Faces Plus

I should’ve posted this a long time ago but I’ve been lazy
I found Kristin on Unilocal and was pretty nervous about the whole tattooing my face kinda thing. So I kept looking at her page on Unilocal and then on Instagram over and over wondering if I should go through with it. I’ve never had any tattoos before just piercings.
Finally I gathered up the courage and called to book my appointment. Kristin is super booked (for a good reason obvs) so it was made a few months out.
That day finally came and I honestly don’t remember half of it because I was so nervous. This is a permanent thing going on my face! MY FACE!
But once I was in the room with her and she drew on a few different shapes for me I calmed down a whole lot. She obviously knows what she’s doing and just her drawing them on made me realize that she will give me the most perfect eyebrows.
Yes it hurts I won’t lie. Especially the (free) touch up. That was the worst for me but they look better than ever. I wake up every morning and don’t have to do anything with my eyebrows because they’re already perfect! Do you know how much I cried when I got home and saw that I actually had eyebrows!!! I used to spend at least 20 – 30 mins every morning trying to make my nonexistent eyebrows match with powder or pencil.
Kristin is a godsend and I’m so glad that I finally got the courage to call and make an appointment. You will not regret going to her! Thank you again!

This review is for the ombré brow tattoo by Mei. I may come back to bump this up to a 4.5.
Time: I didn’t have to wait long. I came on the day after Xmas this year. In fact, it went by so quickly that I had to über to Hog Island Oyster and the family (they dropped me off at Faces) was still in line to be seated). Check-​in took about 5 minutes after less than 10 min wait. The check-​in was basically signing waivers and making a retouch appointment (booked til June!).
Actual session: I came in with brows filled in like I normally would have them done to give Mei an idea of how I prefer the brows. Mei was very nice and said she’d like to do my brows similar to how I have them filled in. She drew on both sides and asked me for input. They were great so I told her to go with it. I’m not sure of the bedside manner complaints about Mei because she was really nice, asked me where I was visiting from, and we literally talked about the weather! Very pleasant. I can’t believe that Mei has been doing this for 30 years because she is beautiful and looks so young! I complimented her. Maybe that’s why she was extra nice. Hey, Golden Rule. Mei showed me each brow as she finished.
The process took about 25 minutes. I took off 0.5 star because I don’t think she put on numbing cream. If she did, we definitely didn’t wait for 10 – 15 minutes! It hurt. I’ve had 2 other body tattoos and the brow area is just more sensitive than the other body areas that I had done. I squeezed my hands and the tears came aflowin’. I thought, «Is this more painful than the two c-​sections I’ve survived?!» Maybe. But it was a lot of scratching that can get to your pain center. I almost thought about stopping midway on the second brow. But I survived and it wasn’t too bad. Beauty comes with a price.
When Mei was done, I expected crazy Chinese opera brows, but they weren’t too bad. Definitely with the shine from the ointment she applied, it didn’t look natural. I brought big Jackie O shades and showed up for stew at Hog Island. I went straight to the public.
Post-​care: this gets a minus 0.5 star. The receptionist didn’t give me the ointment til I asked her about post care. She said to put the ointment on twice a day. I had to ask about showering, etc. I had to ask. Why wasn’t there a handout sheet? Or why didn’t she just tell me vs me having to pull the info from her? Don’t get me wrong, she was really nice at check-​in and throughout, but should’ve provided me with the info all at once and up front.
My reco is to have the clients be informed of postcard and given the ointment upfront. Would make it easier while they’re not in pain.
First 24 hours: my brows were tender afterwards for about a couple of hours. The cold SF air served as a great ice pack. I put the ointment on and slept on my back. Removed the ointment with a gentle wipe this morning prior to applying a new layer of ointment. Saw some browning on the wipe. Likely due to the skin recovery. I felt some scabbing when I first put on the ointment the first evening.
After 3 days, the brows lightened. I almost wished it stopped getting lighter on day 4! Days ⁴⁄₅ were when the scabs that were formed became lose and you can start to see beneath the scabs. I’m assuming this will be the final color til I get my touch up’s.
Evening of day 5 when I washed my face and dabbed the brows, the scab came off. I’m still apply aquaphor in the PM before bed.
Glad I had this done. I keep thinking I need to shade in my brows, but, duh. Don’t need to. Posted some pix of them heeled.

