Best Color Correction of Permanent Makeup Disasters Seattle

I was extremely fortunate to have attended a small workshop on the art of Color Correction organized and presented by Penny Rudy in Arlington, WA.  Taryn Darling, of LI Pigments and Girlzink from Las Vegas, NV also presented in what was the most educational workshop of any I've participated in to date. 

The great news is that if you have had work that you are unhappy with, removing the unwanted pigment safely is possible.  Several treatments may be necessary to avoid tissue damage and this procedure should be done by an experienced technician as there is a strong potential for scaring. When done correctly, this removal treatment will eventually render the desired results.

Also, there are remedies for permanent cosmetic pigments that have faded to an undesired eyebrow or eyeliner shade of red or mauve, or any other color that doesn't match your hair color or compliment your skin tone.  Permanent makeup pigments used for lips can turn purple, but even this can be fixed.

If you are looking for any corrective procedures, I would strongly recommend that you research your technician's experience.  For those of you in the Seattle area who are interested in my services, please contact Ashley at www.bellametrics.com or email me at ashley@bellametrics.com

Eyebrows as Plumage

Why is the Bellametrics logo a stylized peacock feather?  
This symbol was chosen because of the golden ratio represented by 'phi' as 1:1.618 being beautifully structured into the design of colors.
This ratio is essential for a permanent makeup artist to keep in mind when designing alluring eyebrows and lash enhancements.
But moreover, it is this artist's feeling that our hair, (including eyelashes and eyebrows), in many ways is analogous to a birds mating plumage.  
This post from a blog I found says it all; particularly in regards to the idea of renewal.  

Here is where you can find the source of my material, (which was pasted in full):  http://themeaningofsymbols.blogspot.com/2009/03/peacock-symbolism.html

::::

Peacock Symbolism

The peacock is a symbol of immortality because the ancients believed that the peacock had flesh that did not decay after death. As such, early Christian paintings and mosaics use peacock imagery, and peacock feathers can be used during the Easter season as church decorations. This symbol of immortality is also directly linked to Christ.

The peacock naturally replaces his feathers annually; as such, the peacock is also a symbol of renewal.

Early belief held that the Gates of Paradise are guarded by a pair of peacocks.

The peacock has the ability to eat poisonous snakes without harm.

Both Origen and Augustine refer to peacocks as a symbol of the resurrection.

Pythagoras wrote that the soul of Homer moved into a peacock—a hyperbole to establish the respect and longevity of the Greek poet’s words.

The Greeks dedicated the peacock to Juno, the goddess of sky and stars, in recognition of the golden circles and blue background of the peacock’s tail.

Other images and beliefs:
“By the Peacock” was a sacred oath, because the peacock was thought to have the power of resurrection, like the Phoenix.

A necklace of Amethyst, peacock feathers, and swallow feathers were a talisman to protect its wearer from witches and sorcerers.

Christians thought, in early times, that the peacock's blood could dispel evil spirits.

The peacock often appears among the animals in the stable in Christ's nativity.

Two peacocks drinking from a chalice symbolizes rebirth and angels are often depicted with four wings of peacock feathers.

In Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology, the peacock feathers were considered much like the evil eye. They were all seeing.

In the western world, the peacock was referred to as a slayer of serpents. The shimmering colors of his tail feathers were explained by his supposed ability to transform snake venom into solar iridescence.

Alchemist thought the fan of the peacock (cauda pavonis) is associated with certain texts and images that are useful in turning base metals into gold.

We Are Pearls of Great Price

I have been told during times of great difficulty that it's the friction that makes the pearl. 

I'm sure it is said to comfort.  The problem is that many times the process of our character building in life's adversities doesn't exactly make us more lustrous and beautiful.  Rather, there are furrows, wrinkles, scars and baggage that betray our difficulties and challenges.

I suppose then that it's the triumph of the spirit through life's adversity that is the pearl when it comes to us humans, but in a world where first impressions and external artifice, who sees that?  Very few.

There is good news however, is that there are cures of restoration that are affordable and non invasive. 

The treatment that has rapidly risen to the top of my list as breakthrough and revolutionary is a new age defying, bio medical night treatment called Nerium AD.

Nerium AD was discovered accidentally through cancer research at MD Anderson in Texas when the doctors began noticing that their clinical trial patients were experiencing dramatic improvements in their skin.

Nerium AD stands alone among the typical genre of anti-age products that all use glycolic acids, retinols, hydroquinones, and other prescriptive medicines to smooth fine lines and lighten dark spots.

All by itself, in one bottle, Nerium AD improves roseacia, eczema, dark spots, fine lines, and even deep lines, and acne.  Skin tags are being reported to fall off with use.  It goes into the cell and corrects whatever malady that's causing the symptoms and gives your skin the glow that is associated with youth.

