Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about Microblading is price. I know! Both PMU artists and clients ask the same question.
If you don't have time to read this post entirely (It takes only 3 - 4 minutes to read through, so I recommend reading it entirely.), the short answer is the average cost of Microblading (or similar eyebrow cosmetic tattoo service) runs anywhere between $500 - $2,000. Google is a powerful search engine and if you simply Google the key phrase (how much Microblading costs), it'll show you how much it goes these days. Of course, there are places where they charge outside this range and I think more realistic and typical price range would be more like $600 - $900 for properly trained PMU artists with decent experience.
Then the next question is "Why do prices vary that much?" and "Is it worth it?" Let's take care of those two specific questions separately.
"Why prices vary from place to place?" In short, every PMU artist has different background in their education, products used, experience, competition and so on.
The products they use may come from reputable vendors or they might have come from Amazon or AliExpress, which often cannot be trusted due to the uncertainty in chemical components and lack of support. (Just fyi, chemicals imported to the US must follow TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) including chemicals in article, which means chemicals in a container. And all PMU pigments are sold in a small plastic bottle; hence they are all articles.) TSCA and/or SDS (Safety Data Sheet) should be readily available upon request and sometimes some vendors don't provide that information, which usually is a bad sign.
Microblading training program can go anywhere from free (yes, I mean free!) to $9,000 just for one certificate. Some PMU artists may have one certificate while others may have multiple certificates. Number of certificates does not have a direct indication of how good the PMU artist is, but in general if someone spends time and money for their career, that's something you definitely want to pay attention to.
Experience is a critical factor in determining prices as well. That's a no brainer, right? It's like getting your car fixed by a brand new auto technician, who just got their training done yesterday vs. getting it fixed by someone with years of experience in auto maintenance and repair. Imagine that if your car is not fixed, you cannot go to work or school. Which is your choice? I'd rather get it fixed by an experienced auto technician even if it costs more.
"Is it worth the money?" Well, I sort of answered this question in the auto repair example above. Microblading (or any other cosmetic tattoo) won't last forever (and it should NOT! I will write something about this later, but let me repeat this. It should NOT last forever.) and typically you can enjoy it for 1 - 2 years with many people getting a maintenance touch-up every year to stay in optimal conditions. Maintenance touch-up costs much less than the first procedure ranging about half or 2/3 of the first procedure. If you think about it, the overall average cost per year is around $350 - $600 depending on where you get it. That's $1 - $2 per day. With Microblading you don't need to have a daily makeup (saving time in the morning), you can feel confident 24/7 (no more scarce or asymmetric eyebrows), no makeup malfunctioning (sometimes you don't notice something went wrong with your eyebrow makeup until it's a little too late😅), no makeup removal each night (saving time again in the evening), and the list of benefits can continue. If you don't have full and symmetric eyebrows and it has been bothering you for good number of years and putting eyebrow makeup is not something you enjoy everyday, Microblading can give you a life changing experience. So ask yourself. Is $1 - $2 per day worth it? Some of our clients say it's totally worth it! Moms with busy school schedule of their kids, working professionals, someone who works at a place where makeup is prohibited or limited (due to scent and hygiene rules) or folks with scarce eyebrows, it can be the best gift for them. But if your eyebrows are full and in pretty good shape, you may not appreciate Microblading as much as others do.
One day I happened to watch Jessica Alba's Instagram live couple of years ago around 2020 or 2021. She was getting ready to go out and I remember her quote "I don't have to do much with my eyebrows cuz my eyebrows are microbladed..." She did use her eyebrow makeup brush to fix her eyebrows, but literally it took only couple of seconds, and she was ready to go out. I think that was the perfect example of how beneficial Microblading can be.
Editor's comment: I used the word "Microblading" to explain the cost and benefit, but this applies to all PMU (permanent makeup) services. New techniques launch each year (one of the big reasons why talented PMU artists have multiple certificates to stay on top) and there are similar techniques to Microblading and I didn't list them all here because it can be stressful to read this blog with redundant naming conventions. For example, Microshading, Combo Brows, Nano Brows, Bold Brows, Hybrid Brows and many other eyebrow services fall into this.
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