Microblading and Permanent Makeup Magazine

ThePMUMASTERS Digital worldwide magazine

the

Everything to know

in the PMU world

The permanent

makeup pixel TECHNIQUE

by Peggy Kirkou

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FROM THE EDITOR Did you ever dream of owning your own business while having an opportunity to express your artistic side? Well, let me tell you….YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And that is the drive behind this magazine.

I grew up surrounded by the sea, by art, by love and by passion. I consider myself a dreamer; I thrive to express myself while creating beauty; I want to practice, to learn and become better at Microblading and PMU, but it is always a challenge. During my journey I have learned that it is very hard for artists and students to find real advice, to find true and genuine guidance and to feel like we are not alone. And that is the whole reason and purpose of this magazine: to create a community, where we can learn, share, and support eachother. This magazine, is a priceless resource to take advantage of, and to learn from. I admire and respect every artist who delivers beauty and strives for it, but, I am most thankful for all those masters that are willing to share their experience, and be an example and support for students all over the world.

For the last five years, I have been training with the best masters worldwide, traveling the globe while watching their work live and online, as well as their results. So, I decided to get the best all together, and ask them to share their expertise, passion, and love for this industry.

I am so excited to see the response, and all the hard work we put out there together as a community, to create our very first issue of THE PMU MASTERS. I am so thankful for all the masters, friends and colleagues from all different parts of the world who take the time to share with you from their hearts all their knowledge, experience, and love.

Please, enjoy, and let us know if you have any questions, doubts or suggestions in our IG account @thepmumasters.

The PMU Masters: Editor in Chief: Ana Square

Editor

Tania Molina

Art Director & Designer: Sergio MA Se

On the cover

Yared Tellez-Giron

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I hope you have a safe and successful 2021, and LETS KEEP LEARNING!.

Xoxo Ana Square

Read, Learn, and Connect

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A year as special as 2020 can only bring incredible changes and the desire for renewal. is is why BIOTEK has decided to launch the new color line right now and to make your work “MORE THAN EVER”...easier and cheaper, without renouncing to Biotek quality.

Why are the new Biotek colors so special? e answer is simple and revolutionary at the same time and it will change the professional life of every PMU artist

58 NEW TRENDY SHADES, suitable for every style. An incredible range of colors for lips, brows, eyes and corrections.

ONE LINE, DOUBLE USE. e new texture has a bivalent consistency, which makes them ideal for both Microblading and Permanent Make-up. Moreover, the eyebrow shades are also perfect for tricopigmentation treatments, guaranteeing a wide choice of color.

ABSOLUTE STABILITY and ZERO TONING! anks to the new formula, from the research of the BIOTEK Laboratories in Milan, today it’s possible to say goodbye to the unwanted and feared color variations.

Say bye bye to red eyebrows! even aer one year.

EASY SKIN IMPLANT and PROPER DURATION. Easier than ever! e new formulation, even richer and intense, ensures immediate saturation of the lines. Fewer steps for a perfect and right duration!

QUALITY and SAFETY MADE IN ITALY. Cleaner than ever!

Biotek laboratories selected only purest raw materials and ingredients for your clients safety. Biotek pigments are in full compliance with USA Standards and the NEW European regulation!

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THE

HISTORYOF

By: Master Teacher Ana Perrone (USA / Brazil)

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Permanent By: Ana Square CPCP,CAAM from: USA

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If you want to wake up feeling confident in your natural complexion and without the burden of applying makeup, then permanent makeup might be the solution for you! In recent years, permanent makeup has been on the rise and it’s no wonder why. Permanent makeup can help enhance each and every aspect of your facial features including eyebrows, eye line, lips, and much more! By utilizing permanent makeup and undergoing the right procedures, you can wake up to the perfect cat-eye and dark eyebrows every day!

The technology of permanent makeup is innovative, so now is as good a time as ever to consider a procedure from Ana Square!

Let’s touch on some of the trends that are taking over the world of beauty and makeup in the year 2021.

anasquaremicroblading

anasquaremicroblading

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Lip Blush Lady is a permanent makeup artist and the head of the international permanent makeup academy Biotek in Miami, USA.

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We all want to have sensual, fresh looking, kissing proof lips and we deserve to have them. PMU trends often go through different experiments. In this moment, trends are leaning more to the soft and natural effects. I can say that LIP BLUSH is the PMU technique in most demand in the US right now because it enhances the beauty of the natural lip color, improves the shape of the lips, gives definition, an illusion of fullness, and creates a younger appearance.

As we age, we tend to start losing pigment slowly.

