Hair Stroke Eyebrow Tattoo (Semi Permanent) - My Experience (Before, During, Recovery and Full Review)

Hair Stroke Eyebrow Tattoo

Hair stroke eyebrow tattoo is a form of semi permanent eyebrow tattoo but is a more natural type of eyebrow tattoo whereby the strokes are hair like so it very much looks like your natural hairs.

For more information on hair stroke eyebrow tattooing, visit Pretty Permanent Makeup

AFTER

Why I Decided to get my Eyebrows Tattooed

It was an impulse decision really... I see Pretty Permanent Makeup nearly everyday and thought why not go check it out and have a conversation about the possibility of getting my eyebrows tattooed. After my consultation with Mary Ann, I really liked the idea of getting my eyebrows tattooed and she reassured me of any pain issues that I had. Also, I saw getting my eyebrows tattooed as a way of decreasing the amount of time I spend getting reading everyday and it would be a good investment.

As a recent graduate going into the banking industry, my hours could be long and lets just be honest, waking up early in the morning to do your makeup sometimes becomes a bit of a chore. That extra 5-10 minutes in bed would be ideal especially if you get back late the night before.

Waking up with perfect brows is just the ideal situation, not needing to fuss over correcting the shape of your brows with eyebrow product...

BEFORE (no eyebrow makeup)

BEFORE (eyebrow makeup)

AFTER (1 day after the procedure)

AFTER (7 days after the procedure)

The Procedure

The whole process took approximately two hours. When I walked into Pretty Permanent Makeup, I had numbing cream applied instantly and it was left on for approximately 40 minutes. During the 40 minutes, I had a nice chat with Mary Ann about the procedure and I filled out forms which was basically just signing the agreement that I was happy for the procedure to go ahead and that there could be side affects such as swelling, redness etc. Also, in that 40 minutes, I selected a colour with Mary Ann.

I was then led over to the bed where I sat on it whilst Mary Ann drew my eyebrows on with an eyebrow pencil so that we could agree the shape of the brows before the actual procedure began. As my eyebrows are sisters, not twins, it was a little tricky to even out my eyebrows so they were the same height and had the same/similar arch. Mary Ann had to pluck my eyebrow hair out, especially on my right eyebrow where naturally, the eyebrow is slightly higher than my left eyebrow.

Once the shape was agreed, the actual procedure began! I laid down and Mary Ann made me feel very comfortable throughout. There are three rounds of tattooing and in between each round, numbing cream was applied. After each round, Mary Ann sat me up to double check the shape.

The whole tattooing process took approximately 45 minutes.

At the end of the procedure, vaseline was applied and I was given information regarding the aftercare.

Finally, a follow up appointment was booked for a month later to check the eyebrows and get any necessary touch ups done!

Day after the eyebrow tattooing

My Experience

I had a really positive experience with getting my eyebrows tattooed. Initially, I was afraid of the pain I might experience but if I were to rate the pain out of 10, I would give it 3.5/10. The only discomfort I experienced was mainly on my right eyebrow towards the tail end on the first round of tattooing where I could feel the needle dragging through my skin to create the hair stroke and even that was bearable. I am certainly one of those people that are afraid of needles, really any sharp objects.

I didn't experience any bleeding after the procedure and Mary Ann said I was not much of a bleeder. I'm not sure if there was any blood during the actual procedure as I didn't see...

I felt a slight tingling/burning sensation after the procedure for approximately 30minutes which is very normal but it was fine.

Honestly, I had a really good experience with getting my eyebrows tattooed and I love the results so far. I am going back in 3 weeks for a follow up appointment where Mary Ann will check my eyebrows and make any necessary adjustments/touch ups where there may be patches. I am looking to get my eyebrows ever so slightly thicker and the height of my eyebrows corrected as I think one is still ever so slightly higher than the other.