Now, with Nerium AD, we can shine with a radiance that reflects the brightness of our personal triumphs and be recognized outwardly as a pearl of great price.

There is no risk.  The company offers a 30 day, empty bottle, money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with the results.  Try it.... you'll like it~!

This is a direct sales only product and  I am happy to offer it through my website at www.bellametrics.nerium.com.  If you are in the Seattle area and would like to try a bottle for five days, then please contact me through my website so we can make an appointment.

Swim as though Everyone's Watching

Swimming and water aerobic workouts are a wonderful way to exercise and stay flexible without physically stressing your joints.  If you are concerned about your makeup running, or are uncomfortable when not wearing makeup, why not eliminate that emotional stress as well? 

The answer is permanent makeup.  Have the perfect eyebrows designed, rosy blush lips, or lush lash lines enhanced by a talented technician and make that investment that will last you many years of enjoyment and freedom from worry.

Removing any of life's little stressers that we possibly can is imperative to maintaining reasonable balance in today's world.  You will be glad you made the decision once you realize how liberating it is to live life without smudging or the embarrassment of being caught without your face on.

Wherefore art though, Eyebrow?

Have you ever wondered why we have eyebrows?

If you have had the misfortune of losing them, then you may be more aware of their importance to our appearances.  But do you think that Mother Nature put them their simply for appearance sake or is there some other function to their form?

Recently, I googled the significance of eyebrows and discovered that an MIT study had determined them to remain on our faces today primarily for facial identification.  In other words they are there to help others know who we are.

This would imply that our eyebrows are extraordinarily important.  What is interesting is that when I mentioned to one man that I restore eyebrows for people who've suffered the loss of theirs, he fell out laughing.  I understood.  For some reason, it just sounds funny to say that it's a loss that is 'suffered'.  However, to experience this loss personally is to put it all in perspective.  Eyebrows are critical to our own self identity.

I personally believe that eyebrows are more analogous to the plumage of male bird feather markings.  Certain feathers are neither for flight or for insulation, and female plumage is simply for camouflage.  Male plumage includes bright colors and design that are intended to communicate viability to the female in the wild kingdom.  Even the male peacock feathers imitate dozens of eyes looking right at the bird in all his glory. 

For human beings, the wild kingdom includes the market place of society.   Currently, women are remaining in business far beyond what was life expectancy only 100 years ago.  As we women age and lose our fertility, we reflect that loss of viability through a masculinization of our features.  The tragedy is that our culture has little to no regard for the value of age.  It is simply to obsessed with form over substance. 

Permanent makeup is a great way to reinvigorate one's appearances by redefining brow shape to look more like they did when they hormonal production was optimal, thereby communicating viability and value to the world we live in.  You can't change the world, but you can look good, feel great, and change YOUR world.

Bellametrics Permanent Makeup and Restorative Cosmetic Services

Did you know that estrogen production decreases a whopping 70%-80% following menopause?

Avoiding Clown Eyes and Permanent Makeup Solutions

Applying flattering eye makeup requires precision. Unfortunately, eyesight tends to decline with age. Having 20/20 vision my whole life, I always thought that a good magnifying mirror would help solve this dilemma for others who were not so fortunate.  As I experience my own loss of vision and need to wear glasses more often for close up work however, I realize this is not the case at all.  If you are having trouble with seeing close up objects, you will only see a blurry version of the magnified reflection. 

For those who have severe far sightedness or vision problems, precise makeup applications are a daunting challenge.  The results can include clownish amounts of eye shadow or crooked eyeliner.

The solution: find yourself a great permanent makeup artist and invest in precise, and flattering eyeliner, natural looking eyebrows, or well formed lip vermilion; whatever your individual needs may be.

The Softap tools for permanent makeup are wonderfully crafted for precision work and results that can’t be beat by topical which are limited to being placed around the lash line.   Once permanent makeup has been applied, topicals such as powders and pencils are much easier to put on.  This is for two reasons.  One is that there is already an existing design to follow. The other is that the skin over permanent makeup has a different texture that is invisible to the eye but on a microscopic level, literally grabs the pigments and holds them for longer duration.

Call Ashley for a free consultation at 206-681-7045

Avoid Permanent Makeup Disasters

One simple and fool proof way to avoid a permanent makeup disaster is to avoid technicians who claim that permanent makeup is painless on their websites.  These technicians are making a claim that is not permitted by the Society of Permanent Makeup Professionals, SPCP, which monitors websites that bear their seal. 

The SPCP is the largest non-profit professional association in the United States and internationally for the permanent cosmetics industry.  It is dedicated to promoting permanent makeup safety, excellence, and professional standards by providing education, certification, and industry guidelines.  For these reasons, they require certain standards to be maintained by any technician who represents an association with the SPCP on their website.  One standard in particular is that no claim of painlessness is made.