We lose it not only from our hair (as it goes grey, then white) which is the most obvious sign of ageing, but also from our eyes, and our skin will also change. The skin of the lips is thin and delicate, so the loss of color is more noticeable, the older we get the lower our natural levels of hemoglobin (the red pigment in blood cells) begin to drop. Permanent Makeup plays a big role in this case as we can rehabilitate the natural color bringing those beautiful young lips alive

It is important to have realistic expectations from our clients and know that we have the right to say “no”. With any lip PMU technique we can achieve a soft and minimum volume affect, but can never compare with lip fillers. One of the most common mistakes in lip micropigmentation that I often see is that artists work outside of the vermilion border wanting to please the client’s need of volume. Let’s wa understand that the skin of the mucosa is very different compared to the rest of the facial skin, in the lips we don’t have hairs or pores, therefore we can never get out of the natural contour of the lips otherwise it will not heal even and will end up in unwanted results Let’s talk about color pigments. Even though we want to achieve a soft and natural tone, I like to use very intense colors, we know that the color will fade after healing, resulting in a soft color, just what we want. Nude and light pigments have white in it, remember that the white molecules in the pigments are Titanium Dioxide, and are five times larger than all the other molecules and tend to deteriorate the most slowly, therefore I prefer using rich intense colors which allows me to do less passes creating less trauma and better retention.

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“Do what you love, love what you do!” literally, to me lips cannot be done rushed, we need to be patience, it is like music, you really need to follow the bit and enjoy mastering your piece of art, otherwise you will lose the track and get frustrated.

One of my favorite topics in lip Micropigmentation is anesthetics, well let me tell you, my biggest fear when I started in the PMU world was to work on someone feeling pain, oh no!

Pain! I used different numbing creams, tried leaving them for different amount of times etc. but the day I decided to tattoo lips without pre-numbing, I had the best experience, my client didn’t complain about pain and she left with beautiful lips; ever since, I stop prenumbing lips, now I find that it is also mental, clients come to us nervous feeling anxious, but there are many ways we can help, I suggest you talk to your client, explain every step, let her know that she is going to love it, put some soft music, I even put lavender essence in my studio to help them relax. What changed? I finish faster, create less trauma, get better healed results, better retention, cero bruising and believe it or not client’s don’t complain about pain, the key is to apply a good technique, don’t rush, work by small areas and don’t move to a new area until you have saturated enough the previews one.

I think the main secret of success in permanent makeup is to never stop learning and practicing. ladybrowsmia

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Lady Sutachan

www.ladybrowsmia.com

THE PERMANENT

MAKEUP PIXEL

TECHNIQUE The pixel technique is the oldest one in the world of tattoo. When applied to the brows , lips, eyes or areola , has a sprinkled effect. Even scalp tattoo, counts on this wonderful technique! The result is like powder but even more natural and less coverage. It is defined and delicate at the same time. It depends on you , how many passes you do or how much color you implant and how bold it will be. You can use any round needle you want to make it, it depends on the result you want to have. Pixel seems easy, but it is not … you have to be very patient and methodical with gently movements. In this dot work, its all about uniformity, consistency and pressure. I f you ink in the deep layer of the skin, then the result will smudge after it heals. One more important aspect of the pixel technique is the transition from dense dark dot lines to dispersed gradient dots that give a pop-up 3D effect. Practice makes perfect, it takes time to achieve perfect consistency in dotwork. Moreover, is less trauma to the skin , less painful and the healing is reduced! It is suitable for sensitive skin because t he injure is less. Especially lips , they don’t bleed , the lymph fluid is less and that’s the reason they loose less color. After the procedure , they are not swollen at all. So , this technique is perfect! This technique is … to the point. I really love it and I love to combine it with all the other ones. At a Russian PMU congress , I presented PIXEL LIPS as a Greek participation and the feedback was great !

peggy_kirkou

By: Peggy Kirkou

peggy_kirkou

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Texas de la Rosa When the Editor-in-Chief (and my very talented former student) Ana Square asked me to be a contributor for the first edition of The PMU Masters, I felt honored to be a part of Ana's journey in launching her own PMU magazine, but moreimportantly, I am so very proud and excited for her to be pursuing her dreams!

Having worked in the beauty industry for more than 20 years, I genuinely lovewhat I do! Currently I am a professional makeup and PMU artist, podcast host, educator, and laser technician.

As someone who has seen so much change in our industry over the years, I am constantly amazed at how far both the methodologies and technology have come since I first started my career, as well as the amazing talent that the industry has produced. There are a wide variety of innova tive machines, devices, and pigments available now, in addition to the ways to educate industry professionals. There are countless options when it comes to perfecting our art, and in turn, making our customers feel and look beautiful!

That being said, proper education is so important for a new artist. There is so much that we need to know before we get to the point in our careers where we feel “safe” to work alone. So many of us take a course or two and then feel thrown to the wolves, unprepared for the entrepreneurial side of our industry.

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How do we market ourselves? What do we need to do to get our businesses started? What should we charge? Where do we buy our equipment? We are left with so many unanswered questions that can’t be learned in a class or two. The sad truth is that that's the way it is in our industry - we have to take the initiative ourselves to keep learning and taking courses in order to be successful. I've been there and know how overwhelming it can be, which is why I decided to start teaching - to share my knowledge and techniques with our community so that no one ever felt alone. co While the world was at a complete standstill this past year due to COVID, I thought, How could I share my passion for educating and helping people?