Great Service. Love Mei She is the BEST. Her receptionist is so sweet and I love how she knows how to get it done correctly.

I was born with no brows. So everyday of my life, I would have to draw and shape it. Until my brow bones meet tattoo!
$ 200 for brows and within a year you get 1 free touch up (but make sure you go within a year prior to your first tattoo).
Mei is fast and efficient.

This is the WORST experience I have ever had in any service setting. I made an appointment for the hair-​stroke/​feathered eyebrow tattoo on July 30^th at 3pm. Business seems to be booming at Faces Plus, and I had to book months in advance and was very excited when the day of my appointment finally rolled around. I arrived and the office was clean, but dark and smelled strongly of food. There were many people in the small space, making it feel claustrophobic. Everything about the office would have been fine if there hadn’t been so many people in the waiting area. It felt like a cattle call. There were about 10 people in a space that was roughly 6×6, including several staff members.
I received a phone call several days before my appointment, telling me to come in at 2:30, half an hour before the appointment was to start and to bring cash. I arrived at 2:30 as requested and after signing a consent form was asked to sit in the waiting room. I sat there for 30 minutes with no acknowledgement from the receptionist.
At 3 o’clock the receptionist came over with some numbing cream and put it on my eyebrows. I informed her that I had to return to work and couldn’t stay for more than an hour. She told me that sometimes the appointments take longer that an hour, and I told her that in that case I’d need to get started soon. At 3:15 I asked how much longer it would be and didn’t get a clear answer. At 3:30 I again asked how much longer it would be, and she told me another 30 minutes at the earliest. It was at that point that I asked for my money back and left.
As I was leaving, the receptionist asked if I wanted to do embroidery instead, which is ridiculous; I was there for a facial tattoo (eyebrows) after much thought and consideration. I didn’t come to the decision lightly, and I went in knowing exactly what I want. Embroidery is very different from hair-​stroke, apples to oranges.
I left feeling incredibly disappointed. After waiting for so long it was a huge letdown. I’m not sure what the point of making appointments is if they are not honored. This wasn’t 10 or 15 minutes late, I would have been in that office for an hour and a half – at the least, according to the receptionist – before being seen. In my book that is completely unacceptable. Being respectful of other people’s time should be the baseline of customer service.
I’m genuinely happy for the Faces Plus team that the business seems to be doing well, but it won’t be for long with that kind of abhorrent business practices and lackadaisical attitude.

Came back 7 years later to get another brow tattoo! ($ 200)
Appointment was today (Saturday) for 10:45am.
10:40 am: The receptionist checked me in and put numbing cream on my brows
11:10 am: I went in for the tattoo
11:30 am: Done!
The pain was a 6.5÷10 but it was definitely tolerable (I just kept thinking about how nice my brows would turn out after the procedure — this got me through it!). My nose tickled again when she did my right brow. I have really sensitive skin so I swelled up and bled a little. After the procedure, you’ll be given a cream to apply twice a day for 3 days. Also, don’t wear makeup over your brows for at least a week. Wash them gently!
Tips:
— Parking sucks! I actually parked 4 blocks away but the walk wasn’t so bad. Your best bet is to find a spot that’s further away, rather than circling the same block 20 times.
— Bring a hat! Your brows are going to be one fire after the procedure and you might want to limit sun exposure. (This will also hide your swollen brows from the public, haha!).
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the shape and can’t wait for the final results!

One of the worst experiences of my life. Mei was incredibly rude and dismissive. I left the place feeling horrified with the results and unsure what to do aside from stay home for the next couple weeks.

Had my eyebrows retouched. I’m pleased with the results and plan to return in 6 months to get my free touch-​up. If ur planning to come here, take public transportation or get a ride because parking is horrific.

