GROOMING & GLAMOUR
A Lasting
LOOK I
nked Beauty Bar in St. Louis’ midtown offers services that may defy what your elders think of as tattooing. Emily Thomas, the salon’s owner and master permanent makeup artist, says permanent makeup has evolved and has the potential to enhance one’s natural appearance. “The brows are the frame of the face,” Thomas says, describing Inked Beauty Bar’s mostrequested service: brow treatments. “Permanent makeup or microblading is not necessarily a new thing. It’s been around for a while, but the techniques have changed over the years. “In the past, they were done more like a traditional tattoo, where they went deep into the dermal layer. It’s evolved into a really beautiful technique … We’re creating small incisions into the skin and implanting ink lightly into the top of the dermal layer.” During the powder brow service, tattoo machines implant ink in the top dermal layer by delicately poking the skin versus making small cuts. Thomas adds: “You create that light dusting of color that looks natural and soft.” While commonly referred to as “permanent makeup,” these beauty treatments are not everlasting. The results of microblading last about a year, while powder brows can last up to two years. Additional services include lip blushing to enhance color and shape, which lasts from two to three years, and permanent eyeliner, which can last from three to five years. “Right now, the trend, especially with the younger generation, is fluffy, thicker brows,” Thomas says. “They call it a ‘hyperrealistic brow,’ where it’s not so uniform – where it’s a little disheveled.” Another service on offer is the newly launched
24 July 22, 2022
| LadueNews.com
scalp micropigmentation. By creating small dots on the scalp, artists at Inked Beauty Bar can create the illusion of hair follicles and thickness, building a soft appearance over several sessions, with results lasting from four to six years. “All of our workers take a bloodborne pathogens training – the same training that any medical worker or person working with blood [must take],” Thomas notes. “It’s extensive and
redone every year.” She adds that medical-grade sanitation is used during every service and that all tools are disposed of post-appointment, with each tattoo machine, chair and tray covered in plastic during a session. This is an effort to keep not only clients but also her team of artists protected. “We just love our clients,” Thomas says. “We love our community. We are currently doing a giveaway every month [to a selected individual who has sent in a story] of someone inspirational in their life. We’ve also teamed up with the Sawyer Institute, and we give free brows to breast cancer survivors. We’re always trying to give back.” From teeth whitening to modern stretch mark revision treatments, and with a wide-ranging team of artists that includes a nail technician and lash artists, Inked Beauty Bar expands beauty solutions for those seeking a true transformation to positively impact their daily lifestyle. Inked Beauty Bar, 3016 Locust St., Suite 104, St. Louis, 618-791-7719, inkedbeautybar.net
FAR LEFT PHOTO BY BEATRIXLIN PHOTOGRAPHY; CENTER AND RIGHT PHOTOS BY CHELSEA DUFRESNE
By Amanda Dahl Photos courtesy of Inked Beauty Bar