Price

The hair stroke eyebrow tattoo cost me £540 which is quite expensive. However, I knew Mary Ann was going to take care of me and I had done some research on her website and seen the before and after photos which I thought looked amazing! I would highly recommend finding someone that you can trust and seen evidence of good stories because as they are semi-permanent, they last 2-5 years and the last thing you want is to have uneven, poorly tattooed eyebrows for that amount of time and to also spend a lot of money on a procedure that you're not happy with!

Recovery

It takes 7-10 days for the eyebrows to fully recover from the procedure. During that time, it is recommended to apply vaseline to the area 4-6 times a day and avoid contact with water, especially chlorine. Also, it is recommended to stay away from the sun since the skin is essentially opened up and still healing.

For me, the recovery process was fairly simple. I applied vaseline daily around 4/5 times a day but it really varied. There was one day I went out in London and only applied one round of vaseline on for around 8 hours which isn't ideal but I didn't want the whole shiny eyebrows look! Otherwise, I made sure to keep them vaselined up!

I experienced some itching after the third day which was bearable but at the same time, a little difficult to avoid itching. I accidentally itched my eyebrow in my sleep once but I got up straight away at 3am and applied vaseline! I was recommended to take antihistamine for the itching which I did after the 5th day and it really helped! I experienced far less itching.

In terms of scabbing, this happened from around the 3rd day and in small patches too as you will be able to see from my video diary. Now that most of the scabbing has come off, the colour is a lot lighter than what it was initially which I definitely prefer. It is less harsh and less scary! At first when I looked into the mirror straight after the procedure, it looked like someone had drawn my eyebrows on with a sharpie! I definitely was not after that look but now I absolutely love the shade of my eyebrows! They are soft enough to not be harsh when not wearing makeup and also a good shade so I don't need to apply any makeup on my eyebrows when wearing a full face of makeup. I also love the shape, obviously there will be a tiny bit of a touch up but if I didn't have a touch up, I would be happy anyway because it is definitely a lot better than the condition of my eyebrows before the procedure.

Would I Recommend It?

100% would recommend it. If you are after saving time then go for it! Before I got my eyebrows tattooed, I was getting HD brows which cost me £20 a visit every month and still having to draw and fill my eyebrows in every morning. If you think about the time that takes, so 30minutes per appointment each month + 5-10mins every morning, you can quickly work out how much time I am saving by having my eyebrows tattooed. Also, since I am moving to London, HD brows would cost me a lot more than £20 a visit!

Waking up to perfect brows and not having to touch them when doing makeup is an incredible feeling! I don't have to worry about the stress of shaping my eyebrows!

If you want to save time and have the funds to get the eyebrows done, I would highly recommend you do so!

My Fitness Journey (2)

I document my fitness journey on my Instagram page @misslaneyx

The Changes

So it has been a while since I have posted about my fitness journey on here! I can definitely say there have been some major changes with my gym routine!

3 personal trainers later, I have discovered that I love weight training! It has changed my body so much and made me far stronger and fitter than I was back in September 2015 when I made the decision to get fit and healthy! 

July 2016

At the start of my fitness journey, I weighed in at around 60kg and I am currently at 57kg with less body fat and more muscle! I still have a long way to go BUT I know it takes time! I also know that diet is such a huge part which is the only thing that is affecting my progress but I have to say, I am so much better with food than I was when I first started my fitness journey.

Left - September 2015
Right - 10th April 2016

In December, I met with a personal trainer in London after winning a competition and she introduced me to strength training and I instantly fell in love with strength training! I loved the challenge and it actually gave me so much satisfaction when I was able to lift a weight that I never thought I would be able to lift! I asked my current personal trainer then if I could do some strength training but he refused to incorporate that into our sessions and told me I wasn't ready! Let's just say, I really started disliking my personal training sessions because I was doing the same thing day in and day out and it was just so boring! I switched gyms after Christmas and got myself a new personal trainer.

