Sometimes, you can get an impression of value or worth because people tend to assume that the more expensive something is, the better it must be. In some cases of course, this assumption is correct, there are reasons why a pair of shoes from Russell and Bromley will generally last longer than a pair bought from Primark (no knocking Primark, small caveat, I really like Primark).
Unfortunately, in a market like microblading, which is new and being further saturated every day by people who are under qualified and operating dangerously, this isn’t always the case, I am writing this post to explain why.
Expensive premises....
It goes without saying that there are many who perceive medical procedures to be of a high standard if the practitioner has a premises on Harley St. I’m afraid I have seen first hand that this isn’t always the case, and that some microblading companies/practitioners choose to set up shop here in order to give the illusion of experience or calibre, when in fact, when peeling back the layers, these are often poorly maintained clinical spaces and house generally overpriced practitioners for their level of experience.
Influencer led kudos...
Now, this is a touchy subject for those of us in this field. I have repeatedly been approached by PR firms offering to send influencers my way with a sponsored post in return for a free session with me. To be brutally honest, I am becoming increasingly wary of the “recommendations“ made by influencers, as I think are many astute followers who correctly assess that if it is play for play then what does it really say about the service or product? Also, I hate to say it, but why are these influencers who are making a mint, asking for free services? I don’t want to make it sound as though I haven’t thought about it, and been tempted. Or that I haven’t microbladed any celebrities. I have worked on incredibly famous people, but the difference is that I have not worked on them for free, and in most cases these celebrities have required an NDA (a non disclosure agreement) in place to protect the knowledge that their beauty is “enhanced” from the general public. I am proud to have worked on so many fantastically famous women, but why should I work for free and why should they plaster what they do to their faces all over the internet?
Availability and waiting lists...
I write this quietly chuckling to myself when I think about some of the advertisements my counterparts make online regarding their “lead time” and availability.
I don‘t try to disingenuously inflate how busy I look online by claiming that it will take 7 months to book an appointment with me. Perhaps because I don’t charge £700 for a pair of brows (like some of my counterparts) I actually need to blade more than one person a day meaning that I need to work a little harder to make my money. I have to say, I would rather be accessible. I don’t think my moral compass would allow me to strip someone of almost £1000 for a pair of brows that they can’t guarantee will last a certain length of time. Who are these people kidding? On this basis, I am proud to say that I am a specialist, that this is all I do all day, and that I sometimes microblade more than 10 women in one day. If I was only doing 1 a day, my waiting list would be a year long too!
Equally though, watch out for the practitioners charging £100 a set. There is no getting away from the fact that we need to properly sterilise our equipment and some of it is literally one use only. An autoclave (sterilising machine) costs in the region of approx £7000, how many £100 pairs of brows would it take to buy a piece of kit like this? Be careful...
I hope this helps some of you to gauge where value lies. If you want any more advice please give me a call. I am here to help...
Gali xxx
LondonBrowClinic
