun protection, and aftercare regimen. Usually, the healing process is completed within 2 weeks, but the true color of the pigment is only visible after a full month. A touch-up session is usually needed to ensure that the final outcome matches the desired look.