Meet Michelle Bernard! She's the founder and CEO of MB Beauty, a Bergen County-based salon offering a wide range of beauty treatments, education programs for both aspiring entrepreneurs, and professionals looking to up-skill. Certified in Permanent Makeup, and a Diplomat of the American Academy of Micropigmentation, Michelle has trained under world-renowned masters in the field of microblading and permanent makeup. Michelle’s attention to detail and eye for perfection is one of the many reasons client’s from all over the United States seek her services for Microblading.
What made you seek out the beauty industry, and how did you get started?
I started off in the beauty industry as a model a long time ago. When I was a kid, I was actually diagnosed with alopecia. I lost my eyelashes and had bald patches on my head, but I never lost my eyebrows. So, I remember even as a kid, my relatives or friends, they would say to my mom, "Well, at least she has her eyebrows!", so I was dead set on making sure my eyebrows didn't fall off.
I would put oil on my brows, and just take care of them. This prompted my obsession with brows. I would do my friend's brows, my brows. I did over-pluck, and did all the things that we did in the nineties, but because I always treated and took care of them, my brows survived! A girlfriend of mine who I modeled with in Miami opened up a brow bar, and I would see these things on Instagram. She would post the before and afters of these transformations that she would do on her clients. I didn't know what it was. I was like, what is this sorcery that she's doing?! So I called her up, and she gave me the rundown of what microblading was, and that was it. That's all I needed to hear…and that I was going to be helping people. I was going to be giving people brows, and I could do something that I potentially loved as a career. That's how I got into doing brows.
That's awesome! What was your training like?
It was pretty rigorous in New Jersey, you have to get a permanent makeup license in order to perform any kind of microblading or permanent makeup service. So, you have to do one hundred hours of in-person training, and an apprenticeship of fifteen procedures. There's a written oral, and a practical exam. Once you pass all that, you take that to your local health department, and they give you a permit to legally perform permanent makeup in the state of New Jersey.
What's the most common question that people ask you about microblading?
With microblading or any kind of service, the first thing they'll ask is if it hurts. It could be uncomfortable, but it's not anything that definitely hurts. We pre-numb, and numb throughout the service. So, there isn't a huge pain level associated with the service at all. Most people fall asleep or, we're talking the whole time, so it's not as uncomfortable or painful as people may think.
What would you tell someone who’s afraid to get microblading?
I would ease their concerns first by recognizing what the concerns are. I explain to them that we pre-numb, and numb them in between. “What if I don't like the shaping?” Is the next question. We take an hour out of the service just for shaping, because the shaping is based on your unique features. That takes time in order to make both symmetrical, even though our faces are not symmetrical. We don't continue until they love and approve of the shape one hundred percent. The color sometimes is a concern, and they've seen jobs that aren't done well, or are too dark. I assure them that we use the highest quality pigments, and that I only choose colors based on the color of their actual brow hair. So when they heal, the color is seamless with their actual brow hair, not the hair on their head.
Who is a candidate for a facial?
So as far as who's a candidate, anyone's a candidate. We get girls that are younger, and might have issues with hormonal acne. We have clients who are battling lines and wrinkles, and they want to address that. We have clients looking to just brighten their skin, and are a little more concerned with age spots or sun spots. We get men who want their skin to be brighter and softer. All of our skincare menu has a specific concern that it addresses. We have our acne fighting facial, our MB Beauty Glow (our number one facial service), which gives you instant results. It purifies the skin and you leaves you with glowy, soft, and brighter skin. We also have a diamond brightening facial for people who want to clear sunspots and dull skin. We have an anti-aging facial for smoothing out wrinkles, and plumping up the skin. We sometimes incorporate microdermabrasion or radio frequency in conjunction with our facials. So as far as who's a candidate, anyone's a candidate!
Best overall beauty advice for brows and skin?
Be consistent with brows. I always suggest using conditioners and oils to treat your brows, it’s the same as any other part of your body, whether you're trying to improve your skin, or your health. If you want to improve your health or your diet, you eat right and go to the gym. For proper skin care, you follow a skincare regimen. So if you want your brows to survive, you have to nourish them. I always suggest being consistent with putting a little oil on your brows at night. The same thing with skin, stick to a skin regimen that works for you. I always suggest having your basics being more plant based, which is what we use at the studio. All of our products are plant-based, and very effective. It’s just safer and gentler on the skin. You can also incorporate more medical-grade options, but I think the base of your skincare regimen should be something more gentle, because you want to use it everyday.
What would your advice be for someone who’s interested in entering this field?
I would say be consistent, and be passionate. If it’s something that you're not passionate about, you're not going to do it with love. When you do it with love, that's when you start getting that clientele that you're attracting. I attract the client that I want because of the passion I put behind my work. So, I would say be passionate, and be patient. It takes time to build a clientele. It takes time to really hone in on what you want to focus on, because it's a broad industry. There's so many different avenues that you can go into. Be patient, be consistent, and practice!
Check out https://michellebernardbeauty.com/ for more info & to book an appointment. Michelle is also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/michellebernardbeauty/
