By Commotion in the Ocean at Citysearch September 05, 2011
This is my 3rd tattoo but the 1st one done by Tattoo City...and by far the best! Doug Hardy is amazing and is extremely professional: good eye contact, very knowledgeable, fast, precise and nonjudgmental. The place is clean, private and gives you confidence that these guys know what they are doing and that they doing it safely and extremely well! There is no attitude either. I am so pleased with the artwork and so are my (non-tat) friends. :) ...read more
By michael Roberts at Citysearch May 26, 2011
Well, here I sit with a new tattoo on my arm saying to myself ""well I really went and did it this time!"". You see, I am 70 years old and have never had a tattoo but with the recent death of my beloved brother, I wanted something to memorialize him. \t\n\t\nI live in Vancouver, Washington and visit my favorite city once or twice every year. Before I left, I did a search for tattoo artists and came across Black and Blue. I thought their website was very nicely done and helpful so I called. Jaime answered the the phone. He asked me several questions to find out what I had in mind and within a few minutes he conceptualized a very clever one off tattoo for me. \t\n\t\nWhen I arrived at the tattoo shop on Guerrero, Jaime cordially invited me in and showed me his drawing off my new tattoo and then we tweaked it to perfection. Jaime was very polite and well mannered, a good conversationalist and a superb tattoo artist. \t\n\t\nThe atmosphere of the place was very relaxed and professional. Jaime spent three hours working with me and in the end he created a true masterpiece that I can wear with pride and dignity. \t\n\t\nI would not hesitate to recommend Jaime. With his gracious manner and marvelous talent, you won't be disappointed. The whole experience exceeded my expectations.\t\n\t\nMichael Roberts\t\nVancouver, WA ...read more
By M.J. December 24, 2010
I'd thought for years about getting my lips permanently lined--they're very pale and without lipstick, seem to blend right into my face. But I was always too afraid to actually do it. Finally, knowing my boyfriend would be away for two weeks, I decided to take the plunge. I researched the procedure and found Jeannie on Yelp. She's wonderful, and although its only day 2 of my healing process, I'm already happy with my new lips. ...read more
Popular Misconceptions About Permanent Makeup I recently came across a beauty blog whose author, a makeup artist, gives her reasons why she is "not a fan of permanent eyeliner." Undoubtedly there may be others who may share these and other commonly held misconceptions about permanent makeup, so I'd like to address each one of them. If you are interested in getting permanent makeup but have been apprehensive, this should be helpful in dispelling some common myths. 1. I don't want anyone's needle that close to my eye. I'm already blind enough. Not every technician may work this way, but I always do eyeliner with the client's eyes closed. This makes it all but impossible to get the needle into the eye and cause any harm. And while blindness is not even a known risk from any possible complications with permanent eyeliner, the only person who's needs to be able to see impeccablyis the person performing the tattoo. 2. As we age, our skin droops and so does the eyeliner. Ewwwwwww. I could just see my tattooed eyebrows hanging down to my lashes. Hmmm, eyeliner… This has got to be one of my favorites. Everyone's skin starts to droop as we age, but think about this. Say you wear makeup – you fill in your eyebrows, draw some eyeliner around your eyes, and apply lip color on your mouth; well, whatever makeup you apply to your features to enhance them stay with your features. Perhaps your eyebrows are now a couple of millimeters closer to your eyes than they were when you were 20. Would you keep drawing them in a couple of millimeters higher where they were before your eyelids started to sag? Tattooed makeup is no different in that it stays with your features, no matter where your features may gravitate. It's far more likely that regularly applied makeup will wind up where you don't want it when it runs or smudges. 3. I've seen plenty of BAD eyeliner tattoos. Remember Michael Jackson? We've ALL seen plenty of bad tattoos of every type. With permanent makeup this shows up as poorly shaped eyebrows, odd colors, crooked lines, lopsided lips and more. Most of these seem to have happened to people who went to an inexperienced technician or looked for a bargain price. Luckily, correcting bad permanent makeup is one of our specialties. 4. There are risks in the dyes. The FDA said it has reports of more than 50 adverse reactions to certain shades of Premier Pigment brand ink. They include blistering, swelling, cracking and peeling skin around lips and eyes that, in some cases, caused serious disfigurement and difficulty in eating and talking, federal regulators said [sic]. Premier Pigment is but one manufacturer of cosmetic tattoo ink and it was only one batch of their product that had been found to cause adverse reactions. There are plenty of other manufacturers who have never had issues with their pigments. 5. There are sanitary issues. Sanitary issues are of concern in any food, medical, or personal service establishment, and the establishment's cleanliness is a good indicator of the sanitation it maintains. Research your tattoo artist thoroughly instead of just price-shopping or finding someone in the Beauty Services section on Craigslist. On top of that, I love makeup. I don't want to be stuck with one color eyeliner everyday. I like blue, green, red, black, bronze and more. So I need variety which I wouldn't have with the permanent. Who says you have to be stuck with one eyeliner color? Good permanent eyeliner is not only well-placed (always as close as possible to the lash line) but the color and intensity also carefully considered so that the immediate overall effect on the eyes is having thicker and darker eyelashes rather than sporting Cleopatra eye makeup. No matter what color your permanent eyeliner happens to be, you'll always be able to add additional eyeliner and eye shadow of any color right on top. Permanent makeup may not for everyone any more than cosmetic surgery is, but it continues to grow in popularity and despite the occasional horror story, the majority of patients surveyed about their cosmetic tattoo or surgery have not regretted their decision in the least. ...read more
By JuvEssentials - San Francisco's Premier SofTap Permanent Makeup Experience August 18, 2010
So excited we had our solar panels installed this year before all this rain started. They save so much energy and allow us to not only treat our clients, but the environment as well. Think about us on those sunny days and know that we are using natural energy throughout our practice. We also continue to use only green and natural cleaning products. Its just part of being a responsible business! JuvEssentials.com ...read more
By JuvEssentials - San Francisco's Premier SofTap Permanent Makeup Experience May 27, 2010
Come by next door to The Mission Statement for our monthly Third Thursday event. Great deals on unique local designer merchandise, tasty treats and free-flowing libations start around 6 and continue until everyone has shopped til they dropped. Sign up for the email list or connect with us online to get news on our parties and sale events. ...read more
By JuvEssentials - San Francisco's Premier SofTap Permanent Makeup Experience March 12, 2010
Every tattoo artist needs a professional tattoo kit to create quality work. These days there are a number of ways to find affordable, quality tattoo kits. Do your homework and you may find just the kit you want for much cheaper than you expected. ...read more
When you get a tattoo, it is permanent, so designing your own tattoo online before you get one makes sense. Tattoo parlors have thousands of designs for you to choose from, and it is hard to choose one out of so many. When you design your own tattoo online, you can use your own images, or use a templa... ...read more