5 Minutes a Day = 30+ Hours a Year on Your Eyebrows

“It Only Takes a Few Minutes…”

That’s what we tell ourselves every morning, right?

“It’s just a quick fill-in.” “Just a few strokes with the pencil.” “It only takes 5 minutes.”

But what if I told you those “5 minutes” add up to more than 30 hours a year? And for most people, it’s actually way more than 5 minutes?

Let’s do the math together - because once you see the real numbers, you might never look at your brow routine the same way again.

The “Quick Morning Routine” Breakdown

First, let’s be honest about how long it actually takes. Most people severely underestimate this.

The Optimist’s Timeline (The “Good Day” Scenario)

Product selection and setup: 1 minute

Find your brow pencil (did it roll under the bathroom counter again?)
Grab your powder or pomade
Get your brushes
Find your brow gel

Application - First brow: 3 minutes

Brush and shape
Fill in sparse areas
Create hair-like strokes
Blend

Application - Second brow: 4 minutes

Do the same thing
Compare to the first one
Realize it’s slightly different
Fix the first one to match

Edge cleanup and finishing: 2 minutes

Concealer around the edges
Final blending
Set with gel

Total “quick routine”: 10 minutes

And that’s on a good day. When you’re not rushing. When you got enough sleep. When the lighting is decent.

The Realist’s Timeline (The Actual Average)

Setup: 1-2 minutes (same as above)

First attempt - Both brows: 7 minutes

But they’re not quite right

The “fix” phase: 3-5 minutes

One is higher than the other
Or one is darker
Or the shape just looks… off
Remove some product, add some back

Edge cleanup: 2-3 minutes

Final approval check: 1-2 minutes

Step back from mirror
Check in different lighting
Make small adjustments

Total realistic routine: 14-19 minutes

The “Bad Day” Timeline (More Common Than You Think)

Everything above, plus:

The complete redo: 5-8 minutes

They’re just not cooperating today
Remove and start over
Or remove one and try to match the other

Total bad day: 20-25+ minutes

The Annual Math That Changed My Perspective

Let’s be conservative and say your average daily routine is 15 minutes.

The Numbers

Daily: 15 minutes

Weekly: 15 minutes × 7 days = 105 minutes (1 hour 45 minutes)

Monthly: 105 minutes × 4.3 weeks = 451.5 minutes (7.5 hours)

Yearly: 451.5 × 12 months = 5,418 minutes (90.3 hours)

That’s ninety hours. Every single year.

Let me put that in perspective:

3.75 full days of just doing your eyebrows
Two full work weeks (based on 40-hour weeks)
22 full-length movies
Three entire seasons of your favorite Netflix show
Ninety workout sessions

And that’s if you’re efficient.

But Wait - There’s More

The 15 minutes of application is just the beginning. Let’s add in all the other brow-related time sinks:

Shopping for Products

Time per shopping trip: 20-30 minutes

Browsing options
Reading reviews on your phone in the aisle
Comparing shades
Second-guessing your choice

Trips per year: 6-8 (replacing products, trying new ones)

Annual shopping time: 2-4 hours

The Throughout-the-Day Check-Ins

Each check: 30 seconds to 2 minutes

Looking in phone camera to check if they’re still okay
Bathroom mirror checks
Asking your partner “do my brows look even?”

Times per day: 3-5 (be honest)

Annual check-in time: 18-36.5 hours

Touch-Ups and Fixes

Each touch-up: 3-5 minutes

After the gym
After swimming
After a long day
After your brows somehow migrated to different zip codes

Touch-ups per week: 3-4

Annual touch-up time: 7.8-10.4 hours

The Research and Tutorial Watching

Per session: 10-30 minutes

“How to make brows look natural”
“Best brow products 2024”
“Brow routine for sparse brows”

Sessions per year: 10-15 (whenever you’re frustrated with your current routine)

Annual research time: 2.5-7.5 hours

Removing Them Every Night

Nightly removal: 2-3 minutes

Makeup remover
Gentle cleansing
Making sure it’s all off

Annual removal time: 12.2-18.3 hours

The Grand Total

Let’s add it all up:

Daily application: 90.3 hours
Shopping: 3 hours (average)
Check-ins: 27 hours (average)
Touch-ups: 9 hours (average)
Research: 5 hours (average)
Removal: 15 hours (average)

Total annual time investment: 149.3 hours

That’s 6.2 full days of every year spent on eyebrow maintenance.

The 10-Year Perspective

If you continue this routine for 10 years, you’ll spend:

1,493 hours on your eyebrows

That’s:

62 full days
2 full months of 24/7 brow work
37 full work weeks
Nearly 4% of your waking hours over that decade

What Could You Do With 149 Hours?

Let’s get real about opportunity cost. What else could you do with 149 hours every year?