This was my first facial. I almost missed it because their windows were covered. I had a basic facial and it felt great. They don’t really massage your face as much as I was hoping they would. But my face came out blackhead free and smooth for someone who had blackheads deeply stuck in there for years. A basic facial also came with free eyebrow shaping like they will trim any hair that’s out of place to make your brow more clean-​looking.

Love Mei! I am so glad I found her. Just saw her last weekend after my last brow tattoo done by Mei 3 yrs ago. She fixed my tattoo’d eyebrows done by another person. It was so bad that I had already gone through 11 laser tattoo removal by the previous person that did my brows. Sadly to say, I did let the owner of the salon and spa to do my brows again since she had the most experience. Well… my brows turned blotchy and grey 12 months later. Not only that, my brow shape was horrible! I had to use concealer to get the shape I wanted.
Anyways, long story short. I did my research and found Mei! Heard so many good reviews about her that I decided I needed to see her. 3 years ago, Mei saw my horrible eyebrows and said She would need to remove them in order to give me a natural shape and color. I was very hesitant at first because I had gotten 11 color laser removal in the past. She assured me that her technology was a lot faster and I would only need to laser it 2 or 3 times at the most
After 2 removals, Mei tattoo’d my eyebrows and I was soo pleased with her work. She is a natural!!! My mother also got her brows tattoo’d by Mei as well.
If you’re looking for someone with experience, she is the person! Words can’t explain how much she has changed how I look at myself in the mirror now. You don’t want horrible brows. I’ve been there. Trust me! Trust Mei!

I had been looking for a place that tattoos beauty marks, or faces at all. After talking to a bunch of tattoo artists that said they wouldn’t do face tattoos, I decided to look in the permanent cosmetic makeup section of Unilocal and I decided on this place.
It was pretty easy to find, but once I found the spa I realized the door was locked. The blinds were all shut too which was weird since I had an appointment at the time I had arrived. I ran the doorbell and this little Asian woman in a surgical mask poked her head out asked if I had an appointment, and then she let me in.
The lobby/​waiting area was extremely dark, small, and stuffy. There was no lighting inside, let alone open windows or a source of circulating air. There was one small couch, which was occupied by 3 or 4 women ahead of me. The rest of the people (myself included) just sat on the window sill or floor.
I ended up waiting for 20 – 30 minutes after my appointment time to see the woman who was to tattoo my beauty marks. I was brought into this little sectioned off corner where she sat and motioned for me to lay on this stained dentist chair. She asked what I wanted done and I showed her a picture, and she had me draw the marks on with pencil. She warned me it would hurt a little, but I love getting tattooed so. For me it was painless.
I had two freckles tattooed under my eye along with a beauty mark in the corner of my mouth. She barely did any tattoo prep on these areas before beginning, besides putting a tiny bit of numbing cream seconds before. The whole process took 8 – 10 minutes. She had me look at each one and I ended up telling her to do each one bigger which she was fine with.
She charged $ 30 for each freckle ~ totaling to $ 90. She rushed me off the chair and into the lobby where the receptionist handed me a tiny jar of cream she said to apply every now and then, along with a folded piece of paper (membership card?) with Chinese writing on it.
I’m satisfied with how it turned out, although I only got it done a couple hours ago. So it could heal weird still. I just felt like the instruments could have been brand new for each person like any tattoo shop, or at least cleaned prior to use. For the amount of clientele this place has, they could definitely use a new location or at least more seating/​order in the waiting area.

$ 200 including tip for fabulous eyebrows I can wake up to? Heck yes! Cash only. Includes a free touch up
My entire appointment took 30 minutes. She drew an outline of what she would be tattooing but it was in black. Of course it didn’t come out that dark. The process wasn’t painful, just felt like someone picking on your brow. She uses numbing gel.
Bottom line is I’m super happy with how these came out two months later. Trust the lady. She will give you beautiful brows.
No getting it wet for a couple days after. Put a healing cream on it morning and night.
Highly recommend this place ladies :)

I just got my eyeliner perm done. It hurtd but mei was really professional and did it really fast. 15 – 20 mins max. My mom did it here 20 years ago and it still looks good. This lady sure is a pro. I thank her so much ! Its painful but much worth it. My sister got it elsewhere in downtown but it didnt look as good so shes so mad and regretful. She also paid more than I. So now shes making an appointment to go do her eyeliner with mei ;)
Im glad I went to mei. She will take good care of you.