This is because permanent makeup procedures are not without a level of discomfort which must be managed by the technician.  To make such a claim is misleading and dubious.  What you have to ask yourself is; what else is this technician claiming that may not be true?  What kind of talent in creating realistic, even eyebrows does this technician really possess?  What safety measures is she taking to protect my health, safety, and wellbeing?

Choosing a technician with promises of painlessness as part of the enticement is far too risky of an enterprise.  The fact is that the level of discomfort is dependent upon the individual, however; that discomfort can be well managed with anesthetics.  I’ve actually had a woman fall asleep while undergoing a procedure once she was adequately numbed up.

No pain – no gain!  There’s always going to be snake oil salesmen and women in life to watch out for.  You can’t change the world, but you can look good, feel great, and change your world!  With Bellametrics Restorative, Permanent Makeup Arts by Ashley Miller, the results are worth the discomfort!

5am Confidence - Permanent Makeup

The simple sentence, “You look so beautiful in the morning”, is sweet music to any woman’s ears.  I got to hear that just this morning, followed by the line, “…it must be that permanent makeup”.  You may laugh like I did, but I realized later that this was as good a subject for my blog as anything else.  Yes, it is true that it helps to have some of the faded out textual content of our faces re-defined and illuminated with permanent makeup.  Permanent cosmetics can emphasize color and contrast without looking phony.  I call this having ‘5 am confidence’.  We just look better with eyebrows, lash enhancements, and pink, rosy lips and when all those things are in good shape, we are ready for the world.

There are many things that can be out of order for us at 5 am and most of it is nothing that a good hat can’t hide, but our face is out there for the world to see whether we’re dropping the kids of at school at 6:50 am or dealing with an unexpected emergency during our ‘off’ hours.  Just waking up to the high demands of the world we live in can be a courageous act in itself.  Do it with confidence! 

When considering cost, consider the value of self confidence and self esteem.  Consider the anxiety associated with poor results when done by a cut rate technician who works for low prices.  Bring out your beauty with micro-pigmentation permanent makeup, and wear topical makeup because you want to, not because you have to.

Smile; your public awaits you.

You're Perfect And Beautiful, Just The Way You Are

 

Maybe you've seen Batty flying around my Bellametrics Permanent Makeup fan page already, but it's time I made a proper introduction.  Batty is an Ugly Doll that I met in Hawaii  exactly one year ago this month.  She was 'hanging' around Waikiki Beach Royal Hawaiian Center when I was shopping for a mu mu, and we fell in immediately as old friends.  Perhaps it was my fondness for bats that evoked my attraction to her, but she also reminded me a lot of myself many years ago.

Batty didn't feel like she fit in to the Waikiki Beach scene and talked a lot about changing herself so she could more easily belong.  It started out with her wanting to file down the points on her teeth.

I felt her pain, for I had once wished I could have an operation to just take one or two inches out of each thigh bones so I wouldn't be so tall.  Now, of course, I am happy to have my height and my adolescent body dismorphic disorder is (mostly) a thing of the past.

I asked her if she was a fruit bat, a nectar bat, a vampire bat, or an insect eating bat.

She said she liked poki sushi, then she smiled and said she liked to eat bugs too.

"Well", I said, "... you have to have pointy teeth to catch your food.  If you change them, you'll have to change your diet and who knows what else.  Besides, you're perfect and beautiful just the way you are."

Batty decided it would be a good idea to come back to my new home and live in Seattle with me.   As the weather warmed, I took her to visit her Vampire friends that live in Deception Pass where we took a great portrait of her at the top of the bridge. 

We were looking for a good permanent makeup artist in Seattle at the time, and our search rendered little results.  That was when I decided to put my talent to good use in a field that has precious few good technicians.

She's been my great support as I began my venture in permanent makeup with Bellametrics and continues to be a part of my growth.

Fear and Suspicion of Permanent Cosmetics

Have you ever been late for something because of too much time spent in front of the mirror?  Guys, this could mean you…. waiting for someone else spending time in front of the mirror counts, too.   

If so, have you thought permanent makeup would just make your life so much easier -- and happier -- but have too many concerns about the risks involved with actually pursuing it yourself (or as the case may be, of being supportive of someone else pursuing it)?  

Believe me… I feel your pain.  I was actually one of the early fools who rushed in, back in the mid-90’s, and got treated to asymmetrical eyebrow abominations.  I literally put a band aid over one side because the pigment was applied so high it looked like one of Joan Crawford’s eyebrows had come back to haunt me. 

Finding the right technician is as much of a treasure hunt as looking for Ferragamos at a League of Jewish Woman’s rummage sale.  They are out there, but you have to invest some due diligence and have a little faith that you will strike gold after weeding out the standard tailings. 

