Advice by a professional how to choose a permanent make-up school

If you decided to become a permanent make-up specialist, you have to find a permanent make-up school or teacher, purchase a device for procedures, find your customers and constantly improve, of course. So, how can you start? A permanent make-up specialist - elite master - linergist and teacher Valerija Masaitiene advices what is necessary to pay attention to when choosing a permanent make-up school.   

 1. Find a few schools which you will visit. Make a list of schools, search for opinions on the internet. However, do not restrict to one school even if you have heard good opinions about it. Opinions are very important, but it is much more important to make sure by oneself which school is the most suitable. 

2. Inquire if it really is a training centre or only a vendor of permanent make-up devices that organizes trainings. If the purpose of the school is to sell you a device and not to teach you to perform permanent make-up, it is unlikely you will have possibilities to improve your qualification and become better. Besides, teachers who work in those schools are theoreticians and not practitioners (you will find out below why it is important to have teachers who are practitioners). 

3. Find out which devices you will work with. The most important requirements for permanent make-up devices are their accuracy and safety. The case of the handle of the device must be metal and not plastic, because only such kind of devices can ensure sterility - metal is not afraid of disinfectants and sterilizers and it is not possible to sterilize plastic. Besides, as the mechanics of plastic devices is also plastic, it is not possible to ensure accuracy of work, either.

4. Try a few permanent make-up devices to make sure which is good for you. When learning to perform permanent make-up, it is very important to feel which device you can work comfortably and easily with. It is similar to writing in pen; the handle of the device where a needle is inserted must adjust to your hand - this is the only way to perform perfect permanent make-up and your hand will not get tired. Therefore do not feel embarrassed and ask for permission to try a permanent make-up device - think if it is worth to "buy a pig in a poke" and learn to work with the device which may be uncomfortable work with. Below you will also find out what else you should ask after coming to chosen permanent make-up schools.

5. What are principles of work by the teachers - are they practitioners or theoreticians? Only teachers-practitioners will not only provide you with theoretical knowledge but really teach you to work and give useful advice from their experience. You can even inquire how many permanent make-up procedures a teacher has made - it would be good if this number exceeded at least 500. Besides, all teachers must have certificates which prove their right to teach to perform permanent make-up.

6. What needles will you learn to perform permanent make-up with? Needles should be acupunctural, made from tenacious and elastic metal by laser. Only those needles are safe and damage the skin little, because needles made in another way both become dull soon and tear the skin.

7. What kind of pigments is used? It is the most important pigments must be safe - i.e., they must have a certificate, and the strictest requirements for the pigment production are raised in Europe. Do not run away with an especially low price - qualitative pigments cannot be cheap.

8. Is practice performed on live models? It is not enough to practise to perform permanent make-up only on a moulage with a teacher behind you. It is necessary to perform permanent make-up on a live model - this is the only way to feel how it is really done, so you will obtain real experience and will not be afraid to perform permanent make-up on your customers.

9. How are trainings performed, how long is their duration? It is very important to pay attention to the training schedule - how much theory and how many practical trainings you will have. In my opinion, a student must be allowed to independently perform at least 10 permanent make-up procedures (including the practice on live models). In theoretical trainings, a bigger group can participate (up to ten people), but in practical ones, a teacher must only work with you.

10. What are possibilities of improving qualification? After completing the training course and obtaining practical experience, you should later improve your working technique at the qualification improvement course. If a school only sells permanent make-up devices, it is unlikely you will have a possibility to improve your qualification in the same school. Do not forget to inquire if you can get a help by teachers in case you need consultations or advice after starting to work. 

 And what should you do in case you already have a device? If you had purchased a device before and started looking for a place to learn later, it is likely you will encounter some difficulties - most schools teach to work with available devices. However, there are training centres where teachers will teach you to work with your own device. However, it would be better if you started your way towards the permanent make-up specialist's qualification not from purchasing a device but from training. This is the way to consistently familiarize with the permanent make-up performance technique, learn to perform permanent make-up and purchase the most suitable permanent make-up device.