Heidi Groothuis is the young owner of Heidi Lou Cosmetics inside Pink Purr Couture Lash Lounge and Permanent Jewelry in Bremerton. Permanent makeup is “using a tattooing technique to achieve some kind of cosmetic effect, like eyeliner, lipstick or eyebrows,” Groothuis explains. She does eyebrows and when she had her own eyebrows done, she saw her self-esteem rise and her makeup routine taking less time.
“As someone who was hesitant to get them [her eyebrows] done but had to because I was going to be a permanent makeup artist … I was surprised at how much I loved them when I was done,” she says. “It made me feel more confident about how symmetrical my face was, and they turned out way more natural than I thought they would, too. It made me feel a lot more confident, and it’s so nice not having to put makeup on my eyebrows, too. It’s extremely convenient.”
Groothuis offers several options for permanent makeup eyebrows, but she typically recommends powder. “I’ve found there are a lot more people who are satisfied with that procedure,” she says. Although she does offer microbladed eyebrows and combination, she believes powder “is the most reliable procedure” that works for all skin types. “You can get it retouched as many times as you need,” she adds.
No matter the eyebrow type, she first asks potential clients a few questions over the phone to make sure they’re a good candidate. “That would be like, do you have any medical conditions, are you pregnant or breastfeeding, etc. Once I have those out of the way, I schedule them,” she says. When clients come in, they also fill out paperwork about their general health and give consent for the procedure.
“I have them lay down, and I map out the perfect brow for them, based on their face and all the ratios of where their eyes are and everything like that,” Groothuis says. “I make sure that they are happy with that shape and give them a little preview of what it would look like beforehand. That way I give them a shape that they like.
“Once that’s done, I take my needle and lightly run it over the area. That way I can open up their skin, so the numbing will penetrate deeper. I put the numbing cream on it, wait a few minutes and while that’s happening, I mix up the color for them.”
Groothuis is careful to get the right color for the permanent makeup brows. She judges her mixed color for future fading and client desires.
“I just do a really thin outline of the brow, and then I go in for the shading. I do a few passes on each brow,” she continues. “Once that’s done, I give them some ointment and aftercare instructions. I’ll usually have them come back in six to eight weeks, so I can do their touchup. That’s when they can give me any input about how it’s faded or anything they like or don’t like about it.”
Groothuis says she’s had an inclination toward “artistic things” since she was a young girl. With proportions, color and tattooing, she uses her artistry in her permanent makeup.
She originally started going to college for art but then realized she could make more money pursuing a trade instead — “especially because college is more expensive, and it can be really hard to do something with a degree in art.”
Learning this trade turned out a much better option for her. “I was able to pay all of it out-of-pocket, pretty much, with just a little bit of help from my parents,” she says.
This experience has shown Groothuis that success can be achieved in different ways. She says, “I feel like whenever I have kids one day, I’ll definitely tell them college isn’t the only option. There’s other routes, too, to get there.”
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