From that, I decided to take my love for educating others a step further by starting a Facebook group called Cosmetic Tattoo Professionals (CTP) and doing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Videos for artists that specialize in every PMU area from Scalp Pigmentation to Microblading. I try to post new videos every week that cover everything from the basics of PMU to machines and implements, but one of the most rewarding aspects of the CTP group has been connecting with industry professionals, learning from others in our industry, and helping newer artists. I'm excited to announce that we will be launching something new very soon, which will be a “HUB” for our community.

If you are a licensed artist, business owner or are currently enrolled in a PMU school, you are eligible and encouraged to become a member of our CTP Facebook group. You can also find me on Instagram @texasdelarosa and our school @buda_cosmetic_institute. If there is one thing that 2020 taught us, it's that we're all in this together, so I hope that you will join our awesome community of innovative, talented artists!

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WHY MICROBLADING? by: Mouna Chabbar Master Trainer

First, I would like to thank the owners of this magazine for inviting me to join their team, and to write articles about the world of permanent makeup. It is a great honor for me to be part of the first international online magazine specialized in this field. Let us talk a little bit about the Microblading technique: How is it possible that there are many permanent makeup artists who find it very bad, while others find it to be wonderful and perfect technique? How come there is this big of a difference?

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First, let us agree on the fact that it is not possible to have 100% agreement on any subject between everyone. Each person builds his own opinion based on his experience which may come from working on skin that is not suitable for this technique, from bad training, or from the use of bad materials.

Then, let me remind you that I speak based on my experience, and I am writing this article as a result of a very large number of treatments that I have done. We know that in the world of Cosmetology, the more natural the look, the more beautiful it is, and the more satisfied our customer is.

The skin most suitable for Microblading is what I call "apple skin" which is really smooth and will give perfect results. I hope that you have benefited from me. This article will be written in both Italian and also Arabic. Whatever question you have, message me via Instagram and I will be happy to respond and honored to help a anyone.

However, it should be noted that Microblading is the most requested technique, but (unfortunately!) it is not suitable for everyone. let us talk a little bit What is Microblading precisely? It is a very old technique that was born and developed in Asia, and, later on, reached us. In fact, it is very suitable for example for Asian skin, but unfortunately not 100% suitable for European skin, as we do not have the natural smoothness of Asian skin.

It is also important to note that there are many types of skin that do not achieve good results with Microblading: for example, oily skin, skin that sweats easily, and what I call "Orange skin" as it has wide pores. Obviously, daily activities, nutritional diet, and many other factors have an important role, and so we must carefully search and understand the type of skin before deciding on the type of treatment we will do, all while reminding the client of possible risks he or she could face. In fact, this is really important as we work on their face and there should be no margin for error.

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Diary of a PMU Artist with Fairy dust and love

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Meet

Yessika Franco by:Yessika Franco Microblading Craft Master

I am proudly born and raised Mexican. I started my career as a medical dental surgeon, but after some time, I developed an interest for permanent makeup; without knowing that it would completely change my life forever.

I took my first permanent liner course in 2020, and it was then when I realized that I was financially earning much more as permanent makeup artist than as a dentist.

It took years for the European Microblading techniques to arrive to Mexico for the first time. It was then, when I found myself in the controversy of whether microblading was just a passing fad, rather than a permanent trend. Yet, I decided to bet everything I had for a technique that I was sure the world would love, given its natural look… and I was right.

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Microblading was well received and fully embraced in Mexico. It was the best option to show off bushier, thicker, and fuller eyebrows with a natural aspect that had never been seen before.

The concept is practically a natural hair insert following the same direction of each of the hairs of the eyebrow, imitating the color for each client making it a completely personalized treatment.

Even if they had a sparsely populated or totally alopecic eyebrow.

Helping patients with cancer, congenital alopecia, thyroid, stress or whatever the reason for having sparsely populated eyebrows, this technique just made me feel so interested.

And there I was, sitting in the front row when the PMU course finally came to my city. My first master classes were from Norway and Serbia, and the language was not a limitation to develop the technique.I thought that with my acquired experience and dedication for the PMU would, it would be an easy road. I was mistaken. I had to dedicate endless days and nights to practice a new discipline not only to achieve customer satisfaction, but to make my clients fall in love with my work.

Without a doubt, the process was something passionate and obsessing. A process based in a master development strategy in which you start as a student and then you achieve a logo and recognition as an artist after 10 approved works. So you start thinking about the next step which is the acquisition of the title as a Royal Artist in which the principal characteristics are to be not only an ordinary artist, but an extraordinary one with 25 perordin fectly executed works with the help of a master which cleans your talent and guides you at any moment. And just when you think you have accomplished everything you wanted, you get the possibility to become a MASTER in which is for me, the most acclaimed and prestigious Micropigmentation academy in the world. It is then when your dreams grow without you even thinking on a possible limit.

