Amy Jean Brow Agency, Gold Coast

I butchered my eyebrows a few years back when I decided I was more than capable of reshaping them myself. Besides plucking too many hairs, my brows were also too thin, and not a great shape, missing that necessary fullness and arch. I then spent a lot of time and money buying products to enhance what was left of my brows, from pencils to powders and more, in a vain attempt at making them look even a little like they used to. Then a fellow beauty editor recommended tattooing, but the idea made me a tad nervous. I shouldn't have worried - here's why.

• What Is It: Feather touch eyebrow tattooing.
• Why Buy It: It’s great for fixing thin or uneven brows, or to give your brows a more permanent look of fullness and being made up.
• The Details: It costs from $995, and there are outlets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast, www.amyjean.com.au. 

Road Test

Tattooed brows are permanent, and they don’t come cheap, so you want to be sure you get the result you’re looking for, and get them done by someone who knows what they are doing. The more I looked into it, I could see that eyebrow tattooing had come a long way from the thick, block-shaped, and not very realistic eyebrows of days gone by. In fact, today’s brow tattooing has become so popular that leading technicians are booked out months in advance. Besides fixing butchered brows, having your eyebrows tattooed has other benefits, especially for anyone who travels frequently. It saves time with your makeup, as you don’t need to use a brow pencil or powder, and if you’re on holiday, you won’t have to worry about your brows sliding down your face at the beach or by the swimming pool from water or the heat. And although you still need to maintain your brows maintained, the overall effect is fuller, more youthful brows and a more polished look. Decision made, I decided to put the fate of my brows in the hands of Amy Jean Brow Agency in Sydney, and went off for hair-stroke machine feathering. At the beginning of your appointment you have topical anaesthetic cream applied to your brows, then your brows are “designed” by your technician, from start to arch and tails. When the process gets underway you feeling the contact of the “etching” on the skin but it doesn’t hurt, and the numbing cream is topped up along the way for your comfort. The procedure takes anything from 60 to 90 minutes. Post treatment, the brow colour is quite strong for around 48 hours, before it begins to fade away to what it will become. All you have to do is keep your brows dry for seven days, avoiding makeup on the brow area. The colour will remain good for around 12 to 18 months, and then you’ll need to return for a refresh. 

When it came time for my first refresh, I’d moved to the Gold Coast, but I was fortunate that Amy Jean has outlets other than Sydney, including one tucked away on the ground floor in the glamorous Palazzo Versace in Main Beach. As I discovered, this is the place where Gold Coasters in the know go to have their brows managed, which includes tattooing and general maintenance. This time, however, my brows were refreshed using a micro-blading technique, where the technician uses a hand tool that lets her create thinner and even more precise hair like strokes. In under an hour Monique had my brows looking good as new again. I have returned again just recently for another refresh, this time 14 months down the track, and I have been able to put away my brow powder once more. Feather Touch tattooing costs from $995, including a free retouch six to eight weeks after the first application, and your annual refresh will set you back around $450, but the time and products it saves you is significant - not to mention you’ll have great looking brows 24/7. And there are other great services you can have at Amy Jean Brown Agency, to keep your peepers in great shape. They include the game changing Lash Elevate with Keratin, which strengthens and lifts your eyelashes, along with Mist Brows and Henna Brows, which are great, non-invasive alternatives to tattooing. 

UltimateTravelMagazine.com Loves 

• It is a great way to give your eyebrows new fullness.
• Tattooing is ideal for frequent travellers as it will save them time and money with brow products.
• It doesn't hurt, and lasts a long time. 

Insider Tips  

• Be sure to get the best results by keeping your brows dry for about a week - I avoided eye makeup and putting any creams or serums anywhere near the area to be safe. I also washed my hair upside down.
• Don't pick at your eyebrows during the healing process.