+ Do I need a consultation first?

No, you do not need a consultation before booking unless you've previously had work done, in which case you will need to submit a photo for pre-approval. There is a built-in consultation to every session, so we never tattoo without your understanding and approval. If you have questions or concerns holding you back from booking, please contact us and we'll do our best to ease those concerns.

+ Why does it seem like no appointments are available when I try to book?

If no appointments are available, it’s only temporary, and means we are booked until our next month of dates are released. We open our calendars month by month, to make sure we don’t book out too far in advance, and ensure we save room for follow-ups 6-12 weeks after all new appointments.

+ Can I get a cosmetic tattoo while pregnant or breastfeeding?

No, unfortunately. You must wait until 3 months after you have finished breastfeeding before you receive a cosmetic tattoo, as it is not proven to be safe for the baby. If you find out that you are pregnant between your two initial sessions, your follow up will be cancelled and we will have to wait until you're done nursing.

+ Should I arrive 30 minutes early to allow for numbing time?

Nope! Your appointment time allows for this part of the appointment, so please arrive at the time you are scheduled. Our schedules are tightly planned, so we appreciate punctuality.

+ How I book an appointment for someone as a surprise gift?

Though we understand the sweet gesture, we’ve found our services don’t work great as a surprise. There are pre-care restrictions for some people, as well as aftercare guidelines that work best when well-timed with your schedule for ease. Most people who book with us have done their research, read and understood our policies, protocols, and guidelines, and prepped for their appointment. There are also terms that you electronically agree to when booking the appointment, so its best if people book for themselves. If you’d like to offer our services as a gift to someone, we suggest an eGift Card, which you can contact us to purchse here.

+ Where can I park?

There is metered street parking available along the Avenue. If you can't find a spot, we suggest using the parking garage at the Rotunda, which about a 3 block walk from our location. Please arrive with enough time to find and pay for parking!

+ How long are the appointments?

Appointment length varies by service. Please check our booking page for details.

+ Why are there two sessions?

Healed results vary person to person because we are all different. Based on your skin type, immune system, skin care, genetics, and other lifestyle factors, we won't be able to tell how your tattoo will truly look until it is healed. Seeing a healed first session allows us to adjust treatment to optimize lasting results (tailored to you) at your follow up session.

+ How is cosmetic tattooing different than a regular tattoo?

Cosmetic tattooing is a gentler, softer tattoo process that is designed for the face. Face skin is different than other areas, as it's thinner, more sensitive, and exposed to more UV rays and potent skin care. Due to these factors, as well as the pigment being placed slightly shallower in the skin, the tattoo will look faded over time, and need to have a color boost. This is usually 3-5 years down the line.

+ Does cosmetic tattooing hurt?

On a 1-10 pain scale (10 being the worst) most clients report anywhere between 0-3. Mild discomfort or pressure might be felt, but you shouldn't feel anything sharp. Everyone's pain tolerance is different, so nothing can be guaranteed, but we've even had clients fall asleep during eyeliner and lip blush!

+ How should I prepare for my appointment?

It is recommended to avoid alcohol, caffiene, pain relievers, blood thinners, fish oil, or anything that could thin the blood 24 hours before your appointment. It will also help to avoid retinol/trentinoin based products, as well as exfoliants and acids so that your skin is strong enough to be tattooed.

+ How far out do you book?

Usually 8 - 16 weeks, but we close our books when full to avoid booking too far out. New availability, including last minute cancellations, will be posted on our Instagram. Please follow along for booking updates and more!

+ Can I work out while healing if I don't sweat?

Since sweat starts within the skin, it can dramatically fade pigment before you even see any visible sweat come out of your pores. Sweat contains salt, which is what we use to break down pigment for tattoo removal. Aside from the salt content, working out increases your heart rate and blood flow, which can lead to excess bleeding when the tattoos are fresh, and contribute to fading. We want you to get the most bang for your buck, and optimize your healed results, so we recommend against exercise for one week following your appointment.

+ I want to have healed results for a special event. How far in advance should I plan?

If you are planning to get tattooed for a wedding, vacation, or special event, please book 3-5 months in advance! You will need to have the first appointment, let it heal 8-12 weeks, and then have a follow up which will also have to heal. Your cosmetic tattoo will look its best 4-5 weeks after your follow up session.

+ How soon until I can go out in public?

You should not need to hide after your appointment! Most of our before and after photos are taken immediately following the procedure. For microblading, if your concern is scabs and flaking, that usually happens around day 4 or 5. For eyes and lips, there is usually some swelling the first 2 days, and then scabbing and flaking to follow on days 3 and 4, however the scabbing shouldnt be too noticeable.

+ Do you offer removal and/or corrections?

Correctional work is taken on a case-by-case basis. If you have something you'd like to have removed, lightened, or corrected, please email photos so we can see if it is workable. Most work is too dark for us to cover up, and we will more than likely recommend 1-3 sessions of Angel Removal before we can work on your skin. If youre frustrated with how your brows are fading, try a brow lift/lamination and tint to boost your brow boldness while still giving your skin time to fade the old color.

Alyssa offers Angel Removal, which is a gentle tattoo lightening procedure. The gentle solution is implanted into the undesired tattoo, which breaks down the pigment molecules. This brings some pigment to the surface, and the tattoo should be lighter when the skin is healed again a week later. This process may require multiple sessions, similarly to laser or saline removal, but at a more affordable cost with less risk of scarring.

+ I’m not sure what brow technique is best for me. How should I proceed with booking?

