Short answer: it’s not as bad as you think.

Long answer: everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but most clients are actually surprised at how manageable it is even without the use of numbing agents. A high-quality numbing is applied throughout the service to keep you as comfortable as possible, so it’s more of a mild scratching or pressure feeling rather than “pain.”

Some areas are naturally a bit more sensitive (like lips), and you might feel slightly more towards the end of the appointment as the numbing wears off but it’s very tolerable and we top up numbing as we go.

I find getting your eyebrows tweezed or waxed is worse.

And honestly? The anxiety before is usually worse than the actual appointment.

I’d say allow around 2.5–3 hours per appointment and honestly, you can’t rush a tattoo on your face!

I’m known as a perfectionist and I take that title very seriously.

I take my time with every single step because the detail matters. We start with a thorough consultation where we talk through your goals, preferences, and what’s going to suit your face best. Then I map and measure everything properly (this part is super important), and you have to love and approve the shape and design before we even mix the colour!

Only once you’re 100% happy do we move into the tattooing process.

I’m not a rushed, in-and-out type of artist, my focus is on creating something that’s going to look beautiful, balanced, and intentional.

This is a pretty broad question because there are so many factors that affect how your tattoo heals and fades, things like your skin type, lifestyle, sun exposure, cellular turnover, medications, plus my technique, how much pigment we implant, and the custom colour we create for you.

But based on my experience (and doing this for almost a decade), here’s a realistic guide:

Brows:
Most clients don’t come back for a colour boost until around the 1.5–2 year mark. The brow area tends to fade a bit quicker because it’s a larger surface area, the skin is different, and it’s more exposed to the sun.

Eyeliner:
Eyeliner lasts the longest. I typically use black or darker pigments, and because of the carbon (an ingredient in the formula), it’s essentially permanent. Over time it will soften or look slightly more muted, but most clients return around the 3–4 year mark for a refresh.

Lips:
Lips usually sit around the 2 year mark for a top-up. The skin here is thinner and has a faster cellular turnover, and I always aim for soft, natural results, so they gradually fade in a really even, subtle way.

Everyone fades differently, but this gives you a good idea of what to expect.

I can only speak from my own experience, and I’m always going to be honest and transparent about this.

There are a lot of factors that determine how a cosmetic tattoo fades — things like the technique used, depth of implantation, pigment choice, how much saturation was built into the skin, and whether the approach was actually suited to your skin type.

Unfortunately, the industry isn’t heavily regulated, which means it’s become quite saturated. Because of that, there are artists at all different levels of experience and knowledge. Sometimes the outcome comes down to a lack of understanding around things like skin behaviour, correct depth, colour theory, or choosing the right technique for the individual.

I’m personally seeing more clients come in wanting corrections or adjustments, and a lot of the time it’s just because the original work wasn’t tailored properly to them in the first place.

Cosmetic tattooing should fade over time but how it fades really comes down to how it was done from the beginning.

Of course, always. That’s literally what I do and what I aim for with every single client.

My goal is your face, but better. Nothing overdone, nothing harsh, just soft, balanced, and tailored to you.

I’ve always said… we want it to be the best tattoo you’ve never seen. That’s how natural the end result should look.

This is exactly why I don’t rush this part.

We go through a really thorough consultation, and I map and measure everything out properly, you’ll see the shape drawn on before we start, and you need to absolutely love it. Nothing goes ahead until you’ve approved it and feel 100% confident.

That being said, if once it’s healed you feel like you’d like to tweak something, we do have options. We can make small adjustments at your touch-up appointment, or if needed, removal is also an option.

But my goal is to get it right from the start so you walk out feeling obsessed with it.

But let me put you at ease, I tailor the shape to your overall profile, your bone structure, your natural hair growth, many factors.
I have never in my ten years of working as an artist had a client return to me hating the shape.

Short answer: sometimes, yes… but it really depends.

Every correction case is different, so I need to assess things like the existing shape, colour, depth, and how much pigment is already sitting in the skin. From there, I can determine whether we can work over it and reshape it… or if removal is the better option first.