Learn a Language

Duolingo recommends 15 minutes/day
149 hours = nearly 600 lessons
You could become conversational in Spanish in one year

Get Fit

149 hours = 149 gym sessions
That’s 3 sessions per week for a full year
Enough to completely transform your fitness

Start a Side Business

149 hours of focused work
That’s nearly 4 full work weeks
People have launched successful businesses with less

Read 30+ Books

Average reading speed: 250 words/minute
Average book: 80,000 words
149 hours = you could read 28-35 books

Master a Skill

Learn to play guitar
Take up photography
Study coding
Become a better cook

Simply Rest

149 hours of extra sleep
That’s 18.6 full nights of 8-hour sleep
Imagine actually feeling rested

The Financial Math

Let’s not forget the money aspect:

Brow Products Annual Cost:

Pencils (replaced 3x/year): $60-90
Powder/pomade (replaced 2x/year): $40-70
Brushes (replaced yearly): $12-25
Brow gel (replaced 3x/year): $45-84
Concealer (replaced 2x/year): $20-60
Makeup remover: $30-50

Annual total: $207-379

Over 10 years: $2,070-$3,790

And that’s if you stick with drugstore to mid-range products. High-end products? Easily double that.

The Mental Load We Don’t Talk About

Beyond time and money, there’s the invisible cost:

The Morning Stress

That pressure to get them right. Every. Single. Day.

Starting your day with “ugh, my brows look terrible” sets a tone, doesn’t it?

The All-Day Anxiety

Are they still even?
Did one fade more than the other?
Do they look okay in this lighting?
Can people tell I drew them on?

The Limitation on Activities

How many times have you thought twice about:

Swimming
Hot yoga
Impromptu sleepovers
Morning gym classes (and the shower after)
Beach trips
Anything involving water or sweat

Because you’d have to deal with your brows?

The Constant Comparison

Seeing other women with naturally full brows. Or women with microblading. And thinking “I wish I could just wake up like that.”

So What’s the Alternative?

Here’s where the math gets interesting.

Microblading cost: $400-600 (average) Lasts: 1-3 years (let’s say 2 years average) Touch-up at 6 weeks: $100-150

Total 2-year investment: $500-750

Compare that to:

2 years of brow products: $414-758
2 years of time: 298.6 hours (12.4 full days)

You’d pay essentially the same amount (or even save money), but get back nearly 300 hours of your life.

The Daily Time Savings

With microblading:

Morning routine: 0 minutes (they’re already done)
Throughout-the-day checks: 0 minutes (they don’t move)
Touch-ups: 0 minutes (they don’t fade)
Removal: 30 seconds (just wash your face normally)

Daily time saved: 14.5-20 minutes

What would you do with an extra 15-20 minutes every morning?

Actually sit down and enjoy your coffee?
Meditate?
Go for a walk?
Sleep in?
Have a real breakfast?
Spend time with your kids or partner?

The Freedom Factor

Beyond the time and money, clients tell me the biggest benefit is the mental freedom.

Not having to think about your brows is a gift you don’t realize you need until you have it.

Wake up. Look in the mirror. Your brows are done. Move on with your day.

Pool party? Go. Hot yoga? No problem. Camping trip? Your brows will look the same on day 3 as day 1. Early morning meeting? Sleep an extra 15 minutes.

What About Touch-Ups?

Fair question. Microblading does require maintenance:

Initial touch-up: 6-8 weeks after first appointment (1-2 hours) Annual refresh: Once every 1-2 years (1-2 hours)

Total annual time commitment: 1-2 hours

vs. 149+ hours of daily makeup application.

You’re saving 147+ hours per year.

The Bottom Line

I’m not saying everyone should get microblading. For some people, the daily brow routine is enjoyable - it’s their meditation, their creative outlet, their self-care time.

But if you’re doing it because you have to, not because you want to?

If you’re spending 15-20 minutes every morning wishing you could just wake up with done brows?

If you’re tired of the time, the money, the mental load, and the constant maintenance?

Then maybe it’s time to do the math on a different option.

Your Time is Valuable

Six full days a year. That’s what we’re talking about here.

What’s that worth to you?

Not just in dollars, but in peace of mind. In freedom. In being able to roll out of bed and feel confident. In saying yes to the pool party without a second thought.

Only you can answer that.

But now you know the real numbers.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

If you’re curious about whether microblading could give you back those 149 hours a year (and the peace of mind that comes with it), let’s talk.

Book a Free Consultation

We’ll discuss:

Whether you’re a good candidate
What your brows could look like
The real timeline and investment
All your questions (no question is too small)

No pressure, no obligation - just honest information so you can make the best choice for your life, your time, and your goals.

Because you deserve to spend your time on things that matter to you.

And if filling in your brows every morning isn’t one of them? We can help with that.

Questions about the process? Contact us - we’re here to help you make an informed decision.