If you’re not sure what eyebrow tattooing technique to book for, you can book for combination brows (since the appointment is longer) and we can always change our approach once you arrive. Your balance will be adjusted accordingly if we do something different. You’re always welcome to email us a photo for our opinion, too, if you’d like!

+ What's the difference between microblading and powder/ombré brows?

Microblading is a manual technique done with a hand tool that deposits a small amount of pigment in fine, hairlike strokes to make it appear that you have more hair. Powder is a machine technique that deposits the pigment in tiny dots, which can be used as shading to create the illusion of fullness, or a powder fill of makeup. Ombré is using powder to create a defined brow that fades to lighter in the front.

+ How can I retain good color with microblading?

Microblading works best for those with normal to dry skin. Those with more oily skin can still get great results, however, details may fade sooner. For very oily skin, we recommend a combination or powder brow. Please avoid blood thinners (alcohol, caffiene, nSAID pain relievers, fish oils, etc.) and heavy sweating the day of your procedure and during healing. Any fluid that comes from inside the body (such as oil, sweat or blood) can flush pigment out of the skin while healing, which is why oily skin does not hold hairstrokes as well. With ombré or powder brows, there is more pigment placed in the brow, so even if some doesn't stay, there will be plenty of color left to heal.

+ How often do I need to come in for touch ups?

A "refresh" refers to every 3-5 years after initial application, however everyone is different and longevity varies, so some clients might need to book sooner! It is recommended to wait at least a full year, but you may schedule it as soon as your brows are more than 80% faded. If they are still more than 20% saturated, we ask that you send us a photo to make sure we ar Touching up microblading too often is not recommended, as too much pigment in the brow without time to fade can lead to a solid blur of color, rather than being able to see the details of hair strokes. If you like your brows filled in more than microblading, you might consider a combination or ombré brow! You must book with your original artist for the annual refresh pricing, or you will have to pay full price as a new client.

+ Will I still need to shape my eyebrows?

Depending on the style you're going for, your brow shape may or may not require maintenance. For a bushier boy brow, we suggest leaving some of your stray hairs for a fuller effect! If you like a cleaner, more polished brow, tweezing or waxing may still be needed. If your brow shape has been lifted to create a brighter frame for your eyes, it is expeced that you might need to remove some lower growing hairs.

+ Do you have to shave my eyebrows to tattoo them?

Not at all! If you'd like a cleaner shape, we can clean them up a bit for you, but we won't need to take away any hair to do our magic!

+ Can you touch up brows that were done by another artist?

Sometimes, on a case-by-case basis. This would be considered a cover up, and you must be pre-approved by emailing photos. You will be charged as a new client, and have 2 sessions.

+ Do you tattoo the whole lip or just lip liner?

The whole lip! Lip blushing will tint the lips fully, instead of just the defining them. We have found this is a more natural looking alternative to just an outline.

+ What does it feel like?

Some clients have said it feels like an electric toothbrush brushing over the lips. You can feel pressure and vibration, maybe slight discomfort for brief moments, but you shouldn't feel setious pain.

+ How do you pick the color?

We will look through a selection of pigments together to see what colors you are drawn to, and then mix a color that works well with your lips' undertones.

+ How swollen will my lips be?

Some clients swell just a little, and some swell a lot. There is really no way to predict, unless you know you're very prone to swelling. Swelling typically subsides after 2 days, but in some cases has lasted longer. Sleeping in an elevated position can help!

+ I'm prone to cold sores. Can I still get lip blush?

Yes! We recommend taking 1 anti-viral pill for 5 days prior, and 2 pills the day of your procedure. We suggest you continue to take an anti-viral medication for the week while healing.

+ It sounds scary! How do you protect the eye?

We totally know it sounds scary, so we'll talk you through the process and ease your fears! Eyes are sensitive, and we take that into consideration while tattooing them. The eyelid is stretched and held in a specific way that keeps your eye as safe as possible during the procedure. We use a gentle machine and practice steady control.

+ Do I have to keep my eyes open during the procedure?

No, but there may be moments when you have to look in different directions so we can see the full range of angles and make sure our shape is solid.

+ Can I pick any color eyeliner?

Since we love all things subtle and natural, we recommend only dark browns or soft black for lashline enhancement.

+ Can eyeliner be placed on the waterline?

Pigment is deposited along the lash line and between lashes, not on the inner waterline. If it were anything closer than that, we wouldn't be able to numb you! It also won't stay, as tears break down pigment faster over time. It cant damage the tear duct, so we prefer to stick to the lashline, and get as close as we can without being inside the eye.

+ Can you do both top and bottom eyelids?

Yes! For bottom liner, we recommend something soft and subtle, yet still enough to define the eye and make it pop.

+ How long until I can wear lash extentions or glue-on strips?

It is recommended to wait 2-3 weeks before using lash extensions or glue-on strips. For growth serums and treatments, it is recommended to wait 60 days before resuming. Please keep in mind that you will need to stay clear of these things for your follow up appointment as well.

+ Will I be swollen?

Most people find their eyelids to be swollen and heavy for 1-2 days, but eyeliner heals quickly! It should go down quickly, and you are welcome to use a clean or disposable cold pack to help ease swelling.

+ Can I pick where the freckles are placed?

Absolutely! We love client input, as your face is our canvas.

+ How long do freckle tattoos last?

Freckle tattoos can last anywhere from 2-5 years, depending on your skincare and lifestyle. If you use a lot of anti-aging products or exfoliating acids, your freckles are likely to not last as long.