Leading the way in her field, award-winning Sian Dellar is a micro-blading queen and permanent make up artist with a special eye for symmetry and detail. StyleNest caught up with her at her busy Harley Street Clinic….

Hi Sian! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for StyleNest!

How do you juggle your ever-growing client list with your young family?

Last year I decided to expand the clinic and take on two permanent makeup technicians – Carrina and Lianne – to perform treatments. Together with our Clinic manager, Maria, we are able to cater for our growing list of clients as a team, and it allows me to spend more time in the afternoon with my children.

Your career started very differently as a recruitment consultant, what made you decide to take such a leap of faith in what was (at the time) a relatively new treatment?

I was inspired by a permanent makeup procedure that I had for my own eyebrows and thought how amazing it would be to offer such confidence boosting treatments to other women. It was a risk leaving the security of my day job to start again, but I knew Permanent Makeup would be my passion and I have never looked back.

Semi-permanent make up is such a responsibility to undertake on people’s faces! How did you feel about this when you first started working on clients?

It’s natural to feel a few butterflies when starting any new career. However, I was trained to a very high standard, and my previous role in recruitment gave me lots of experience in working with people, so I was confident that I would do a great job from the very beginning.

How difficult was it to open your own clinic? The health and safety regulations must be considerably more important in your field?

As with any industry that deals with the general public, stringent safety procedures are a must.  We ensure that the clinic environment meets the strict criteria set out by council health and safety standards, and we receive regular inspections by a health officer.

Do you have a particular type of client?

We see a vast array of clients from all walks of life, from students to professionals, all wanting a time-saving, image-perfecting enhancement.

You do a lot of work with cancer and alopecia patients, this must be incredibly rewarding but are there more precautions to take?

Permanent Makeup can be incredibly beneficial for clients that have suffered hair loss from cancer treatments and alopecia, as eyebrow and eyeliner enhancements can give definition back to facial features and improve confidence. However, we would always complete a thorough medical form with the client and request a consent from their doctor if they were undergoing any treatment that may compromise their health before proceeding with an enhancement.

Can you talk us through a typical appointment?! I’m sure most people’s fear is that they won’t like the end result- how do you get past this?

Each new treatment includes an in-depth consultation, in which we will discuss the client’s expectations and design the enhancement using Makeup pencils, so that the client can see and agree on the shape and positioning of their enhancement prior to going ahead. We also include a top up session 4-6 weeks after the initial appointment so we can make sure everything is perfect.

Micro-blading and permanent makeup is such an art skill, would you say you’re a creative person?

Yes, you definitely need to be creative to be a good permanent makeup technician. Whilst the technique itself can be taught, it takes a creative eye to judge symmetry, balance and produce beautiful work.

How long does permanent make up last?

Permanent Makeup can last between 6 months to 2 years, depending on whether microblading or machine work is performed, although skin type, client immune response and extrinsic factors such as UV exposure play a part in how well pigment lasts in the skin. We recommend that clients come for a yearly Colour Refresh Treatment.

Which eyebrow/make up trends do you predict we might see this year?

Hopefully the trend for natural-looking brows will prevail! I prefer not to follow Brow trends, as they are usually short lived, and a natural eyebrow enhancement will usually be the most flattering long term.

Sian Microbladed my eyebrows during our interview (my first top-up after she first enhanced them 1 year ago) and I can personally vouch for her skill and precision. I am unreasonably fussy about my eyebrows and Sian has done them perfectly!

Thank you Sian! SN