Hi Analeese, welcome to our Business Edit. Thank you for joining me today to chat about creating your beautiful business and Gold Coast studio. Let's start with an introduction, tell me about yourself!
I am Analeese, I am 31 years old. I live on the Gold Coast, Queensland. I’m a mum to 2 girls and a wife. I have been a cosmetic tattoo artist for 5 years now, and I specialise in eyebrow and lip tattooing. I don’t offer any other beauty services - I purely focus on cosmetic tattoo.
What has your career journey been like so far?
I first decided that this is what I wanted to do after meeting a lovely lady at my previous job, who had alopecia. She told me she was going to get her eyebrows tattooed, and once I saw them after they were done, I was just blown away at how much they completely changed her face, and how much more confidence she had. Right there in that moment, I decided that this is what I wanted to do for people. I went home to my husband and told him that I wanted to start my own business and he was all for it, he was completely supportive! So I started researching for courses and what I needed to do to get a business up and running in this industry. I completed my training which involved a cosmetic tattoo course and an infection control course, as well as council approval. I started off by renting a small room on the Gold Coast and before you know it completely took off, and here I am today being booked out for 4-5+ months in advance.
What type of specialist training did you complete?
I initially completed a beginners cosmetic tattoo course in Brisbane, and then went on to do further training in other techniques, in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. I am also about to complete my Paramedical Tattoo course, which involves tattooing nipples on women who have had a mastectomy after breast cancer. I try and do courses each year to up-skill where ever I can.
"I was just blown away at how much the eyebrow tattoo completely changed her face, and how much more confidence she had. Right there in that moment, I decided that this is what I wanted to do for people. I went home to my husband and told him that I wanted to start my own business and he was all for it, he was completely supportive."
What then led you to open your own studio?
I really wanted a big beautiful space for my clients to feel comfortable and at ease, for a lot of people, cosmetic tattoo is a very big deal and it was important to me that they felt comfortable and safe in a non-intimidating environment, and that they really felt at ease with me and loved the space that they walked in to.
How was the experience of creating your own brand and business?
I wanted to create a brand that really reflected me and my work, I am a very natural cosmetic tattoo artist and I love creating natural styles on woman of all ages, something that not only looks great now but in years to come. I also love that about my studio, I have a lot of natural light and it’s very airy and beautiful to work in, it really helps my creative side when working in a space like mine.
What has been the most rewarding part of your career and business journey so far?
I would have to say being nominated as the Gold Coast Best Brow Specialist, which I made into the top 10, and to my surprise I actually won - I was voted by the public as the Best Brow Artist! There was an article written about me online, which is even to this day just still so surreal. I've also recently received messages from people over seas in the USA asking how far ahead they can book in with me - the fact that my work even reaches that far just completely blows my mind!
For anyone considering cosmetic tattooing, what should we think about before committing?
A lot of people expect that when they get their brows done, they won’t ever have to maintain them. This is untrue, Cosmetic Tattoo is low maintenance, not no maintenance. There are still things you need to do in order to keep that tattoo beautiful crisp and tidy. It really depends on your natural brow as to what you need to do maintenance wise. Everyone is so different, but there is still maintenance involved. It’s also important to keep your expectations realistic.
Ok, real talk time - is it painful?
Hand on my heart - no, it’s not! And that is because we use an anesthetic made from a compounding Pharmacy in Brisbane. Some people feel some slight scratchiness for the first two minutes, and once we apply a secondary numbing, you are 100% numb. Others don’t feel anything at all, but overall it is pretty much a painless treatment - very different to how it used to be that’s for sure.
Talk me through the different types of brow tattooing...
So, we have our feather touch brows, which are individual little hair strokes created with a small hand tool called a microblade. We create hair strokes which mimic the natural flow of the hair. It’s a supernatural realistic technique, however, it’s not suitable for everyone and that really depends on where your natural brow hair sits, skin type etc.
We have our combination Brow, which is a mixture of hair strokes through the front near the nose and machine shading through the arch and tail, that just adds some extra definition and fullness in the tail area and is usually suited to people who wear a lot of make up or don’t have much hair through the tail and arch, or if you generally wear a lot of brow makeup.
We have our hair stroke brows which are tiny little hair strokes that mimic the hair, however, done with a tattoo machine, not a microblade so they do look a little different, but are suitable for all skin types.
We also have our lip blush Tattoo which is a hugely popular treatment as of the last year or so, and there are so many great benefits to lip blush including extra definition, nice natural flush of colour, fuller looking lips an even lip tone. The list goes on!
"My advice would be to lay out a plan. Do your research on how to get started, see what approvals you need for your area, upskill where ever you can try and better yourself in any way you can."
Your beautiful studio and amazing services are one of the most in demand on the Gold Coast, booked out for months ahead! What advice do you have for anyone starting out in the beauty services industry or who are on their own business journey?
I’ve had many hurdles over the years, but I knew that if I did push through, it would be worth it - and it was! I’m a huge believer in that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. It takes hard work and a determination and often costs money to get started, but it will be worth it. I started up my business with a young baby and a husband who worked away. So I did a lot of it solo on my own, and I still do now even with 2 kids, but I knew that what I wanted to do was going to be much more fulfilling for the rest of my life, than staying in my old 9-to-5 job that I wasn’t happy in, so I made it happen.
My advice would be to lay out a plan. Do your research on how to get started, see what approvals you need for your area, upskill where ever you can try and better yourself in any way you can. There’s always room to be a better version of yourself, for your clients. This industry is always changing and evolving.
Find out more about the studio, services and to make a booking head over to Cosmetic Lounge Gold Coast and follow along on Instagram @cosmeticlounge.gc
Thank you for sharing your inspiring business journey and valuable advice with me today Analeese. If you have been thinking about cosmetic tattooing services, make sure you check out Cosmetic Lounge Gold Coast for a beautiful and professional experience. - Hayley x