So there I was, working hard receiving 5 or 6 clients a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, and then the moment I was waiting for… arrived. Reaching a Master level at AcademyS was my biggest dream, and I got to meet the greatest artist of all times Sviatoslav Otchenash; an artist with worldwide recognition.

I started to design my technique, mixing everything that I had learned throughout my career, therefore gaining the trust of my students whom, just as I did, needed a radical change in their lives in order to achieve all of their professional and financial dreams. All of a sudden, the passion that I would originally use for the work on each eyebrow, was now channeled through the works of my students.

Just when my student’s dreams were starting, and they were becoming Royal Artists, the awarded me as the best Master of Microblading all the way from Kiev, Ukraine. I took my flag representing Mexico to countries I had never visited such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, and different cities throughout Mexico. It was precisely here when I realized that everything was worth it. I am eternally grateful with life for allowing me to make the decision to change my life path and to bet everything on the advanced PMU technique

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Tips and Tricks

for skin correction By: Elyse Simons Feinstein

Makeup Artist (USA)

As the New Year begins, we all want to put our best face forward. Are things like dark under eye circles, or redness from stress, hormones or rosacea holding you back?

Sometimes we need a little extra support…let’s Some talk about color correcting. Color correcting isn’t a new concept — makeup artists have been using these tactics for years.

The theory is based on complimentary colors laid out on the color wheel.

T hose of you who paint are already familiar with the concept; it starts with the three primary colors, but the makeup color wheel also uses flesh tone shades. Look at the picture; the primary colors are in the inner ring. Red at 11:00, yellow at 3:00 and blue at 7:00. Now imagine intermediate shades, what is the mix of blue and red? Purple!

Blue and yellow? Green! Red and yellow? Orange!

You get the idea.

Makeup by: Elyse Simons Beauty Photograph by: Susan Rockstraw Photography

Now look at the wheel again. The colors at the opposite sides of the wheel are known as complimentary. When I started painting, I couldn’t understand why you would use orange to tone down blue! Similarly, you use the complimentary shades to cancel out unwanted hues in your skin.

Many of you think that by adding extra concealer you can hide a multitude of sins, but in reality, all that does is make the skin look like you are indeed trying to hide something. It also turns the color of the skin a shade of gray.

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When done right, color correction can help counteract everything from dark under eye circles, to redness around your nose, to that pesky pimple that flared up overnight. Dark Under Eye Circles? To counteract a dark purple tinted hue, opt for an olive (yellow/green) toned correction product. To counteract a blue tinted hue, use a peach toned correction product. This should be done on top of your foundation application as your best skin matching shade can begin to correct or hide a multitude of sins.

How to apply? Using a small synthetic brush and a small amount of the peach or olive tone corrector, place the mixture under your tear duct and follow the darkness or veiny discoloration. Do not continue into the highly overused Instagram look of the large V or circle of light.

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Gently pat with your finger or your brush. Do NOT sweep the product on as this will only remove the product from the area you are trying to cover. Next, tap a thin layer of your skin toned concealer on top.

Quick tip: the biggest mistake women make with con concealer is using a shade that’s too light— it actually accentuates what you’re trying to hide. Place a very thin layer of translucent powder on top to hold the correction in place.

Use a corrector for anything that shows through the foundation. A peachy/orange tone neutralizes under eye circles, reduces hyperpigmentation, reduces age spots and sun spots and softens freckles. For fair/light skin use a salmon tone; for light/ medium skin use a peach tone, for tan/dark skin use a pure orange color, for deep skin use a red-orange color.

Redness or Rosacea? Counteract the redness using a yellow tones corrector or a green primer to neutralize discoloration. This correction should be done underneath your foundation and must be kept in thin layers. If more coverage is needed in one or two spots, tap a small amount of product on top of the initial layer. Application tips? Using a foundation paddle, brush, or a damp beauty sponge, apply the yellow corrector or green primer directly to the red area and gently press into the skin. Make sure you use a light touch, don’t use too much product. Now, gently apply your skin toned foundation to create your flawless face. Finish with a small amount of translucent, finely milled powder on top of the skin.

This same process can be used to cover redness around the nose or for stubborn breakouts.

Elyse Simons Feinstein elysesimonsbeauty

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How to Survive

High Performance Micropigmentation

by: Master Yared Tellez (Mexico) This article is dedicated and addressed specifically to the women and men for whom micropigmentation changed their lives, for those who left a “stable” job for an apparently profitable business, or those who invested their savings to venture into a project without the reassurance of whether or not it would be worth it.

L et’s bluntly get straight to the point, how did I sur vive high performance micropigmentation?

First, allow me to explain what high performance consists off; when talking about athletes, it refers to the individual that stands out from the rest, someone with the capacity to compete under a superior standard, in this area, high performance su has to do with the resistance, quality, and effort that distinguish the athlete. In the area of learning and education, a high performance student refers to the one able to obtain better results corresponding for the invested time and effort. And regarding the professional field, high performance applies to t eam jobs; a specific team has skills and qualities that are different and complimentar y so that, when working together, the team can achieve a common goal. In summar y, high performance is a daily job of consistency and discipline, acquiring it is a matter of preparation and effort. At this point in the article you may find yourself thinking 2 things “please no!

