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| Vicki
Hauschild says she enhances the life of every woman who comes to her
salon, whether it is saving them time in the morning or giving them the
confidence of looking their best at all times. It could be helping to
ease a woman’s self-consciousness by covering a scar or replacing
eyebrows that are disappearing due to the loss of facial hair. Her business
is Elegant Face Permanent Cosmetics, and according to Vicki, she is the
only certified permanent cosmetic technician in Lincoln. “My work
is satisfying because I know I’m helping with (my clients’)
beauty regime, making life easier,” she says. Permanent cosmetics create a shadow of color, giving the appearance of makeup by depositing mineral pigments into the dermal layer of the skin. Vicki is certified through the Society of Permanent Cosmetics, a national organization. She offers three services at her salon: permanent eyebrows, permanent eyeliner (upper eyelid, lower eyelid, or both) and permanent lip liner and lip color. She notes that a numbing topical solution is used so it is pain-free. Client Loretta Asche says, “You can feel her working, but there’s no pain.” If the procedure produces any pain, Vicki puts on more of the topical anesthesia. Tea bags work to reduce swelling and redness. Client Lynn Knerr felt a little discomfort, but she says it’s worth it for the permanence of the procedure. “Everyone is really nervous when they come in because it’s a permanent procedure,” Vicki shares. “Everyone is on pins and needles, but then they calm down when they find out how it’s done.” The procedure is performed with a special instrument that has tiny needles set diagonally in one end, which is dipped into the color and applied to the skin. Vicki is a trained artist and does the sketching of the eyebrows freehand. She urges women to “seek a permanent makeup artist, not just a technician.” Vicki is calm and there is a sense of peace about her, which comes from the confidence of knowing what she is doing. Her initial training was at Milpetas College of Permanent Cosmetics in California. She had a second training in the traditional hand method of permanent cosmetics at the Institute of Permanent Cosmetics in Omaha. But for Vicki, the training never ends. She goes to at least one seminar per year to learn new techniques and to hone her skills. According to Lynn, these credentials make Vicki’s clients feel confident. Lynn had been thinking of permanent cosmetics for a long time. She saw an advertisement for Elegant Face Permanent Cosmetics. It took one meeting with Vicki to instill the confidence in Lynn to go for it and get her eyebrows and upper and lower eyelids done. Lynn’s satisfaction with Vicki has made her comfortable referring other people to the salon, she says. Word-of-mouth advertising is the lifeblood of Vicki’s business. She has gone from applying permanent cosmetics twice a week to full-time in only one month. “It’s wonderful! You don’t have to wear makeup,” attests Sharise Smith, another client. Sharise describes how wonderful the procedure has been for her mother, who never wore any makeup. Now she has the beauty of definition and color in her face without the bother of applying makeup each day. Sharise was really nervous about coming to Vicki. She had been to another salon where the procedure was painful, and she experienced several days of swelling. Lynn advises, “It’s permanent so you want someone who knows what they’re doing, even if it costs more.” What if you are losing your eyebrows, making them sparse? This was happening to one client and prompted her to see Vicki. In the “before” and “after” pictures, the difference in the woman’s appearance is evident. The eyebrows were sketchy at first but look full and natural now. Vicki drew in arched eyebrows and then applied the color in a tone that augments the client’s skin tone. The trick to picking the color for eyebrows, Vicki says, is to go by the skin tone because women change their hair color frequently. I think the end result for this client is that her eyes are beautifully defined by the brows, and the brows give a lift to her face. Client Mary Clausen was skeptical at first. As a nurse, she wondered how safe it was. But Vicki welcomed her into the inner office where the procedures are done and explained how the process works. Mary, listening to Vicki’s calm voice and seeing how sterile the environment is, was put at ease. “I would highly recommend permanent cosmetics to anyone,” Mary says. Now the time that she had taken to put on eyeliner, color in her eyebrows, and line and color her lips is all Mary’s again. She loves the fact that when she wakes up in the morning her permanent eyeliner looks perky right away. Lynn also loves the fact that her makeup is on permanently so when she wakes up she can go, no matter the time or place, even the hospital in the middle of the night with a sick grandchild. And when dealing with her grandchild’s illness produces tears, it is a comfort to know her makeup won’t smear or wash away. This peace of mind is one of the benefits of permanent cosmetics. Loretta enjoys this benefit in another setting altogether. “If you go swimming or boating it’s really nice. Other girls have makeup running and you don’t. Your makeup always looks fresh.” Loretta says she was really nervous about the permanence of the procedure. What if she didn’t like it once it was done? Vicki’s counseling calmed her fears and helped her realize a 20-year dream. Loretta says, “You don’t understand it until you do it. People should check it out if they’re at all interested. Go see the tools and how it works.” Loretta shopped around and found Elegant Face Permanent Cosmetics to be the most professional setting. She has pale skin and is thrilled now to have permanent color. Now running to the store without taking the time to put on her makeup is not a cause for anxiety. Each of these clients is quick to assure that they have no regrets and highly recommend permanent cosmetics and Vicki to anyone. “I’m totally confident recommending her,” Lynn asserts. As far as the confidence she instills in her clients, Vicki says matter-of-factly, “(Permanent cosmetics) is my specialty.” And it’s her art. You can find examples of “before” and “after” pictures on her Web site at www.elegantface.com. |
Elegant Face Permanent Cosmetics |
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