The Sunday News
Nothando Ndhlovu Sunday Leisure Reporter
WOMEN have always been a daring lot especially when it comes to trying out something new. Take Eve for instance, she had a bite of the forbidden fruit and voila humanity suffers. In this particular instance women are willing to go to any lengths all for the sake of fashion and it should come as no surprise that there are some Zimbabwean women who are opting to have their eyebrows tattooed. Yes, you read right, eyebrow tattoos are trending at the moment and some salons are not waiting to be left out of getting a bite of the cake.
Eyebrow tattoos are a form of semi-permanent makeup (SPMU), which most women with almost non-existent eyebrows employ to fill up their natural ones.
Salons and beauty parlours are advertising the service on social media and the trend has received an overwhelming response.
In an interview, Rose Beauty Lounge in Harare, revealed that they had worked with more than 20 women, since they introduced the procedure this year.
“A lot of women who suffer from little hair on their eyebrows have come in for this service because they want a natural eyebrow look,” she said.
She also said that an individual could decide the shape and colour of their eyebrow but they normally shape the eyebrows according to one’s facial frame.
The parlour uses an anaesthetic to numb the pain and they emphasised that since this is a permanent procedure, one should be sure that they want to go ahead.
Rose’s Beauty Lounge charges $60 for a full tattoo and $40 for eyebrow ends only, which most people consider as a lot of money for beauty treatment.
Katarina Maksimovic, a local certified permanent artiste said eyebrow tattooing was a cosmetic enhancement procedure that uses advanced techniques to implant hypoallergenic pigments into the dermal layer of the skin using state-of-the-art equipment.
“Naturally, we all want to look our best. Just imagine how convenient it would be to have perfectly shaped eyebrows, beautifully contoured lips or wide-awake enhanced eyes. SPMU gives you the confidence of looking your best at all times. One only has to recolour after every 12 to 18 months depending on maintenance,” she said.
“The procedure is absolutely safe. Pigments used in my procedures are pharmaceutical grade, made of natural iron oxide, non-toxic, hypoallergenic and have been regulated. I use only pre-packed, brand new sterile cartridges for each client,” explained Katarina.
Katarina uses a topical anaesthetic — a cream or gel 30 minutes prior to and throughout the procedure. She also specialises in eyeliner and lip liner make-up.
After getting eyebrow tattoos done, one will have to avoid contact with water on the eye area in order to let the pigment settle in.
Katarina warned that the eyebrow colour will appear a tad bit darker and more defined than the final result during the first two weeks, depending on one’s individual recovery rate.
“This is because the colour is in the epidermis and the dermis. The outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, is always shedding and renewing itself so the colour in the top layer will flake during the healing process. This will soften by up to 30 percent during the healing process,” said Katarina.