Misapplied pigments, poor pigment quality, poorly selected pigment color, the use of actual ink for permanent cosmetic procedures rather than non-water soluble pigments, as well as a host of other mal-odious factors contribute to achieving undesirable results.   The truth is that a quick look at the technician’s ‘before and after’ gallery will give anyone considering this procedure an idea of the quality of product they can expect. 

A consultation with the technician will also provide valuable data to the person pursuing permanent makeup.  How well does the technician listen?  How well does the technician apply topical makeup during the consultation?  What are the technician’s qualifying attributes?  Because the industry has been prone to loose regulation, the responsibility falls upon you to use your head and follow your instincts. 

What I would strongly advise against is in blindly trusting that just because someone has an esthetician’s or cosmetology license, they are automatically qualified to apply permanent makeup.   Naturally, I don’t mean that these licenses disqualify someone from providing this service.  Rather, I’m suggesting that all too often permanent makeup is added to the cadre of beauty services available to any shop owner regardless of artistic sensibility in spite of the fact that it is an art form.  

Be wary of the template approach to beauty that is so very common.  If you decide to go ahead with a particular technician with hope as your only assurance, remember you will be living with this decision for many years.  

It’s worth the small time investment to really see the work that is out there being provided by permanent cosmetic professionals.  There are a few skilled technicians servicing the greater Seattle area with a web presence that I have found.  Helen Piatt works in Federal Way but also comes to South Seattle once a week.  Penny Rudy from the Chrysalis Clinic in Arlington makes a justified claim of being ‘simply the best in the Northwest’.  Penny is so good in fact, that I’ve chosen her as my instructor for continuing education in techniques and procedures.  This continued education is something that I feel is absolutely necessary for any technician to commit to. 

So, don’t fear permanent cosmetics!  As with many things, a little research before committing is necessary, but I have to say that life changing results can be achieved with the application of well implanted and well chosen pigments.  The investment of time investigating the options for any decision will give you the assurance to help you look good, feel great, and change YOUR world!

Beauty-Phi

What defines you?
Is it your accomplishments?  Your good deeds?  Your good nature and willingness to roll with the punches, or your comprehension of how unjust those punches may be and stand in defiance of them?
Studies show that often what defines us is how pleasing we are to the eye.   At this point, you may feel yourself have a slight reaction of indignation to this statement, asking; whose eye?... Isn't beauty supposedly in the eye of the beholder?
Well, the answer is that an eye of a baby only one week old is the very eye these studies analyzed.

"Babies are wonderfully hedonistic and have no manners, so they stare at objects that they consider to be pleasing. When babies stare at some faces longer than others, it indicates that they prefer to look at them and find them attractive." -The Perfect Human Face blogger

Our own judgment of beauty is partly derived from our capacity to engage reflective contemplation, meaning we literally have an experience of ourselves based on what we see.  With respect to our very existence, symmetry and balance are fundamentally linked to our survival.  In this way then our attraction to elements of beauty are instinctual and quantifiable in mathematical terms.

The golden ratio of beauty is defined by Phi as 1:1.61803398875

 In determining the design of an eyebrow in permanent cosmetics, there a few factors to consider.  The above diagram reflects a portion of these considerations and as you can see, the distances between A and B, and B and D is about equal to the Phi golden ratio.  Similarly, the distance between B and C, and C and D are also oriented respective of this golden mean.  The hair line and temple contour are factors that go into determining brow design. 

Considering such primal instinctual responses are at stake when undergoing the procedure of permanent cosmetics for restoration of eyebrows, it is important that your technician have some understanding of Phi and the golden mean.

May you be 'beauty-phi'd' and pleasing to the beholder's eye on your journey with restorative cosmetic permanent makeup.

How the Brow Breaks

I've found that permanent makeup isn't so much a replacement for topical makeup as it is a great foundation that allows one to feel confident at any time of day under any circumstances.  The trick is in getting that foundation laid (implanted) appropriately to the topography of existing skeletal/muscular facial structures.
<< This is an example of what I would consider a failure.
What has happened here is that the break of the eyebrow arch is placed so far to the outside edge of the face that she looks more angry than neutral.  The original brow arch breaks just outside the iris and although faint is still visible in the before picture.

The woman above had great features to work with, but although the results aren't necessarily bad, the design works against her natural beauty.

There are always exceptions where alteration for symmetry and beauty are required, but generally speaking, the template approach is undesirable.

Below is an example of a brow that is fitting to the structure of the woman's face.  The brow breaks appropriately outside of the iris and the bulb is feathered as to not create to much 'weight' at the center which would intensify her neutral expression toward looking angry.

The design above creates an open and lifted, youthful look without causing her to look surprised or like Tinkerbell's big sister.

May your eyebrow arches break naturally and may you be blessed with a full range of expressions available to you on your journey with permanent makeup.