If your old tattoo is quite heavily saturated (meaning there’s a lot of pigment still sitting in the skin), there’s often not much room to add anything new and at that point, you’d honestly just be wasting your money trying to go over it.

If it’s looking grey, blue, or really dark, I’ll usually recommend starting with laser removal to lift as much pigment as possible before we redo them. That way, we’re working with a clean base and can actually achieve a soft, natural result.

I’ve actually been through this myself, my brows turned quite blue after years of old-school microblading. After my first laser session, they shifted to a much lighter brown (a little warm, not gonna lie), but it instantly softened my whole face and I looked so much younger. The darker brows were really ageing me.

I did another session to target that warmth, and once there was just a small amount of residual pigment left, I was able to redo them properly.

And this is the thing, techniques and pigments have come a long way. We now use more advanced methods and better quality pigments that are designed to fade more naturally over time. If I hadn’t had laser, I’d probably still have those blue-toned brows.

Healing is a bit of a process, not just a few days and you’re done.

On the surface, you’ll feel pretty much healed within 7–10 days. This is when any flaking, dryness, or sensitivity settles down and everything starts to look a bit more “normal” again.

But the full healing process takes around 4–6 weeks, sometimes longer. This is when the skin has completely regenerated and the true colour and result comes through.

There are a few stages in between, it might look darker at first, then lighter, sometimes a little patchy — this is all completely normal and part of the process.

I always say: trust the process. What you see in the first week is not your final result.

Cosmetic tattooing is a two-step process.

Your first appointment is your initial session, and then you’ll come back for a perfecting session (touch-up) around 6–8 weeks later. This is where we refine everything and adjust colour, add any areas that didn’t retain as well, and make sure the result is looking soft, even, and complete.

After that, it’s just about maintenance over time. As the pigment naturally fades over the years, you’ll come in for colour boost appointments to keep everything fresh.

Think of your skin like a glass of water, and the water is the pigment sitting in your skin.

At your initial appointment, I always work a little more subtle and conservative, because we don’t fully know how your skin is going to heal and retain the pigment. So in that first session, we’re essentially filling your glass to about 80%.

As you heal, it’s completely normal to lose a bit of that pigment, which is exactly why the touch-up is so important.

At your perfecting session, we’re just topping up that glass to 100% and refining the colour, evening everything out, and making sure it lasts the way it should. If you skip this step, your results may appear lighter, less even, and you’ll likely need a yearly maintenance appointment sooner than expected. Which will cost you more money then a touch up.

The truth is, almost everyone can have cosmetic tattooing done in some form, because every treatment is fully customised to your skin, features, and goals.
My eldest client is 91 years young.

That being said, there are a few things we always take into consideration to make sure you’re going to get the best possible result.

You may need to think carefully or potentially avoid treatment (or delay it) if you are:

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

• Currently on certain medications or strong blood thinners

• Prone to keloid scarring or poor wound healing

• Dealing with active skin conditions in the area (like eczema, dermatitis, or infections)

• Undergoing chemotherapy or significant medical treatment (you can have it done before chemo starts)

• Recently had strong chemical peels, laser, or skin resurfacing in the area (need to wait around a month)

• Unable to follow the aftercare properly during the healing phase

Skin type also plays a role, for example, very oily skin or highly textured skin may heal differently, which just means we adjust expectations and technique accordingly. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It may require you to visit for a colour boost appointment sooner compared to someone with dry skin.

But overall, this is why I always do a thorough consultation first, so I can make sure it’s suitable for you specifically and set you up for the best, safest, most beautiful result.

Hell yes.

Mature skin is actually some of my favourite skin to work on. It’s more delicate and requires a really considered approach, which means there’s absolutely no room for error and that’s where my experience really comes in.

I also find mature clients benefit from cosmetic tattooing the most. Things like changes in eyesight, shaky hands when trying to apply makeup, loss of brow hair over time, and just the natural softening of facial features can make daily routines a lot harder than they used to be.