In February, I started lifting weights properly with the help of a personal trainer! I would highly recommend seeking help from a personal trainer if you are new to the gym/ weight training! As I have had several personal trainers in the past who have taught me good form, I haven't had any injuries so far (luckily)!

I feel much more confident with my current body as opposed to before when I was holding a lot of fat, especially around the stomach area. I DO NOT have abs, I am still working on it!

My Gym Routine

I have started training legs/glutes twice a week because one of my aims is to build a bum as I currently kind of lack one...  I do loads of squats (different versions), lunges, hip thrusts, good mornings etc. I love using the Smith Machine too for legs! I do kick backs on them, squats, lunges etc. You can find so many different exercises to do on youtube and instagram! 

I train chest and back together doing supersets for 6 exercises. I then like to do other back exercises like single arm row using cables and lat pulldowns. I also like to throw in clean and press for my chest and back day! 

Shoulders, biceps and triceps I do together for one gym session! 

Lets not forget core and some cardio! I try and throw in a bit of cardio at least 3 times a week at the end of my sessions for around 10-15 minutes doing either a steady jog or HITT on the treadmill. I aim for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off at 15kph-16kph. I try and increase the speed as much as I can but it really depends on how I am feeling at that moment in time because usually I am quite tired after my main workout. 

I also like to dedicate one day to core and cardio at the end of the week. Unfortunately, my current gym doesn't have a TRX which is annoying as I love the TRX for core work. 

An example of my week at the gym:

• Monday - Legs/glutes
• Tuesday - Chest + back + 15mins cardio
• Wednesday - Shoulders, biceps and triceps + 15mins cardio
• Thursday - Legs/glutes
• Friday - Core + cardio
• Saturday & Sunday - rest days

Below is a video of some of the exercises I do!

Diet

I struggle with diet quite a lot! I try and keep it clean when I can but sometimes I can't help myself but eat a few pieces of chocolate.... 

For breakfast, I will usually have porridge with fresh fruit and some granola or crushed almonds. An alternative breakfast option is toast with scrambled eggs - I use 1 whole egg and egg whites from two chicks products (liquid egg white).

For lunch, I usually opt for rice, salmon, chicken and lots of veg.

For dinner, I have either chicken, salmon or steak and lots of veg. 

Examples of some of my meals below....

Breakfast example - omlette with lots of veg and some chicken

Salmon and chicken with lots of veg

Steak and veg

Breakfast protein pancakes with lots of fresh fruit and a drizzle of fruit syrup

Porridge with fresh fruit and and sprinkle of granola

Snack - Kallo rice cakes with peanut butter, fresh strawberries and crushed almonds

Porridge with lots of fresh fruit and crushed almonds

Protein pancakes with lots of fruit and some peanut butter cups... 

Supplements

I have a few protein powders that I use. For protein pancake making, I use Muscle Magpie in vanilla or PhD Diet Whey in belgian chocolate. 

For a protein shake, I use Scitec Nutrition in strawberry white chocolate as it tastes AMAZING!

I sometimes opt for a pre-workout and I use a variety of different ones from my sponsor Muscle Crate. Use code ELAINE20 for 20% off! 

I also have No Explode by BSN that I sometimes use for a pre-workout. 

I do not rely on pre-workouts as they are so high in caffeine which means they can't be too good for you if you take it often! I only really take pre-workouts between 2-4 times a month. I only take it when I need a kick which is usually for a leg/glutes session or chest and back session which involves lots of heavy lifting!

I take a protein shake after every workout to help with muscle recovery and also to help with my protein intake for the day! 

Muscle Crate Supplement Box - Use code ELAINE20 for 20% off

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a message! 

Muscle Crate Fitness Supplement Subscription Box

Muscle Crate

Muscle Crate is a fitness supplement monthly subscription box that includes products from some of the top brands! click here

Each month you will receive over 10 fitness supplement samples which gives you the opportunity to try new types of protein powders, pre-workouts, BCAA's, fat burners and more.

