Truth and Dare: Microblading and Permanent Makeup, Is it For You?

Microblading has taken the entire world by storm.  While it is not a new technique, its popularity has risen significantly thanks to celebrities and high profile individuals sporting flawlessly tattooed hairstroke brows.  Indeed it is a breathtaking art form that has not just boosted the beauty world, it has also changed lives for people who had nearly no brows at all—something that deeply affects a person’s self-esteem.

Permanent Makeup procedures, including microblading, command high fees.  This stands to reason, since the practice of performing permanent makeup requires skill and training, and carries with it a great deal of responsibility and liability.

It is the call of a lucrative career in permanent makeup that is causing many to focus or refocus their career trajectory on the field of permanent makeup.  This is exacerbated by the fact that training programs in microblading and other techniques have popped up everywhere, offering short term (often a single day) training programs, at  a high cost.  Pretty sweet, right?  No years long commitment to college, and if it is only a day or a few days, a few thousand dollars overall is small in comparison to the lure of a 6 or 7 figure salary.

Stop the car right there. When a teenager must take their driver’s license exam repeatedly until they can demonstrate they can drive safely on the road with thousands of others, we need to take heart.  Yes, it costs that teen (or his/her parents) more in driving lessons and more in exam fees, but the benefit overall is to that teen and others on the road.   I, personally, breathe a sigh of relief since I don’t want an unqualified driver with me on the road during my morning commute with my precious kids in their car seats.

Why then should we think differently about becoming certified in permanent makeup?  It is a tragedy that there is not yet sufficient and consistent regulation for permanent makeup artists.  If there is, it varies from state to state and country to country.  Insurance companies do try to enforce a set of requirements, health departments do their part too, but at the end of the day, the industry is fraught with problems around standards and certification expectations.

Anyone endeavoring to provide training also does not have to meet any particular requirements.  At $1000 or more USD per day, offering training in permanent makeup is particularly attractive.

I could not, in good conscience, sign my name to a training certificate without full confidence that the artist who owns it, has the skill and talent to perform beautiful microblading on trusting clients.  Furthermore, I could not place the name of my company at risk, by permitting any trusted trainer operating under Deluxe Brows’ umbrella, without having this trust in them.

Think of it this way.  Consider all of the services you rely on for skill, safety, trust, integrity, honesty and credentials.  These might be medical, construction, utility services, legal representation, automotive services, your children’s teachers…..the list can go on and on.

Why would anything be different for someone who will be tattooing human skin in such a manner as to hyper-realistically replicate an actual eyebrow?

Microblading is NOT EASY WORK!!  It requires an incredible amount of practice to do well. However, while it may be a delicate art, it also requires a substantial understanding of the science of skin.  In fact, permanent makeup overall is a rare and beautiful career that requires a successful artist to have an in-depth intuition, knowledge and understanding of color theory, artistic execution AND skin science.  It doesn’t stop there though.  One must also understand anesthetics, product ingredients, pigments, needle theory, social media marketing, client consultations, accounting, insurance and, most importantly, business!

In other words, this is absolutely not a skill set that can be obtained in a “days” long training program.  Just as the skill set of the services listed above cannot be acquired in the same way.

In some respects I suppose I am preaching to the choir in writing this.  If you are reading, you are already somehow involved in PMU or Deluxe Brows.  Therein lies the majority of the problem.  Those that really need to know all that is required to be successful– not just in a training program, but also in their new career as an artist, are unable to access it for the most part.

So, if you are reading this, and know of people considering permanent makeup as a career, please pass along this message:

Permanent makeup/microblading is no get-rich-quick solution.  Not only can it be expensive, it is too often delivered in canned training programs that teach basics and require work on only a few models, often without any criteria for assessment of work.  When complete, a student is then tossed out the door, certificate in hand, and a false sense of confidence.  Often, there is little to no post training support.

Very very often, Deluxe Brows sees those people sign up for subsequent programs, after they have realized how ill prepared they were.  The story of feeling so lost and unable to start working on clients out of fear of making a mistake is frustratingly common.  For every 10 artists who start, 5 or more give up.

The hardest word in the world for anyone to hear is the word no, no matter what age you are.  In the case of a quality, rigorous permanent makeup training program, standards are set for a reason.  Expectations are high, for a reason.  Success criteria is established, for a reason.  Not meeting up to these, means, with respect, hearing the word, “no, you are not yet ready”.  Hearing this may feel crushing in the moment, and it may cause you to feel indignant.

However, please think of it this way.  Being told you are not ready, means that you need more coaching and practice.  This is 100 percent to protect you.  An unprepared artist, WILL make a mistake, and that mistake can cost clients…perhaps even your career.

Our goal at Deluxe Brows is to work with all candidates as much as, for as long as necessary for them to develop into artists that can embark on a successful career with full confidence in their abilities.  Anything short of that and we have done our students a disservice.

Quality, high standards, high expectations and a strict criteria for success is what makes us stand above.  We cannot compromise on this, as it is what has made Deluxe Brows the international training provider it is today.

This is our promise to you.  Let us work with you.  If you have taken the leap and signed up with us, we will be unwavering in our commitment to ensuring a full and complete preparation as a microblading and permanent makeup artist.  There will be bumps and struggles along the way.  Anything worth learning is challenging.  We are here to provide support, encouragement, constructive criticism, and precise strategies for success.  When you walk out our doors, the confidence is legitimate and that certificate is all yours–earned after countless hours of hard work.

Talent is cheaper than table salt.  What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.  Stephen King.

P.S. Huge thank you to my dearest colleague Katie Smith-Mohamed for helping me realizing my thoughts into this beautiful post!