Another article that talks about motivation and the Ano importance of discipline” or “my God! Yet another article about consistency and discipline”, but in neither of said cases you would be correct. In fact, I am writing this to let you know that all of those qualities mean absolutely nothing. The resistance, quality, effort, consistency, discipline, etc., can be better described as the inevitable consequence of a much harder process to face; TAKING ACTION.

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Taking action implies being conscious about the fact that there is nothing as effective as the action that takes place. It is no use to plan and talk about discipline if they only exist in words and there is no better way to implement them than with actions.

Let’s talk about how it begins, particularly how I started my journey in high performance micropigmentation. Like many people, I took a chance on a promise, I acquired a loan and used my entire savings to buy my first course Phibows Online. Without realizing, I begun a career in which I have not stopped until today.

To be honest, I did not think on ho I would pay the loan bank or ho I would have to administer my money in the future. I took action and acquired training (* An important thing to note for high performance; high quality training and education always have a successful result).

At the time I did not know I was taking an extremely wise decision; I was just in the quest of learning something new for my clientele, but the truth of the matter is I wasn’t expecting much. My second high performance action was to generate a new clientele.

A week before taking the course I announced the availability of the ser vice via social media and in a matter of 3 days my agenda was fully booked for the entire month. I was now highly committed to learn and dominate the technique to perfection to be able to attend to my first client. There was no other option, I had to fully dominate the basics of microblading.

I took the course and before I knew it, the pressure for making an excellent job with my clients, and not ruin my years of reputation as a beauty specialist, it led me to take action again. I practiced my technique on latex as much as possible. I found myself practicing in between appointments, in between meals, and without realizing I even spent sleepless nights so I could be fully prepared. When these actions paid off, I acquired a certification as a Phibrows artist and recovered my investment in 2 months. By this time, I knew I had found something ver y good and I had to exploit it.

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When it was time to finally become a master, the academy I was sure to obtain the title with, did not grant it to me. At that time, another academy of international recognition granted me the inaugural master title of their brand.

That experience was, without a doubt, a pillar in the building of my confidence and growth as a master as it gave me the opportunity to present m icropigmentation techniques on the most important stages, in front of the best micropigmentation artists in the world in Russia, Holland, and Ukraine. After an intense year, and with fond gratefulness, I separated from the academy and yet, with all the new acquired experience, I was still not offered the title from the academy from which I was hoping to receive a title from originally.

By this time however, I had already master and perfected the resistance and quality in my job, my courses, and in my professional life. I was now sure I could begin my own line of courses and training nourished by the knowledge of the best academies of the world. By that time, my resume counted with 35 international certifications.

I begun this new journey, I acquired what I needed and with 4 out of the 5 qualities for high performance I felt unstoppable. My courses paid off and were ver y successful, however I did not anticipate that the lack of the last quality did not only affect me, but it succumbed my entire team. I fractured and difficulted the work and development of the business, I generated a high rate of staff turn over which required a lot more effort and difficulty to grow. This was not only about me anymore, acquiring this quality would allow me to adequately guide my team.

At last, Phibrows academy offered me the master title I was hoping for plus 4 more masters that I undoubtably deserved with a curriculum and trajector y that surpassed 55 international certificat‟ ions. With that, and when I least expected it, I acquired the las quality. This time, the action to take did not have anything to do with how many clients I could book or how many courses I could generate, but it had ever ything to do with how committed I was with myself to master my own will.

I was guided by a specialist step by step to get to know my motivations, the why behind my actions and reactions in the face of different scenarios. I learned to master myself, to react and grow through my conscious actions. In the last 4 months of 2020 I learned to dominate my fifth quality of high performance; discipline.

The road is different for each person, there is no such thing as the same version of a stor y. This is merely a fragment of the actions I decided to take and the price that I, either consciously or unconsciously, had and chose to pay to become in a high performance micropigmentation artist.

After this, I would like you to take some minutes to reflect on what type of micropigmentation artist you are and what type of micropigmentation artist you want to become.

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by: The American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM) (USA)

Sheila Bella Whether fresh out of training or established with many years of experience, PMU Artists can all agree that the industry is ever changing, growing, and improving. While other industries may have a breakthrough development every decade or so, the PMU industry has seen a recent explosion of exciting changes and shows no signs of slowing down. The development of pigment has led to even more beautiful, long-lasting and vibrant colors. Tools have certainly become more precise and manufactured with increased scrutiny on safety and sanitation. PMU techniques are becoming more elaborate and even blending together to create wo work that is hyper-realistic and natural. Yet all of this change creates a lonely environment for many Artists: the newly certified who are trying to develop their skills, the established entrepreneurs who work alone, and everyone in between who simply struggles to keep up. But it doesn’t have to be lonely! The American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM) offers a sense of community by collaborating with PMU leaders to create educational resources and on-going support.

