13 Apr I Took a Permanent Makeup Class

Why Did I Wait?

And What I’ve Learned!                                                                                                                                    ©

First of all, DON’T WAIT! I talked and I thought, and I talked some more, did some research of the local area and thought about it some more.

Several of my friends kept on encouraging me and one had the name of a highly regarded artist in the area that was also an instructor. She gave me her name, Pamela Abshear. I looked her up on the web and I thought about it some more.                                                                                                                                         

Finally, as one of my New Year’s resolutions I made myself make the call, well actually that would be bold for me, I emailed her…she called me back within a few hours, I got the info, she was friendly, made me feel at ease and we set up a class!

And yes, those months of waiting and thinking about it were now over. Trust me they were more tortuous than reading this paragraph!

It’s not that I’m that shy or inept for that matter; instead, it was more about being afraid of trying something new and maybe failing. Or what if I wasn’t any good at it? Or didn’t like it? The unknown and the uncertainty was by far scarier than finally just jumping in and doing it!

Well, I loved it and seemed to have a knack for it, (again…Why did I wait so long?) I loved the idea of making women feel good about themselves, easing the task of applying makeup on a daily basis. Just looking in the mirror first thing in the morning and feeling “half way there” already!

What was an even bigger surprise for me was all of the other “uses” the tattoo machine and needles have. The work Susan Church has done on burn victims and scarred patients was amazing! I found myself wondering why I hadn’t heard of this before?

Some of the applications such as areola restoration for mastectomy patients…incredible! The stories I heard, one from a patient, and artist, herself were wonderful and motivational! And let me tell you about skin needling for wrinkles or melanocyte restoration. Why wouldn’t you want to try CIT (Collagen Induction Therapy) before other non-organic fillers or muscle paralyzers? I was truly amazed at the uses the “scary” tattoo machine had!

Speaking of which, I learned how to use not one, or two, but three different machines. Each with their own particular personality and use. Pamela gave me a feeling of power over the machine to have the knowledge of what each one was capable of. I also learned how to use hand tools, yes like SofTap! Hand tools are actually the oldest and original method of tattooing. This “tool” base of knowledge, and lots of history about tattooing really makes you feel confident. That confidence is increased by the fact that the course includes EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, to get you started. You get the tools, the needles, the pigments, the manuals, the Q-tips, baby wipes, tissues, the numbing gels and creams, Nitrile gloves (so much nicer than latex!), your forms, your ointments, and lots of hands on practice and loving support from my…I mean your, instructors! (<3 Pam and Tim)

So whether you’re taking the class because you like to apply makeup, or maybe because you’re artistic and like to mix pigments and make things “aesthetically pleasing”, or because you are looking for a way to help burn victims or scarred patients, etc. There are many reasons to enjoy permanent makeup application and the general art of tattooing. Pamela, Susan, Tim and the many other members of LPCP have a vast amount of knowledge and are there to support you, so network, learn and share!

So in the end what have I learned? GET BUSY TATTOOING!!! You’ve invested time and money, you have the tools and the support, now use it, and most of all…enjoy it!

Kelly Lacy

Elegant Ink LLC