Basically, it means you get the chance to try a load of products which gives you the opportunity to find your favourite products and avoid purchasing full size products you may not even like!

Muscle Crate supplement sample subscription box starts from £15 or $22.50 per month with free delivery but with my discount code, you get 20% off your order if you use the code: Elaine20

May's Subscription Box

I received 3 protein powders from Scitec Nutrition and I absolutely LOVE the taste of these! It is incredibly easy to drink unlike some other protein powders I have tried! Strawberry White Chocolate is my FAVOURITE flavour! It is so yummy :)

What was inside May's subscription box?

• Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Casein
• FA Nutrition Xtreme Napalm
• Scitec Nutrition 100% Whey Protein 
• BB Warehouse Pure Whey 80 Protein
• Cellucor C4 Preworkout
• Kevin Levrone Levropump
• USN Xedra-cut Slim Packs
• Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy
• BB Warehouse Lux Protein Bars

June's Subscription Box

What was inside June's subscription box?

• Biotech USA Iso Whey Protein Zero
• Scitec Nutrition Pow3rd! 2.0
• Nutrend Deluxe 100% Whey Protein
• Nutrend 100% Whey Protein
• Convits Vitamin Pack Box
• BPI Sports Whey HD
• Biotech USA Super Nova
• Gat Amino GT
• Venom Power Gas Mark 10
• Morniflakes Go! Protein Porridge Pot

Since my first Muscle Crate box, I have bought myself a large tub of Scitec Nutrition whey protein powder in Strawberry White Chocolate. This just goes to demonstrate that these monthly supplement boxes are an incredible way to try new products from different brands!

Go get yourself a subscription box and to get £££ off, use my code Elaine20 at the checkout! You're welcome haha! 

Any questions, feel free to comment below and I will answer as best I can :)

MY GO-TO EVERYDAY MAKE-UP LOOK

I thought I would show you this really simple make-up look that I wear on a daily basis for the gym and running errands! I AVOID foundation when I know I am going to the gym as sometimes I sweat and there is nothing worse than seeing your make-up coming off on you and people seeing lines all over your face from where your sweat was! 

Most of the products used in this make-up tutorial are drugstore so they are affordable and some of these products are also favourites of mine! 

Another thing you will notice is that I do wear false eyelashes and there is a very good reason for that! I am not someone who is patient when it comes to applying mascara and because I am Chinese, I do have very short and thin eyelashes and they go straight down so they are the hardest thing to keep curled even when using eyelash curlers! If I was to apply JUST mascara on my eyelashes, it would take me a good 20 minutes which I simply don't have the time or patience for with the endless curling eyelashes after every application because they keep drooping and copious amounts of coats of mascara because one coat basically doesn't make a difference! 

Applying false eyelashes takes me 5 minutes and I don't have to apply mascara on my top eyelashes which saves about 15 minutes! Applying mascara on my bottom lashes does require about 5 minutes and around 3-4 coats to make a difference... 

My favourite mascara combo to use are:

- No7 Extreme Length Extend

- Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express

To complete my face make-up for this look takes under 10 minutes! It is so simple! 

Products used: 

- NYX Dark Circle Concealer (medium)

- Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (20)

- No7 Pressed Powder 

- Rimmel Natural Bronzer - Sun Bronze (022)

- Arbonne Bronzer

- Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Blush (All I Think About is You)

- Wet n Wild Illuminating Palette (Catwalk Pink 320)

Let's talk eyebrows! Eyebrows are something that are quite personal for people and I have never been the biggest fan of my eyebrows! There is a huge gap between my eyebrows, they're thin and one is higher than the other! Oh well, people say eyebrows are sisters NOT twins! It just makes life a bit harder doesn't it... I get my eyebrows groomed by getting HD Brows which basically means I get them tinted, waxed and threaded and sometimes they cut my eyebrow hairs because I have really long eyebrow hair...

