13 minute read
Cosmetic Tattooing By Georgie Westley
COSMETIC TATTOOING
AN INSIGHT INTO THE CURRENT BROW BOOM
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By Georgie Westley
When I was asked to write a topic on cosmetic tattoo so many thoughts ran through my head on what I can write about. But what kept alarming in my head was the need to talk about the amount of people presenting in my clinic Distinctive Features in Melbourne with very unsatisfactory brow work the technicians coming in to be ‘retrained’ after being sucked into an expensive course with no career outcome they were promised.
One of the main comments I hear from the client is “I didn’t want to wait that long to see you, I wanted it now” and of course, the client ends up in my clinic a few days later beside themselves with anxiety and in need of emergency removal.
In some cases, their brows are not even bad, they are just not educated enough on what to expect during the process. This is the main issue that arises, simply lack of consultation from the technician themselves. So of course, we end up just filling the gaps of consultation with them and send them on their way with full understanding of what’s going on at the stage of healing they are at. I think with my 20 years of experience, and when I say experience, I mean I’ve experienced EVERY type of client there is. So I’ve learnt a way of telling everything, no sugar coating, no softly speaking in a ‘non-confident’ way, I tell them the absolute worst that can happen, I tell them everything to expect from darkening, crusting, pain, scabs, fading, itching and pre care, after care. Basically, they get everything in writing upon making the booking, then verbally in the consultation then they get it in writing again when they leave. My moto ‘Get them prepared for the worst, and anything else better than that is amazing!’
I guess I’ve learnt this from the years of doing clients and realising the gaps in my own consultation that lead me to sleepless nights and constant phone calls, texting and emails from clients not understanding the process. Clients messaging me saying their brows are falling off or freaking out that there’s a gap in one brow and why cant they get it fixed straight away? I began to realise that every skin is so different and that my consultation needed to change to reflect this.
The most important things to tell cover with your clients during a consultation or if you are thinking of having it done is this…
· Your brows are measured to your natural bone structure, if your face is small your brows should be small and in balance with the natural structure. We don’t do anything thicker, lower or longer than the measurement, but we can go smaller as I know we can add to it later and this will help you adjust to your new brow shape. · Fashion brows will go out of fashion, always stick with balance even if its slightly smaller than you expect. · Large false lashes give the illusion of a bigger eye, if you elongate and thicken the tattoo according to the illusion, when the lashes are removed the brow length and thickness will age your appearance. · Brow tattoo changes over time. Some go grey and some go orange, this is normal and means you are ready for a touch up. · To explain that there’s no guarantees on time span as every skin metabolises pigment differently. You can’t tell everyone their brows will last 2 years as some will last 10 months some 18 months and some 3 years.. but they start to change from the day they are done so one client’s perception of ‘brows fading’ can be totally different to another. · Skin type and conditions, genetics and tattoo technique all play a huge part in one’s
end result (research this before choosing your technique). · Microblading is a stepping stone treatment and can only be done a few times before it blurs, blends and becomes more blocky.. In fact, it actually becomes less natural than ombre brows in the long run and can’t be done successfully on an oily and/or sun damaged skin. · If you have a strong brow muscle on one side, you will never get even balance. Your brows are attached to skin which is attached to muscle. Your muscle movement is out of our control. Injectables are the only way to fix a ‘rogue’ brow. · Treat your brows like an open wound for the first week, ANYTHING that can have bacteria must not touch the brows this can lead to infection. E.g Fingers, nails, Makeup, pillowcase, fringe, hair, sweat.. · Your brows will create a rollercoaster of emotions during the process, from crazy dark and thick brows on day 1 to peeling, shrinking and disappearing on day 5 to the colour coming back around day 10-14 then the refresh to fix any shape and colour inconsistencies around the 6 week mark and then that needs to heal also. It’s a long process that is not complete until a month after the touch up appointment. · My two favourite sayings I tell my clients are..
TRUST THE PROCESS and BROWS ARE
SISTERS NOT TWINS!... Distant cousins are a problem though (insert a giggle here)
In the more unfortunate case that the clients brows have actually been as they say ‘botched’ , depending on the stage of healing they are at we can do emergency removal which in many cases will remove at least half the colour of not more. But this is only up to the 48-hour mark. After that the skin has closed and the colour has started to set in. So now we must wait 6 weeks to start the removal and/ or correction process. We can’t enter or open the skin during the immune response healing time or we risk of hypertrophic or even A-Trophic scarring. and money this will cost). Removals are usually 6 weeks apart and depending on the type of pigment or ink that was used either saline or laser removal options will be done and sometimes even a mixture at both at different intervals is required. This process is painful, time consuming and expensive. And never ends with a perfect result but more an improved quality of life. It is unlikely you can just ‘go over’ a bad brow tattoo with a new tattoo to improve it, the only way to cover something is to make it darker and more concentrated than what’s there. In most cases this will only make matters worse.
One of the issues we are facing at the moment is the lack of regulation in the PMU industry. There is no minimum legal standard to become a tattooist or even a trainer in cosmetic tattoo so any man and his dog can learn this from an online course, be given a kit and certificate and away they go! Never having tattooed a real face with a trainer there to help and guide them. Now I’m not saying online courses are a total no go, I even have written my own one for this topic of corrections and removals myself. But I highly recommend if you are looking to enter the industry of cosmetic tattoo, leave the online courses until you have done a proper hand on course first. And if you have no prior experience in brow design and makeup or beauty then this needs to be covered initially so you have prior knowledge and understanding of face shapes, skin, brow design and colour.
