Lasting Brows: Microblading vs. (S)PMU
The Universe of lasting brows: Microblading and PMU
The vast universe of lasting brow creation can be neatly split into two equally expansive domains: microblading and PMU (permanent makeup). Microblading is not a subset of PMU, as it is typically classified as a semi-permanent blading technique. In this post, you can see where Powder Brows is located in this realm.
“The universe of lasting brows has two huge realms: microblading and PMU, and in its essence, the PMU of lasting brows is Powder Brows.”
Both domains hold sway in the world of lasting brow creation. Their fundamental principle is the same - depositing high-quality pigment into the upper layers of the dermis to ensure its longevity.
Honestly about microblading
Often microblading is described as a technique that delivers pigment to the layer between the epidermis and dermis, called the basal membrane. As a background story and an explanation that sounds dermatologically sophisticated this description of the procedure solves several problems (allows the procedure to be completed by virtually anyone anywhere as it is not deemed invasive per technical terms, allows explaining why the pigment fades off entirely, etc).
However, several dermatologists maintain that realistically, it is impossible for human cognition and tactile sensitivity to precisely reach the basal membrane only (in some brow parts as thin as 0.00005 mm) without penetrating the upper layers of the dermis. Therefore, these explanations should be perceived as plausible-sounding theories rather than empirical facts. That conceptualization should be acknowledged for what it is - a good explanation, that most students listen to with awe and agree to at training, and an effective explanation for clients who are afraid that the technique of microblading is too invasive or permanent. In reality, many artists have claimed, a considerable portion of pigment ends up in the dermis.
That however does not refute microblading at all and one should not think that microblading in its essence is not as good as PMU is. In many cases, the artist is well aware of what she (he) is doing. Also, often just to make the brows last when it comes to thick and oily skin, a considerable portion of the pigment has to be delivered into the upper layer of the dermis, just to make the brows last. However, that raises the question regarding the selection of this technique over PMU when it comes to oily and thick skin. It is much harder to apply pigment manually with a blade compared to a PMU machine and also the viability of such an approach should be doubted, because the real advantage of microblading - highly defined lines resembling natural brow hair - is compromised.
That said, microblading remains an exceptional technique for creating natural-looking brows on suitable skin types and mastering this skill significantly expands an artist's professional repertoire. In some cases and with some skin types it is just bound to deliver sub-optimal results regardless of the professionalism and experience of the artist because one can not fight the anatomical reality of human skin. There are different horses for different courses.
The realm of microblading is huge, there are no signs it would not disappear, and we should cherish it for what it is - an excellent way to make natural brows to skin that is receptive to it. If a PMU artist masters the technique of microblading, she (he) has greatly more ways to provide professional lasting brows, and combine it with PMU (Powder Brows.)
Powder Brows as the essential technique of PMU brows that grounds all other styles
When delving into PMU and its core, we find that Powder Brows form its foundation. It might seem biased, considering that this site is PowderBrows.com, but in truth, Powder Brows is the root of all other brow PMU techniques. Let us explore that.
Obviously one may say, now: "Wait a minute, what do you mean, it is indeed biased, the site is PowderBrows.com, you are probably trying to make it look as if Powder Brows is the basis of all brow PMU. That can not be objective, because there are so many alternative styles."
To have such a reaction is normal. Still, we can assure you that owning many different brand names in the field of PMU we could have chosen other alternatives and not made an investment in the powderbrows.com. As a matter of fact, we reached this by trying to refute the role of Powder Brows at first. However, no matter how we tried to conceptualize permanent brow pigmentation so that we would not rely on the Powder Brows technique, we came time and time again to the conclusion that we had to twist the narrative ad absurdum to avoid running into Powder Brows as the basis of all other brow PMU techniques.
For instance, when we considered Combo Brows as the overarching term for various techniques, Approaching the field this way we discovered that it typically combines hair strokes and powder effects. Hence, Powder Brows always play a part in this style. No matter how hard we tried we still had to conclude that being a combination of different styles, in most cases it is a combination of design of hair strokes and powder effect. Regardless if the hair stroke part was done with microblading or a PMU machine, the pigmentation part always included the Powder Brows technique.
Similarly, we thought about focusing on Ombré Brows but realized that this technique was fundamentally derived from Powder Brows. Indeed, Ombré Brows, Nano Brows, Insta Brows, Combo Brows, and countless other styles are all grounded in Powder Brows. Thus, in essence, none of them, though popular as they are, are a basic technique, but just a derivate, a sub-category of Powder Brows. As PMU Hub put it: "Ombre Powder Brows ["Ombre Brows"] are a subcategory of powder brows and are basically just a particular shading pattern."
Therefore, we can have a conversation about Powder Brows (as a gene technique that grounds the styles), without referring to any specific style, but we can not realistically have a serious conversation about any style - Ombré Brows, Nano Brows (Hairstroke Brows), Combo Brows - without mentioning Powder Brows.
Can one argue with the popularity of Powder Brows?
Artists who have created specific names for their Powder Brows style are understandably protective of their creations. However, when it comes to practicality, naming often entails creating a microcosm within the brow-making universe that has little potential for significant traction or requires tremendous effort to go against the tide.
For example, some may say that everything in the world of making lasting brows is "Ombre Powder", "Cashmere Brows," "Soft Ombre," "Powder Ombre," “Soft Brows,” etc. There are no limits because one can take a sub-category title of Powder Brows and add an adjective to it to create yet another new ”specific style”.
However, when it comes to real-life sales and marketing, it often means facing huge hardships when it comes to generating traction. In the worst case, it means putting enormous effort, resources, time, and energy into swimming against the current. If one tries extremely hard, they can reach 10k+, or if there is some sort of a strike of lucky coincidences, 50k+ or even 100k+ hashtags on Instagram over the years. Whereas when it comes to hashtags like “#microblading,” or "#powderbrows," thousands are added generically every day. As Robbie Williams said in one of his songs: "You can't argue with popularity. Well, you could but you'd be wrong." And that is also the answer to the question about arguing with Powder Brows' popularity.
In conclusion, PMU brows are fundamentally Powder Brows, the base technique underlying all other styles. As such, mastering Powder Brows is essential to becoming a proficient brow professional.