The make-up I use for my eyebrows is Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate. This is probably the best product I have come across for eyebrows because IT IS WATERPROOF and means if you sweat or whatever, it will not budge unlike powder which would come off throughout the day and leave you with patches of colour on your eyebrows! 

For eyelashes, I just buy mine from eBay because let's be honest, I do not have the money to constantly purchase expensive eyelashes.... they're also pretty good quality for the price I pay! I pay like £2 for 5 pairs of criss cross eyelashes... For ONE PAIR of Ardell eyelashes, they cost like £4-£5 and they don't even last a long time and I have been buying eyelashes from eBay for years and they have worked for me so I don't see a reason why I should stop! 

For eyeliner, I use Inglot (77 black) gel liner. This is an incredible gel liner and long-lasting! It does not smudge unlike some other gel liners. I apply my gel liner by using my synthetic eyebrow brush (BC490) by Royal & Langnickel and I would highly recommend this brush as it is really affordable (around £4) and great quality and most importantly, it does the job really well! 

Eyeshadow - I just use whatever I feel like usually but for this tutorial, I used Kiko long-lasting wet & dry use eyeshadow on my lid which is a really nice gold which some people actually use as a highlighter! For the outer corner, inner corner and crease, I used L'oreal Paris smoky eye palette in Marron Glace. 

For lips, I LOVE NYX lipsticks! They are so buttery and creamy and easy to apply! The one I used in this tutorial is in Tea Rose which is a beautiful pinky shade! 

TT Fitness Haul & Try On

TT Fitness is an Aesthetic Fitness Apparel combing both fitness and fashion and ships worldwide! Link to website

I am definitely a massive fan of TT Fitness after receiving my products! The products are high quality yet affordable and more importantly, the leggings are SQUAT PROOF!! So many gym leggings these days are see through and no one wants to show everyone their underwear!

Use my promotion code 'ELTT' for 15% off your order at the checkout!

Colossal Womens Vintage Shorts

I got 3 gym shorts from TT Fitness as I intend to wear these abroad in a hot country as they are perfect for wondering around in and for the beach! Personally, I prefer wearing leggings in the gym as I don't want to draw too much attention to myself but if you have great legs and the confidence to rock these shorts, these are perfect for the gym too! These gym shorts are incredibly soft and comfortable but they are short so beware you are not showing too much unless you want to!

Pink available here

Purple available here

Grey/black available here

Euphoria Leggings

These leggings are great quality and squat proof! I love the pattern of these leggings too and they are available in 3 colours! They also come up quite high and have tummy control which is perfect for if you want to hide unflattering areas of your body like me!

Grey available here

Pink available here

Grey/Black available here 

Grey/Black available here

Colossal Pro Tank & Classic Sports Bra

These tanks are tight fitting which I don't actually like as I like to wear a loose top so that the top doesn't cling to my unflattening areas of my body! That is just my opinion though as I do have fat around my body which I prefer to hide! Also, the colour isn't as bright as shown in the professional photos on the website but I still like the colour it comes in. If you have a good body, this top would look great on you but because I still have some work to do, it isn't the most flattering for me!

The classic sports bra is really comfortable and I would highly recommend it and it has a cute cross at the back! Great design!

Purple available here
Sports bra available here

Ladies Future Leggings

These leggings are great quality, comfortable and has a thick waistband. These leggings are again squat proof so you don't need to worry about showing the world your underwear! I also love the pop of colour for the logo at the bottom of the leggings!

Available here

Available here

LOOKBOOK | CARIBBEAN CRUISE EDITION

I was luckily enough to be able to go on a Caribbean Cruise with my family for 10 nights on the Royal Princess.

I picked out 10 outfits for dinner and thought I would share my outfits with you guys. 

There were 2 formal nights, 8 smart casual nights! Not everyone enjoys dressing up but it is one of my favourite things about cruising and of course I pick out my favourite outfits! 

I used the same handbag every night and the same watch and bracelet. I changed up my necklace a few times and my earrings but I like to keep it very simple in terms of jewellery.

