Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice Lawrie.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Five years ago, I was a medical esthetician at my dad’s cosmetic practice in New York. I was living paycheck to paycheck (like a lot of people in NY because it’s just way too expensive) and I had no real idea what to do career-wise. Then, one day, a patient of mine told me about microblading.
She said it was a new kind of eyebrow tattoo that looked like hair and it was becoming popular overseas. Having plucked my brows to the point of no return at the age of 12, I was intrigued. Sure enough, when I went to the Philippines to visit family later that year, I saw that microblading was already popular there.
Beauty services that become popular in Asia eventually make it to the US, so I knew I had to learn this procedure. Women here were becoming more and more obsessed with eyebrows. I knew this trend was going to be huge!
At the time, no one in the US really knew what it was, so there was no one teaching it. So, I had to find an instructor who owned a microblading academy in Hong Kong and I trained with her in Los Angeles.
In early 2015, I got my tattoo license and started microblading at the cosmetics practice where I worked. Around the same time, I started a long distance relationship with my (now) husband, Andre. We had grown up down the street from each other on Long Island but he had moved away to Atlanta.
I started doing really well with microblading in NY and I knew that I could be really successful if I continued but at that point, I knew I had to make a choice. I could stay in NY or I could take a chance and start my own business in ATL and be with him. He pretty much swept me off my feet so he made the decision pretty easy for me. I ended up moving to ATL a few months later and everything has just been a whirlwind ever since.
For first two months after I started my business in Buckhead, I was nervous that maybe it wasn’t going to work- no one really knew about microblading, so I had to advertise to try to get the word out. But by my third month in business, microblading has been featured on The View and other tv shows, articles were being written in beauty magazines and online, and suddenly everybody started booking me.
At first, it was by the dozens and then it was by the hundreds- it was crazy! I couldn’t keep up- I had to shut my online scheduler down because people were booking four months out.
In that first year, Andre and I bought a house. Then in 2017, we got married, had our daughter and this year, he quit his day job to join me full time to work as a Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) specialist.
Like microblading, SMP is a form of cosmetic tattooing except it’s on the scalp and helps people with hair loss look like they have a full head of hair. We just moved our business to Grant Park, at the brand new Larkin on Memorial.
Needless to say, it’s been exciting! This business has completely changed our lives in the last few years. We are just so grateful for this whole experience and for being able to do this together. For us, it’s all about growth- definitely as a business but, most importantly, as a family.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been lucky in that I was kind of in the right place at the right time with microblading. But, in the beginning, when I first started and I had no clients, I was definitely scared. What if I was wrong and no one wanted this service? What would I do for work? Was I going to have to sell my hair for money? (LOL). But I should have had faith in myself because my gut told me that microblading was going to explode and it did!
My advice to women starting their own businesses would be to use that female intuition and trust your instincts! Combine them with your passion and you’ll be unstoppable!
what should we know about XO Beauty & Brows? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in microblading for eyebrows, which is a form of tattooing that looks more natural than old-school permanent makeup. I think I’m known for “Instagram eyebrows” which are kind of like a very defined brow- but I do brows of all shapes and sizes!
I’m super proud of the growth I’ve experienced over the last few years- especially having my husband join me and adding his services, which are Scalp Micropigmentation and Stretch Mark Camouflage.
Scalp Micropigmentation is a game changer for guys who are balding or people with thinning hair- it magically makes them look like they have a full head of hair. And Stretch mark tattooing is a new technique of concealing stretch marks by tattooing flesh tone pigment and needling the skin helps build collagen to smooth the marks out.
I think that being a husband and wife team sets us apart from the competition. I’m a hustler by myself but now there are two of me! We push each other and we both work very hard.
I also trademarked Hybrid Brows (TM) which is my new brow tattoo technique that combines all the benefits of microblading and all the advantages of the permanent makeup machine. I was the first to use this system in Atlanta to create a bespoke eyebrow tattoo for my clients. It’s designed to last longer for oily skin clients who experience fast fading from microblading. It also looks more filled in than microblading and looks better on clients who are missing patches of hair on their brows.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
I’m inspired by all women entrepreneurs who somehow balance work life, family life, and personal life! It’s amazing how much we can get done in a day.
My mom and my sisters are all hard-working and passionate women. They inspire me to push myself and follow my dreams.
Pricing:
- Microblading $499 + Free Touch Up
- Hybrid Brows $675 + Free Touch Up
Contact Info:
- Address: 519 Memorial Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30312 - Website: xobeautyandbrows.com
- Phone: (404) 557-4220
- Email: xobeautystudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: @xobeautyandbrows
- Facebook: Facebook.com/xobeautystudio
- Other: atlscalpmicro.com
Image Credit:
Microblading and Hybrid Brows by Janice Lawrie, Scalp Micropigmentation by Andre Lawrie
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