Brow Lamination vs Microblading: Which One Should You Get?

A clean spoolie can usually settle this. Lamination fixes brows that grow the wrong direction, and microblading is for brows that lack density.

Clients have left me 60 five star reviews across Google, The Knot, WeddingWire and Facebook, and Google sits at 5.0 from 33 of them. You can read them on Google before you book. I do lamination and not microblading, and I will not push lamination on brows it cannot help. If your brows need pigment, I will tell you so.

What is the difference between brow lamination and microblading?

Lamination works on the brow hairs. Microblading works on the skin.

Lamination smooths and sets each brow hair in place for a fuller, lifted, brushed up shape. Nothing enters the skin, no color is added in the base service, and it fades out on its own as your brows grow through their natural cycle. Microblading deposits pigment into the skin in strokes meant to look like hairs, and it is a far longer commitment. Lamination is also easy to stop: if you do not love it, you do not rebook.

How does brow lamination work?

I start with a short conversation about how you like to wear your brows, soft and brushed or more lifted, and I ask about your skin products and past reactions. Come without brow makeup if you can.

A softening step relaxes the brow hairs, I brush them into the direction that suits your shape, and a setting step holds them there. Brow mapping is part of the appointment, so the finished shape suits your face. The whole service is booked for 45 minutes.

For the first day your brows can look very neat and set, and they soften into a more natural look over the next few days. The shape typically holds for about 6 to 8 weeks, and I recommend rebooking on that schedule. My post on how long brow lamination lasts covers what speeds that up or slows it down.

What is microblading?

Microblading is cosmetic tattooing. A handheld tool deposits pigment into the upper layer of the skin in fine strokes that mimic brow hairs. It is meant to add the look of brows where there is little or no growth.

Because it is pigment in skin, it involves a healing period and lasts far longer than lamination. That is the appeal and the risk. If the shape is wrong, it does not grow out in a few weeks.

Ask a microblading artist directly about healing, touch ups and how long their work lasts before you commit. A good artist will be glad you asked, and the answers will tell you whether it fits your life.

How can I tell which one my brows need?

Brush your brows straight up with a clean spoolie and look in the mirror. If the shape suddenly looks fuller and better, lamination can give you that look for weeks at a time. Your problem is direction, not density. Check the tails as well as the fronts, because that is where gaps tend to hide.

If brushing them up shows empty skin at the front, the tail or across a scar, lamination cannot fix that, because there is nothing there to lift. That is a microblading conversation. Some brows have both problems, and in that case the gaps are the first thing to solve.

If your brows were over plucked but are still growing, it can be worth leaving them alone for a few months first. You may find you need neither service. If you are pregnant, nursing or taking a medication that affects your skin, talk to your own provider before booking any brow treatment.

Can a lamination and tint fill out thin brows?

Often, yes. Lamination lifts everything into place, and a tint darkens the fine, pale hairs you may not know you have. Together they can make a thin brow read much fuller for weeks at a time.

Brow shaping and tint is a separate service on my menu, and I will tell you at the appointment if I think you do not need it. If the result is not enough, you have lost a few weeks and not years. Every studio price is on my service menu. If you want to try it, I do lamination and tint at my studio inside Tucci & Co Salon on Sabattus Street in Lewiston.

Can I have both lamination and microblading?

Yes, once the microblading has fully healed. Lamination affects the brow hairs only, so it does not lift or fade the pigment. Ask your microblading artist when your skin is ready.

If a wedding is coming up, lamination timing matters too. My post on brow lamination before a wedding explains when to book it and why your first one should not be the week of the wedding.

If the spoolie test says direction, not density, book your brow lamination online and I will map the shape with you first. Studio appointments run Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.