I filmed all my outfits on the cruise so if you would like to take a look, here is the link:

Outfit 1 - Formal

Dress - Forever Unique

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 2 - Smart Casual

Dress - Elise Ryan (Asos)

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 3 - Smart Casual

Playsuit - Ax Paris

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 4 - Smart Casual

Dress - Asos

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 5 - Smart Casual

Dress - Ax Paris

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 6 - Smart Casual

Dress - Missguided

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 7 - Smart Casual

Dress - Redherring (Debenhams)

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 8 - Formal 

Dress - Lipsy (VIP Collection)

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Outfit 9 - Smart Casual 

Dress - Ax Paris

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

On the right! Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a photo of me in this dress on my cruise therefore this photo is taken back in September when I was on my last cruise!

Outfit 10 - Smart Casual

Dress - Ax Paris

Shoes - Ebay 

Handbag - Mulberry

Hope these outfits help you to decide what to wear on your cruise or just give you an idea of where I purchase my dresses from! Most of these dresses are affordable. The formal dresses are on the pricier side, however I feel that they are definitely worth it!

I love dressing up and it's not everyday I get this opportunity therefore I like to go all out!! 

I hope you enjoyed this post :)

My First Boxing Lesson

Genesis Mind and Body

For my first boxing lesson, I visited Chris in his studio.

"Genesis is a holistic wellness centre located in Shepherds Bush, West London. Our services include personal training, expert nutritional advise, physiotherapy and life coaching.

We provide a fun, friendly and inspiring environment to cater for all of our clients goals."

For more info see below:
Website: www.genesismindandbody.co.uk click here
Enquiries: Chris.davies@genesismindandbody.com

A few words from Chris himself:

"Hi guys, 
I'm Chris Davies.

I am a highly experienced personal trainer and co owner of Genesis mind and body. 
I have worked in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years and I still retain the passion and enthusiasm I started out with.

I would describe myself as someone who likes to inspire and motivate others to be the best version of themselves both inside and out."

My Initial Thoughts of Boxing

Prior to speaking to Chris, I had never really given much thought to boxing and when he suggested boxing, I was a little sceptical about it. For some reason, I have always associated boxing with violence... However, since becoming more passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle and wanting to try out new things, I thought why not?

Having always been a girly girl, I'm sure my friends and family would never have imagined me putting on boxing gloves and punching away at some pads! Nevertheless, having had my first encounter with boxing, I now think about it as not only being a different type of exercise but also a fun way to exercise. More and more personal trainers are incorporating boxing into their workouts with clients which have been incredibly effective!

I decided to film part of my lesson to show you guys! Enjoy!

First Impression

My first impressions of having my hands wrapped and having boxing gloves put on my hands, I thought ohmygod what have I got myself into. My advice is not to have long nails when you're going into a boxing lesson/class! Trust me, it hurts when you punch!! Being a fast learner, I was able to pick up the stance quickly and then the names of the moves. In just a short amount of time, I learnt a combination and now know how to punch!! My favourite move is the 'hook'. According to Chris, I have a mean left hook so guys, watch out! Only joking....

The boxing lesson was incredibly fun and it definitely helps if the lesson is with someone who is fun!! Chris is a great trainer to be able to deal with me as I''m so hyperactive and impatient when it comes to learning new fun things!

Having really enjoyed my first session boxing, it is something I definitely want to continue with. 

Chris praying I don't accidentally punch him in the face!

Teaching me some new moves!

Would I Recommend Boxing?

Absolutely.

I think boxing would be perfect for those who want to have fun and exercise at the same time or for those who get stressed and/ or angry because you can relieve your stress/anger on a punch bag!

I would really urge those who have never given boxing a try to go and try it out! Go take part in a boxing class or simply book a one-on-one lesson (this can be done with Chris at Genesis).

Thanks Chris for giving me my first boxing lesson!