Cosmetic tattooing just takes that stress away, it gives structure back to the face, opens up the eyes, and makes getting ready so much easier day to day.

With the right technique and a soft, tailored approach, mature skin heals beautifully and can look incredibly natural.

I custom colour blend every single time.

I look at your natural skin tone, undertones, hair colour, existing brow/lip colour (if any), and how your skin is likely to heal and fade over time.

I also take into account things like whether your skin pulls warm or cool, how much contrast you naturally have in your features, and the overall end result you’re wanting, whether that’s super soft and natural or a little more defined.

Then I custom mix and layer pigments specifically for you, so the healed result looks balanced, natural, and soft, not stamped on or one-dimensional.

It’s never just “pick a colour and go”, it’s very intentional and tailored every single time.

Yes, absolutely.

I offer both laser tattoo removal and saline removal, depending on your skin and the existing pigment.

Laser works by breaking down the pigment in the skin over a series of sessions, and saline removal is a more manual “lifting” method where a specialised solution is implanted into the skin to help draw the pigment out.

Which option we go with really depends on what you’ve currently got in the skin, the colour of the pigment, and how saturated it is and in many correction cases, we actually combine both methods for the best result.

The goal is always the same: safely get you back to a clean, natural base so we can either start fresh or improve what’s already there.

A lot of the confusion comes from the names being used interchangeably online.

Microblading is the original technique. It’s done using a handheld tool made up of a row of very fine needles grouped together, which creates a “blade” effect (hence the name micro-blading). Those tiny incisions are then implanted with pigment to mimic hair strokes. Back in the day, microblading was introduced as “more permanent than a tint” but what we’re finding over the years, is its pretty damn permanent and heavy on the face.

Nano brows, on the other hand, is what was originally referred to as machine hairstroke brows. It’s done using a single-point needle to create hair-like strokes with a cosmetic tattoo machine.

And this is where I always like to simplify it for clients:

At the end of the day, both techniques are creating trauma in the skin to implant pigment, it is still a tattoo.

So what’s actually better?

Neither is automatically “better” than the other. It really comes down to: your skin type, artist skill and control, depth and pressure, pigment choice and how the skin heals.

What matters more is how the stroke heals, not how it looks on day one.

I used to be a microblader when I first started out and in my professional opinion, I find nano brows more gentler on the skin, the individual strokes over time appear more clean and crisper as compared to a microbladed stroke I find blurs in the skin and can create some scar tissue.

So all in all, nano brows has my vote and that is what I offer.

This is a really fair question, and the honest answer is, you’re not just paying for the treatment itself… you’re paying for the artist’s knowledge, experience, and the result they’re able to achieve on your face.

Cosmetic tattooing is a highly skilled, detail-driven service. The outcome depends on things like skin understanding, pigment theory, facial mapping, colour correction, depth control, and years of hands-on practice. That level of expertise takes a lot of education, training, and ongoing investing.

That’s why pricing can vary so much between artists, one may be significantly cheaper than another, but it usually comes down to how much time they’ve invested into their education, practice, and mastering their technique.

At the end of the day, you’re paying for what the artist knows and what they can confidently create on your face, not just the time in the chair.

And is it worth it?
For most of my clients, absolutely. Their only regret is not doing it sooner. It’s something that saves time every day, enhances your face, and gives long-term confidence when it’s done properly by the right artist.

This is actually a really common question and the good news is, you’re never stuck with it.

Cosmetic tattoos are designed to fade gradually over time, so as the years go on, they naturally soften and lighten. But if at any point you decide you don’t love the shape, colour, or style anymore, there are options.

We can adjust things at a maintenance appointment if it’s a subtle change, or if you want a bigger change, we can look at colour correction, reshaping, or removal depending on what’s sitting in the skin at the time.

I also find that most people’s preferences evolve, what you loved a few years ago might just need a refresh or a softer approach to suit where you’re at now.

The important thing is, you’re never locked in. There’s always a way to adapt, or remove if needed.