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To foster the idea of PMU Community, the AAM produces PMU School, a free, daily podcast for sharing information about the field of permanent cosmetics. It features fresh perspectives from experienced, thoughtful PMU professionals in just 10 minutes or less per episode – it’s education in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee in the morning. And with more than 200 episodes to date, listeners (both members and non-members!) can gain knowledge from exceptional industry leaders like Hoi Kwon, Tina Davies, Amanda Rose, Lulu Siciliano, and Violet Tarabay. PMU School is accessible on iTunes and Spotify.

In addition to bringing respected Artists together on the podcast, the AAM also uplifts the industry by hosting virtual events with a spectacular lineup of guest speakers. With topics ranging from technical applications to business strategies, these monthly webinars and group coaching sessions feature the likes of Sheila Bella, Leann La, Emily Joy, Rhonda Vacanti, and Rose Marie Beauchemin-Verzella. These amazing PMU leaders offer education about their breakthrough moments and the actions that led them to proven success.

With the spirit of collaboration and inspiration, these events always offer a live Q&A session to give attendees an opportunity to ask personal questions directly to the presenters.

As if that weren’t enough, the AAM also offers an online board certification exam. Artists can earn recognition for their PMU achievements with digital documentation of board certification. It is a well-respected, lifetime achievement which does not expire and does not need renewal! In fact, board certification is an investment in yourself and your business which is more convenient than ever. The exam can be taken from the comfort of your own home, at a time that is convenient for you, and includes a complimentary study guide and as well as a special bonus of one year of access to membership benefits.

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The face behind the renowned technique: ‘LipstickLook™ Lips’ By: Nadine Lombard Master Lip tattooing (South Africa) Hi. I am Nadine Lombard and I am the founder of Nadine PMU International based in Pretoria, South Africa.

I started out in the beauty industry not long after finishing school and it was about 10 years ago when Permanent Make-Up came onto my radar. Since then I have trained extensively in PMU with various well-established artists in the indus try worldwide. Clients put a lot of trust in a PMU artist so I wanted to learn as much as I could to be in the best position to adapt to their individual needs. I chose to specialize in my current passion of lip tattooing and with many clients desiring a fuller saturation on their lips, developed my recently trademarked technique 'LipstickLook™ Lips' .

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My career as a trainer started with Nouveau Contour South Africa in 2016 and eventually led to becoming a Master Trainer for Biotek Milano, which I did for 3 years. I recently decided to focus on my own training academy allowing me to collaborate with industry peers and my long-time friend in business, Wilna Joubert. It has been a wild decade of learning and striving to perfect my craft and knowledge to where I am able to teach beginner and established artists what I have learned. I currently train modular fundamental courses in South Africa as well as masterclasses in my techniques 'LipstickLook™ Lips', 'LushBlush™ Lips' and Smokey Eyeliner all over the world.

My career has thus far taken me across the globe to various PMU conferences in Poland, Vietnam, Phillipines, Canada, the Netherlands and Italy, as either a delegate, speaker or judge and I look forward to speaking at the ATB (America The Beautiful) conference in Las Vegas on the new, rescheduled date.

My plans for the future include more travels and training and more PMU events to connect with our great community and meet new people in the industry. nadine_pmu_int

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Photo Envy

by Angela Toressiani, CPCP

The following article is shared by the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals.

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The internet is an amazing place. You can find the answer to literally just about anything you can think to ask. We are connected to each other like never before.

When I first got involved in permanent makeup (circa. 2003) I was able to find some online forums and groups, websites and a few YouTube videos, where other artists showcased their work - but nothing like what we have today. Thousands of artists from all over the world share their photos and videos for us to swoon over. I remember the first time I watched European artists’ videos doing lips and eyeliners- their work was so clean. I don’t mean precise...I mean CLEAN. Each pass and wipe left behind perfect skin. I was shocked!

When I work, I typically make a mess with pigment all over the face and at the end I clean them all up. I was so envious! To this day I still get pigment ALL over their mouth, forehead or eyes...as long as the final result is the same, who cares, right? Getting to see amazing work from artists all over the world has really inspired me to work harder, practice longer, and improve my detail and precision.

Sometimes, though, some of those photos Some that we aspire to emulate aren’t really what they seem.

It can be really discouraging as an artist to try so hard to create beautiful work only to take a photo at the end and not have it look as perfect as something you have seen online.

It’s also increasingly harder to assure clients that they will have the same results as the photo they brought in - even thought they might look red and irritated. Photo envy is a real thing, and it can really take the wind out of your sails as a new or even experienced artist.

This is a bad photo because the before and after are different. Try to get them on the same angle as well as crop them to the same size.

This one doesn’t work because the sides of the lips are cut off and the nose is showing, so it’s not showcasing the lips as well as it could be. It's not as flattering as it could be, and she may not like it enough to share it with her friends.

I like this one because it’s the same angle, same crop, and showcases only the lips. These photos are both unaltered. Let's take a look at slight skin smoothing and brightening below...