In conclusion, it only makes sense to choose your artist wisely and if you are wanting to learn, chose your trainer wisely, research them, find out their experience and qualifications, check out their work and lastly ALWAYS learn how to remove and correct even your own work.
Georgie Westley is Director and Educator at Distinctive Features Cosmetic Tattoo & Beauty. Visit www.distinctivefeatures.com.au to learn more about Georgie, her courses and her work.
INCORPORATING BROW SERVICES INTO LASH SERVICES
By Joy Crossingham
It’s no industry secret that lash and brow services go hand in hand. Nothing complements a fresh set of handmade volume lashes like the perfect pair of bespoke brows. And when you’re scrolling through Instagram, looking at lash photos for inspiration, how often do you flick past a beautifully-blended cat eye closeup simply because the brow wasn’t even brushed into position?
Brows frame the face, but more importantly for lash stylists, they complete the look. Even a tweeze and subtle brow tint can give your lash photos that extra wow factor, which is exactly what you need to stand out on your socials. We all know that more impactful photos lead to more engagement, which in turn, can lead to more conversions.
Adding brow services to your lash bookings also gives you the added bonus of a higher hourly income, plus the prospect of converting your lash clients to repeat brow clients, too! But the question is, how do we get our lash clients to start trusting us with their beloved brows? Brows are personal, and they’re important: most clients know that it’s not worth the risk of messing them up, and so they’ll be reluctant to trust someone new with them. If their brows are messed up, they have to wear them on their face for at least 2-4 weeks! Ok, that’s great Joy, you might say, but I’m booked all day. I can’t go adding in services here and there; I don’t have time! Many lash and brow services can be performed in the same booking slot, or, if you time it right, only add about ten minutes onto the service time. Here are some of the ways I make it work for me in salon – speed lashing not required! Go Gently Your client may not usually have their brows done, or they may think that their brows look completely fine as they are. It’s important to start slowly with these clients, because if you go straight in with a dark brown henna, it might scare them off and then they’re unlikely to let you near their brows ever again. Start by offering them a brow tint and tidy when they are already laying down, relaxing while you work your lash magic. Compliment their brows, or gush about your own handiwork. “I’m loving this set today, Jessica. You know what would take it to the next level? We could just pop a brow tint on while I’m fanning off your lashes, and it would really make them pop. Would you like to give it a try? It’s only an extra $x.” Already relaxed and hopefully vibing her lashes before she’s even seen them, Jessica will likely say yes. All you need to do is mix up some tint when you’ve finished applying your extensions, and then pop it on the brows, and leave it on while you fan off and remove the eyepads and tapes. That will be plenty of time for the tint to process. This is a double win: you get extra dollars in your hour, and your after photos are going to look so much better! This is the best upgrade option when you’re booked back to back, as it takes only an extra minute or two to mix, apply and remove the tint. Solve Their Problem A tried-and-true sales tactic you may already know is problem solving. You need to find out what your client’s problem is, and solve it. These days, most of us lead busy lives, and it can be hard for us to get to multiple different locations to attend our beauty appointments. You can easily use this to your advantage. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve pulled out my phone to take my before photos, and my client has said embarrassedly, “Oh, don’t look at my brows; I’m due to get them done.” This is a cue. Don’t just reply with a little compliment or tell them not to worry about it. The best way to respond is, “I can fix that for you while you’re here, Jessica. I can pop the henna on now, and then wax and tidy once I’m finished your lashes. It will only take an extra ten minutes or so.” You could also tell Jessica your price, but that’s irrelevant by this stage: Jessica has just made and attended a brow appointment without even getting off the lash bed! Mix up the henna first, and then while you are waiting for it to be ready to apply, put on your eyepads and tape and prep the lashes and brows. Then you can apply the henna. You can leave it on for the whole duration of the refill appointment for a dramatic stain, or remove it halfway through. Once you’re done lashing, you can wax and tweeze if needed. While this is probably best utilised when you have a small gap between clients, it’s a great and easy way to upgrade your client to a multiple service booking. When you’re rebooking your client for her next refill in three weeks’ time, it’s even easier to say, “And will I add brows on too?” Utilise Every Spare Moment One of my favourite services to upgrade is a lash lift. Lash lifts are fun and easy to do, but there is definitely a bit of sitting around and waiting for solutions to process, especially with the slower, keratin-based lift solutions. The good news is, many keratin-based lash lift products are also safe to use on brows, for lamination. You’ll likely get multiple applications out of a sachet (at least enough for a lift and a lamination!), so why not offer it to your client as an upgrade? The best time to do this is when you’re applying the lashes to the shield. “Hey Jessica, have you ever had your brows laminated? I think your brows would be really perfect for it.” “No? What’s that?” “It’s like a lash lift, but for your brows. We can set the hairs into the position that you want them, so it’s much less maintenance when you get ready in the morning.” (This bit is important, because as we know, lash lift clients are all about the low maintenance.) “I’ll have enough solution left over from your lash lift if you’d like to give it a try today? It will only take an extra few minutes.” It’s very easy to time the brow lamination processing times with the lash processing times: brows generally have shorter times, so you can apply the solution to the lashes first, then the brows, and process them at the same time.
I challenge you to give it a try! Just like addon selling retail items, or upgrading classics to hybrid, your clients are often waiting for you to offer, and rely on your expertise to guide them.
