There are many names for it… cosmetic tattooing, micropigmentation, semi-permanent makeup etc. It is a form of tattooing used to enhance the appearance of areas such as eyeliner, lips and eyebrows and can even include scalp micropigmentation, freckles and paramedical tattooing for areola reconstruction, and scar and stretch mark camouflage. Permanent makeup is done using a tattoo machine (adapted for use on the face) and sterile needle cartridges to implant pigment into the skin. The pigment is implanted much more superficially than a body tattoo, the skin on the face is a lot thinner than that of the body and we are looking to create soft and natural looking healed results.

PMU is no longer the old, super saturated face tattoo that your aunt got done 10+ years ago. The techniques, machines and pigments have evolved so significantly in the last decade that it can not be compared. The updated PMU techniques offer soft, subtle results that are more of an enhancement to your features. I tell my clients all the time, you will wake up with this on every day, I don’t want you to have to put on makeup to match your permanent makeup! It has to look good when you are fresh faced.

PMU is great for anyone who wants to speed up (or skip!) their morning makeup routine

Women with an active lifestyle who want a sweat-proof, water-proof makeup alternative

Women who won’t leave the house without makeup on

Women who’s lifestyle/work make it difficult to wear and maintain makeup for long hours

For those who have poor eyesight, have shaky or unsteady hands, or who are not very good at applying their makeup

For anyone who simply wants expertly applied eyeliner, lips or eyebrows every day!

Permanent makeup has contraindications that can prevent us from doing the treatment. Safety and health are a top priority. The following conditions mean that we can not preform the treatment:

Under 18
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Hemophilia
Hepatitis
Immunocompromised
Epilepsy
HIV/Aids
Infectious Diseases
Uncontrolled blood pressure
Accutane use within past 12 months
Chemotherapy or radiation within the past 6 months
The use of medications that can affect your blod clotting or the way your skin heals
You develop infections easily
You suffer from chronic eczema or psoriasis in the area to be treated
Current antibiotics use or in the past 2 weeks
Current steroid use
History of keloid scarring from minor injuries
Allergies to dyes

There may be other conditions that would prevent us from doing the treatment or may require a doctor’s note.

This is a question I get pretty often. The answer is yes and no… Yes because once in the skin, there will always be a trace of the pigment left behind (even if it fades to be very light over time and hardly noticeable). No because the color will fade and shift over time so maintenance is needed to keep up the look and refresh the color of the tattoo.

Once you have done all of your research, you will need to decide if you are ready to take the plunge. If the answer is not 100% yes, then wait! This is a commitment and you need to be ready to trust the process, the entire process.

Please make sure to read carefully through all of the pre and post care instructions prior to booking your permanent makeup appointment. This is essential to the best possible healed results, permanent makeup is teamwork, the actual tattooing is only half of the end result. The other half is how you prepared for the tattoo and how you care for it afterwards. There are things that need to be avoided before and after your appointment, so you need to plan your schedule accordingly. Eg, you can not wear makeup on your new tattoo until all the scabs have come off, so don’t be going to an important event during the healing period.

In our consultation, we will discuss the result you are hoping to achieve with your PMU. I will then use my pigment and color theory knowledge to custom mix the right pigments for your particular wishes and skin tone. This is not a simple color choice like in makeup where the pigment sits ON the skin, this is complex because it is a tattoo and the color will be IN your skin. Your epidermis is a layer of skin that sits over the tattoo, and will influence the way the color looks on the surface once healed.

For each area of pmu, the shape is designed and specifically chosen to enhance your own features and look natural on you.

The answer to this question will depend on the area we are tattooing as well as the pain tolerance of the person getting it done. Some of my clients are practically asleep during their treatment, and others are more sensitive. I always have secondary numbing on hand that can be used as needed to keep things more comfortable.

Yes, permanent makeup is safe. Joelle is a skilled professional, and she’ll take great care to ensure your safety and well-being throughout the process. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to ask us. Your safety is Joelle’s top priority.

You can schedule your follow-up appointment 3 to 6 months after your initial visit. There's no rush to book it immediately, allowing you to choose a convenient time that works best for you.

When working over another artist’s work, this is considered a cover up or a color correction. Artists all have different styles and use different pigments that heal and age differently from one another. This means that a touch up appointment will be required to ensure proper shape, saturation and color. When booking for a correction or coverup, please select your appointment for a “new permanent makeup” appointment and send a clear, well lit, closeup and unfiltered picture of the previous work so I can evaluate if the area is ready to be worked on again. There are cases where corrective work or coverups are not an option. Removal or waiting for the old tattoo to fade may be the only solution.

Reference pictures are always welcome, however makeup and pmu are different. In pmu it's best not to follow trends, but rather to do what looks right for your unique morphology, skin tone and lifestyle.

In pmu, the goal is the beautiful HEALED results, not what it looks like immediately after the treatment. In all pmu areas, the tattoo will always be very vibrant, saturated (darker) and defined when it is freshly done. Once the skin has healed (6-10 days depending on the area), the tattoo will be lighter, less vibrant and have softer edges. It takes at least 6 weeks to see the true healed result where the pigment is stable in the skin.

Absolutely not! We work with the hair you have to determine the most natural looking shape for you. Once the shape is drawn on and agreed upon, I will tweeze the stray hairs that would be outside the tattooed area.

The eyes are closed at all times during the tattoo process. I will have my fingers holding your eyelid and manipulating it for the tattooing process, making sure the eye is never open.

With any of the lip pmu techniques, it is imperative to only tattoo the lip tissue and not any of the skin around it. These are 2 different types of skin tissue and will heal very differently. That being said, for many women, simply adding definition and enhancing the color of the natural lip will make them look bigger.

Our first appointment is longer than the touch up appointment because we have the consultation, the design of the tattoo, the color selection, the before and afters and explaining the post treatment care for your new tattoo. A 3 hour appointment never means we are tattooing for 3 hours, only a little less than half of the appointment is the tattoo. At the touch up, the design has already been done as well as the color selection so it is a shorter appointment.

Color boost appointments are only for returning clients who have previously had their permanent makeup done by Joelle. This appointment is to boost the color and adjust the shape of the tattoo. This can vary between 1.5-3 years for eyebrows, 2-5 years for eyeliner or 2-4 years for lips.

Preparing your skin for your makeup appointment is very important. Your skin is my canvas and making sure that it is very well hydrated and exfoliated is key to insuring the most natural looking skin with your makeup on. It’s always good to have some reference photos of makeup you would like me to use as inspiration.

Please come in with no eye makeup on and no mascara residue on your lashes. If the lashes are not clean, the product will not be able to penetrate into the lash properly. Plan not to wear eye makeup, wet or expose your lashes to steam for 24 hours after treatment. If you are a face sleeper, it’s also important to try not to sleep on your lashes for the first night only.

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