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Here I brought the smoothness up to the highest setting and you can see it has clearly been altered.

This isn’t an article on taking the perfect photo or how to get great lighting (we have a wonderful presentation on photography in the 2020 Virtual Spring Convention available at www.SPCPLearning.org by SPCP member Cynthia Cross), so I’ll skip over all of that, but making sure you use good lighting, a decent camera or phone camera, and having the client at the same angle is super simple to do. So, check that off the list. Next, having the client look at the camera, gently smile, and even giving her a chance to touch up her regular makeup before you take “after” photos is also a simple fix, so check that off the list too and let’s move on.

Now, let’s talk about the elements we are all always wondering about. The perfect skin. Yes, some of our clients are young, gorgeous, and blessed with flawless skin. But if you are like me, much of my clientele is more mature, and I see a great deal of sun damage, asymmetry, and otherwise flawed skin.

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This is a bad photo because the eyes aren’t the same in the before and after. It’s not terrible but it’s not as good as it would be if she were looking directly at me. Also, she has a bonnet on in one and not in the other.

They have large pores, acne scarring, active pimples, a few hairs and whiskers, wrinkles, moles - you get my point. I also get a lot of sensitive, or fair skinned clients who get red before the needle has even touched their skin. Does this mean I can never have perfect photos? Of course not!

Let me tell you a little secret. Most “perfect” photos are altered. There are lots of ways both physically and virtually that you can alter your photos to get “perfect” looking pics and many of the impossibly perfect photos that you see are enhanced. So, right off the bat, give yourself a break and don’t be so discouraged that your work doesn’t look like that.

Before we talk about virtually enhanced photos let’s talk about some things that you can do to “face tune” your client in real life.

1. Give them a good cleaning. I use a diluted Bactine and water mix that I dispense from a foam dispenser and I gently clean the face as well as I can. Like I mentioned before, I might get pigment all over the area, so I want to make sure to clean their skin well. If I have done eyeliner, I irrigate their eyes well to remove any excess pigment that might show up in the corners of their eyes. If their skin is red or irritated, I sometimes take a cotton round with cold witch hazel on it or even a cold compress (I use the kind that you pop and shake to get cold) and wait a few minutes before taking their “after” photo. This gives the skin a little time to relax and let the redness subside.

2. Let them touch up their makeup. Nothing looks worse than a photo of a brow where the eyes are perfect in the “before photo but you can see they were tearing and smudged their mascara/eyeliner in the “after” photo. So, if they have makeup with them, let them touch it up. If they don’t have makeup, give them a makeup wipe and let them clean up their eyes. ** Some artists will put makeup (like foundation, powder, etc.) on their clients to make their photos look better. Unless you are using their own makeup or single use, disposable samples of makeup you are cross contaminating from client to client and this is a huge NO. Only do this if the makeup AND applicators are all single use.

3. Make them look beautiful. Even if you are only using a cropped photo of the area, do your best to make it look pretty. If they feel beautiful in their photos, they will be happy to share them with all their friends.

Look for a flattering angle. Open eyes, gentle smile, looking at the camera, and a bright, cool light does wonders for your photos.

Since I didn’t have a good “before” photo I chose to just use the “after” by itself. This photo is unedited.

I used a little bit of the smoothing feature to minimize her fine lines and I brought the brightness up a drop to remove some of her sun spots. I don’t feel that the work has changed, so I like this as a final photo.

Here I brought the settings all the way up and you can really see the photo has been altered and the brows have definitely been affected. I feel this is a very dishonest representation.

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This is with intense adjustment.

Although her skin, eyes, and brows look great, it's not an honest representation of my work or what to expect immediately after a procedure.

Although the angle is the same, her eyes are not looking in the same place which is affecting the arch of her brow.

You can see that having her eyes looking in the same direction already improves the look of this photo. This is completely unaltered.

This is with slight adjustment

*DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s. It is not the author’s intention to suggest that all good work is digitally enhanced but to point out that when working on different skin types, artists may experience inflammation, irritation, and other undesirable after effects that are completely normal.

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BRANDING YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS

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You should also check out your competitors, there is nothing wrong with having a look at what others have done in their branding (as long as you don’t just go and copy it – remember authenticity is key).

After answering these questions, you are a huge step closer to developing your brand.

I will tell you how to find a good branding photographer in the next issue. www.tinadwyerphotography.com

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PERSONAL COLORIMETRY AND PMU: AN INSEPARABLE Duo by: Gaby Marche, International Artist Argentina Much is said in the industry of pigmentology, about the theory of color and every dermal aspect that influence the final result of semi-permanent makeup. It is certain that these all are important variables and the more knowledge we acquire about them, the better we can adjust our technique. However, there is a variable of which we barely speak and it is of utmost importance on the choosing of the mixture of pigment color to use: the skin undertone. Alim though the Fitzpatrick scale helps us to understand skin tones (intensity) and how each of these can react to healing, it does not give us any indicator of skin undertone. Why is this important?

