Doing Brows you HATE!

January 21st, 2010

In every Primary Training, a trainee will ask…what if the client wants a weird eyebrow. Do you have to do it? I know they want me to say, NO! I watch their expressions turn to shock when I say, YES, you will do brows that you HATE!

I hear veterans in the permanent make up profession say they will never do a brow they don’t love because it is their signature. Well, that sounds admirable but it is not reality.

I can bring to mind a young girl that travels 1000 miles to me for eyebrows. She is a big girl with a large, round face and insists on two thin pencil lines. Certainly, I tried drawing on what I thought was a more appropriate brow for her face. She gave me an emphatic, NO, and told me she liked the way she drew them on and that was that.

I tell my clients when they come into my office that their vote counts as two. I assure them they are part of the process. I explain that their brows will be drawn and approved by them before I pick up my machine to tattoo them. This approach diminishes their fears and concerns about the unknown and the permanence of the tattoo. Now, they trust me. So, how could I go against their wishes and give them eyebrows they don’t want? It is their hard-earned money they are spending with me and yes, I may not like what they insist on having but if I don’t give them what they want, then I have violated their trust and in effect, lied to them when I told them their vote counted as two.

However, there are eyebrow designs that will never get approval from a professional. For instance, brows that are waaay too long cannot be tattooed. As this client matures, they will become longer. Brows that are waaay too low will only lower. They can insist on a brow design but it must be within certain parameters or it is a no-go. I have refused many a request but once I explained why it was not a good idea, they understood and became flexible.

Now, the bright side is this rarely happens in our profession. Ninety nine percent of our clients come in expecting us, as the professional, to design their eyebrows and look for our input. Even clients that have drawn on an unflattering brow for years and got used to it, are open to a new and more flattering design.

My mother always said, “Make your words sweet, because you never know when you will have to eat them.” Never say never when it comes to doing a brow that you hate.

Rose Marie Prudente-Beauchemin

Brow Power

January 21st, 2010

I must say that after 20 years experience, I still get so excited about my eyebrow procedures. It is one of the most transforming things that can be done to a face.

Often, people are attracted to this profession because they want to do the areola work and the scar work and have a strong desire to help people. I tell them, yes, this is a most gratifying segment of the profession but eyebrows can also change one’s everyday life.

First, the fact that they are completely visible, every minute of the day. Add to that how difficult it is for someone that is not a makeup artist to draw a matching pair every single day and sometimes a few times a day. Most women are limited to the eyebrow style they are able to draw and question if it is the right one for their face.

My clients tell me, on a regular basis, about all of the limitations they suffer because they don’t have eyebrows. Many say they haven’t been swimming in years, they are afraid to date, they won’t join a gym, and they won’t dare answer their door or walk to their mailbox before drawing them on. This breaks my heart. This is a lot of daily pressure and dread for anyone to experience. A face without eyebrows is expressionless. They are fully aware of this and simply won’t allow themselves to be in any situation where their expressionless face can be exposed.

So, if you are thinking you only have to camouflage a scar or tattoo the areola to make a difference, that is simply not the case. No question that this work is beyond gratifying. These are life-changing procedures and it fills my heart each time I do this work. I love doing them. All I am saying is don’t underestimate the power and significance of eyebrows. They, too, are often life-changing.

Rose Marie Prudente-Beauchemin