Got my brows did here and I LOVE them! Not only does it save me time from having to draw them in every day but I can now save myself from the stress of A) making sure that my brows are even B) making sure that I did not sweat/​wipe/​scratch off my brows C) worrying if my brows are too dark giving me serious RBF.
I like the fact that it’s semi-​permanent and not permanent. Let’s face it, brow fashion changes and it’s always a little scary to commit to one style for the rest of your life. #commitmentissues So it’s nice to know that down the road, I could tweek the shape if I’d like.
If you’re considering it and holding off because of the fear of pain, let me tell you this. It’ll hurt but the whole process only takes about 15 minutes. It’s not THAT painful and you can definitely take it for 15 minutes. My brows did not swell at all afterwards and it was not too dark where I was embarrassed to go out in daylight. In fact, I went straight from getting my brows done to Hakkasan for a delicious meal. :)
Do it now! Trust that you will not regret it!

I had my eyeliner tattoo done here in the beginning of the month and so far so good. I was told that there might be itching, flaking, and fading after day 3 but I only experienced a little fading. I had a very natural line done. It is not very noticeable but I wanted it that way just for darkening my lash line. My friend had it done a month before me and she really likes it too. She will be going back for the free touch up (within 6 months) to get the liner thicken. My mom also had hers done here but 19 years ago. Her eyeliner did not fade much but her brows did. Since I was getting my liner done, she joined me and got her brows redone. It looked very natural after 1 week. The day it was done it looked like she used a too dark color for her brows and covered it with gloss.
Price
$ 300– eyeliner
$ 200– brow

I came here years ago when I lived in SF.
I had my upper and lower lids and eyebrows done and all went well and lasted for several years. It amounted to around $ 500.
I returned last year and just needed my eyebrows redone.
I wasn’t given proper time to numb my eyebrows and when I went into the room I was extremely rushed.
She asked if I wanted to redo my upper and lower eyes and I said no. Big mistake since she sees only dollar signs .
She never asked how i would like my eyebrows to be shaped and used a terrible color. Competely different from what she did in the past.
All she could talk about was their new store opening up and going shopping for her daughters wedding and how she was leaving the second after doing my eyebrows.
Rushed, Rushed, Rushed. Not to mention a terrible eyebrow tattoo.
AND NOW… My eyebrows are totally gone after one year .
I flew in from LA to do this and she couldn’t have cared less
I guess she doesn’t need business.
Never going back, not even for their pathetic touch up.
What a misserable failure.
If I could give no stars I would.

This place is awesome. Mei is absolutely as good as everyone claims! She is extremely talented and fast. I had my eyebrows tattoo at some place in Oakland over 12 years ago and was not a fan of the shape, luckily for me the tattoo faded over the years. Mei looked at the shape of my face and drew when she thought would compliment it. After she showed me I agreed it was a great shape and she went ahead and started tattooing. There was some mild pain, but it is way better than drawing in brows every morning. I definitely recommend her to anyone who is looking for a great brow artist!

Unfortunately, I won’t be coming back.
I came here 2 days ago for my free color touch up. There’s the usual 30 minute wait for Mei. When I went into the room she didn’t draw on my eyebrow like she did the first time. I thought it was ok since the shape of my eyebrows were still there for her to follow from the previous visit. BUT was I wrong?!
When she finished my eyebrows, I noticed INSTANTLY that my brows were uneven. My right eyebrow was noticeably higher than my left brow. The shape of the two brows were also very different. What happened?! They were not like this the first time! I told her it’s uneven and she told me she was just following the shape of my browbone and that it would be unnatural if the brows were identical. Um, ok, but they are even more unnatural because of how different they are! She then rushed me out and pushed another client into the tiny room.
I went outside and called my mom. Right when she walked through the door she said one is way higher than the other. The assistant kept saying how pretty they were and that’s the way it’s supposed to look. Hey, I understand if it’s my first time and there’s no shape for Mei to follow. But this is not my first time. How did it turn out correctly the first time and then different the second? Then to shut me up, she gave me a pencil to draw in what I want to change.
Right when I laid back down in the chair, she kept complaining that my face is uneven and she was just doing her job and we don’t understand because we are not in the business. She then proceeded to tell me that she doesn’t know how to fix it and not to come back to her for my brows. She was unwilling to fix her mistake and kept complaining that she’s not responsible for it. Even after she «fixed» my brows, she kept complaining about how it looks ugly and different after she «fixed» it. Oh please.
I’m so pissed right now. My eyebrows are uneven in height and length too! The left one is now a cm longer than the right one. Thanks, Mei.