- Because the final color will always be subject to the “base” tone (the same color will not look alike on a warm base as on a cool one).

- Because the skin undertone influences the healed color and, along with the skin type, it brings us previous information about how a pigment shade might turn.

- In lip micropigmentation, if the color temperature of the chosen pigment is accurate and agrees with the skin undertone, even with a soft tone we can instantly bring to life the whole face, or conversely, shut it down completely. Even though they may look almost the same, a warm pink pigment and a cool pink pigment are not the same. On a client with a cool skin undertone, a warm pink may turn the whole face pale and the other way around in the case of a client with warm undertone and cool pink pigment.

The skin undertone is the color under the surface. We may have the same skin tone than another person but different undertone. It is then than we talk about temperature (warm or cool). Every person responds to a certain temperature. Either they are cool or they are warm.

There is no such thing as people with “neutral” undertone: what could be neutral is the skin tone, meaning what we see on the surface.

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WHY WEIGHT/STRENGTH TRAINING IS FOR EVERYONE By: Master Trainer Jackie Poplar (USA) Many people believe that if they don’t want to look like a bodybuilder, they shouldn’t perform resistance training, but then wonder why they are having trouble making significant improvements in their health.

Weight training is a type of strength training that uses weights for resistance. Weight training provides a stress to the muscles that tr causes them to adapt and get stronger, similar to the way aerobic conditioning strengthens your heart.

jackie_poplar Jackie Poplar Jpoplarski

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Benefits of a Personal Trainer: ● See better results sooner. ● Avoid injuries. ● Lose fat and gain muscle. ● Break through plateaus. ● Set realistic goals. ● Accountability. ● Challenge clients to be better. ● Establish lifelong exercise habits.

Jackie Poplar, Master Trainer jackiesbootcamp

Exercises to help the PMU artist

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By: Gretchen Velarde, Plastic Artist

As an emerging artist I´ve lately been wondering, how can something so beautiful to one seem completely “beauty – less” to another? I´ve come to understand that the perception of beauty is not in every way subjective and is very difficult to measure.

Even when there´s a reasonable sense of what looks good the question still stands, “does beauty really lie in the eye of the beholder?”

There are without doubt certain factors that are true to balance and color combination that take the subjectiveness out of beauty. Having a harmonious and well-balanced palette will always catch your eye, independently of the preferences of each individual. Take the golden ratio for example. It has proved to provide a sense of beauty through harmony and proportion, it comes down to aesthetics and compositions that naturally please the eye. Also known as the divine proportion or phi, this section has been recognized for centuries. This taken into account when faced with two apparently perfect options, which do you like the best? @gvelarde_arte

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How many times do we see art from other colleagues and fall absolutely in or out of love with their work? Van Gogh was never appreciated during his life, it was well after his death that he became famous. El Greco is another example of a fantastic painter who died thinking he was a failure. It is particularly this that makes me think, can you be impartial enough to differentiate between something that is correctly done and something that you like?

Art for me is the power to express myself freely which is why my direct and strong nature can often be seen in my work. My abstractionism tends to fall on the poetic and lyrical side because I like to let the spectator make their assumptions and inferences. I would like to contribute with my view to an aesthetic movement that promotes hope and feelings of wellbeing, but I realize not everybody will perceive that from my work. When it comes down to it, I just hope people can feel the love and effort I have given into every piece that leaves my workshop.

What is a Healthy Diet?

What foods help our skin and our bodies look and feel good?

When you wake up in the morning, and you want to start doing your makeup you really need good skin for it to be a great day! When doing semi-permanent makeup, you need your skin to be really healthy, in order to enhance the results of any type of semi-permanent procedure. My name is Luisa Boadella Vielledent, I am a nutritionist from El Paso, Texas who has focused on Child and Adult Nutrition since 2002. I have seen a great need to address nutrition as a holistic approach meaning it takes lifestyle changes and a clean diet to make an impact on an individual. Our skin is a great mirror of our food choices and our lifestyle. If we are having any type of skin procedure in order to prepare our skin with the proper nutrients, I greatly believe in eating a high protein/low carb diet/sugar free diet, along with all the green veggies you can eat for those added powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are anti-aging for our skin, they help reduce inflammation in our bodies and make our skin glow.

I also strongly believe consuming low caffeinated teas and berries will add a boost of powerful flavonoids, that in turn will also help with better Cognitive function and will help decrease inflammation in the body. I have also found that if you add collagen protein powder to your hot teas or coffee it can also be a sneaky and heathy way to add some skin loving benefits that are easy and quick to your diet. To me, exercise is also critical in helping the skin to detox naturally when sweating, it gets rid of unwanted toxins and adds that natural skin glow. I definitely would also recommend a multivitamin with biotin and hyaluronic acid to help boost skin quality. If we focus on this holistic approach when having your Semi permanent makeup procedures your skin will be ready and the results will be greatly noticeable. Our lifestyle greatly impacts our overall health, but if we focus on prioritizing our diet on a daily basis, our skin will thank us in long run.

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