I made the mistake of waxing both of my eyebrows off when I was in the 7^th grade– or maybe I thought it was the «in» thing to do. Regardless, I spent many years trying to draw in my eyebrows while I painfully waited for them to grow back in (at least a little).
When I turned 18, I barely had any hair growth so I decided tattooing was the way to go. After researching countless places and reading every single review, I decided to come to Faces Plus. Yes, I’ve read every single review because, you know, eyebrow tattoos are pretty permanent– and they are on your face. It’s not like you can hide them if something goes wrong.
Anyhow, I was in and out of the salon within an hour and the tattoo itself took only 20 minutes max. Mei was my tattoo artist. She first drew on my right eyebrow and asked me to look in the mirror to approve the shape, etc. I agreed it took «okay’– not great, but «okay».
The tattoo hurt a little in the beginning, but after a minute or so it wasn’t so bad. I came out with reddish brown eyebrows (and I was pissed!!!). At the time, I didn’t realize the red was from the bleeding (haha!) until about 2 days later when my eyebrows developed scabs. Within a week, the scabbing was gone and there, on my face, were 2 lovely brown eyebrows. There wasn’t even a hint of red/​purple/​green– whatever other nasty colors that result of cheap eyebrow tattooing.
I went in for my touch up about a year after the initial visit. This was to fill in any empty spots only– I didn’t need to reshape them or anything because, well, Mei got it right the first time. It has now been almost 4 years and my eyebrows still look great. They are thick enough to wear bare but thin enough to thicken them up for a more dramatic look.
The overall experience: great eyebrow tattoo, for a great price, at a clean facility. 5 starts for them!

for the sake of Unilocal… I will put myself on blast and admit I had my eyebrows done.
I was cursed with my dad’s super light eyebrows, and even when they are fully grown out I look like an Asian Whoopi Goldberg, that’s how light they are. I’ve had to shade them in for years and finally decided that I should consider getting them permanently done. I was worried at first that I would look like the old Asian grandmas you see with super black/​blue, obviously fake eyebrows. but then my coworker revealed she’d had hers done, and I couldn’t even tell. Clearly there are new ways of doing this procedure so I started poking around.
I saw faces plus on Unilocal first and put that in my top list of candidates. I saw a friend from high school and told her I was thinking of getting this done, and her sister said a lot of her friends had also come to faces plus and had great results. so, an appointment was made.
give yourself a lot of time to find parking, because it’s almost impossible to find street parking. I ended up parking a few blocks away, but Mei and her staff were completely understanding. The inside of the place is very clean and it seems they have a lot of up to date equipment [they do laser skin treatments, etc, as well]. The entire procedure took about 25 minutes. I read the reviews first and knew that Mei would design my eyebrows based on her opinion first, and she really does know what she’s doing. she got the shape to fit perfectly with my face and then went to work. it was painful, but definitely not as painful as some of my other tattoos have been. they give you some ointment to apply twice daily and send you on your way.
after one week, my eyebrows have completely peeled off and they look great! at first they will look super dark, but they’ll be much lighter and natural looking when they peel off. I wanted a natural look and Mei delivered. if I’m going out I can always shade them in a bit more, but for an everyday look the color is perfect. you also have a free touch up that’s good for the next year, if you want to make them darker or fix anything.
it’s so convenient not to have to worry about doing them everyday, and not to worry about the embarassment when I go to a pool or beach and they wash off in front of my friends =P I would highly recommend Mei and her services, you won’t regret it!