Introduce yourself! Who are you and where are you from?

 

* Turns to virtual audience* Hi guys, my name is Melissa Ngamiri Tuheke-Kiore. If you found it hard to pronounce those last three words, it’s okay I understand! just call me Melissa TK. If you like nicknames, my friends call me Lyssa. I’m from a little village called Waitomo Caves in New Zealand, Aotearoa.

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What enticed you to become a Permanent Makeup Artist?

 

I started my career in Beauty Therapy back in 2009. I learnt the link between looking your best and feeling your best. Feeling confident in your own skin. I had the opportunity to give people confidence in their skin with my work, but the results only last a short time; tint fades as skin sheds, hair grows or doesn’t grow. My clients would say things like ‘you do such a great job with my brows; I wish they’d last forever!’.  One day my uncle Tuta Tuheke said to me, “How steady is your hand bub?... You should look into Tattooing Makeup, you can do it bub, you already do it, now you can make it permanent.” There it is. That’s the enticement that lead me here, my uncle’s words of wisdom.

 

 

What are you most passionate about?

 

Creating permanent makeup that looks stunning in real life! real time, closeup, face to face.  It should look beautiful in person, not just in photoshoots and selfies. Everything can look amazing on Instagram and Snapchat with filters, but I believe it matters most in real life, face to face. I believe in quality over quantity, to never rush good things where time makes all the difference.

 

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What sets you apart from everyone else?

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I am surrounded by the talent and skill of all my PMU Artist sisters and brothers. We live in a country rich with first class artists! Everyone’s out here with only one pair of eyebrows, one pair of eyes, and one set of lips!!! Choosing must be hard, I am honoured when I match with my clients.

We have our own vibe and our own style, like all things in life, people gravitate to you because they are attracted to your strain of creative essence. Your personality, your manner, your demeanour, your Instagram posts! Whatever it is, they will find who is best suited to them.

I make myself my competition, striving to one up my last work, get better results than I did with the last. Evolve evolve evolve.

 

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How do you design your PMU?

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I design PMU with my idea of the right proportion, correct accent colour, caressing contour placement, curve and arch angles to suit the wearer, fresh and healed. Contour placement is the most important. When the design caresses the contour correctly, the eye of the spectator is attracted in a positive way. They may not even know that you’ve had permanent makeup done! maybe it looks natural and perfect! It is aesthetically pleasing. We always want to the attraction to be a positive one.

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More on your take of PMU?

 

Just as we have a PH scale, let’s make a PMU STYLE scale. At one end of the scale- Glam, in the middle sits Natural, at the other end is Dramatic. At any given point of this scale, the design should appear flattering to the face features and fit the contour. You can’t just slap a store-bought stencil on and away you go, it would look unnatural. One size does not fit all, every face is custom made by DNA, it only makes sense to have your PMU custom crafted.

 

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How do your clients react during a PMU procedure?

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50% of my clients are engaged in their full cosmetic tattoo procedure, being present and sharing their dearest stories; the other 50% are sleeping. They love their sleep. Yes, you heard that right, my procedures are super gentle, gentle enough to make you want to fall off to sleep.

 

 

What if a client is worried about the procedure?

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Do not step out of your comfort zone with anxiety. I pride myself in creating a warm and safe space where you feel calm and valued.

 

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How do you work best?

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I work best when I am given creative freedom, I am also a great listener and love collaborating on your design. Sometimes when measuring up, it will bring to light that the eyes or the brows are asymmetric. My design will need to change to balance the uneven portions, meaning the two eyes or the two brows will have different angles + lengths to create the illusion of symmetric features.

 

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Who did you gain your PMU knowledge from?

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Hold your seat I’m about to name drop! Just kidding. I first joined the PMU industry through Phi Academy New Zealand, learning Microblading & Manual Shading techniques under the wing of Grand Masters Mensura Megy Hodzic, Vesna Jugovic, Michaella Messenger, Masters Crystal Vongphrachanh & Amanda Semenoff.  I added to my skill set with Phi Powder, Machine Powder techniques with Grand Masters Kerstin & Thorsten. I further gained qualifications and techniques through Anna Dixon, Paulina Osinkowska and Aleksandra Maniuse. The world of permanent makeup has no limits, new techniques are always around the corner. I’m obligated to myself and my clients to deepen my knowledge and grow my skill set as often as I can. I believe, to be a professional in your field you must evolve. Continuous development guarantees first-class quality of your services, I will continue educating myself through others whenever the opportunity comes up.

 

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What did you do before PMU?

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I am a woman of many trades! I’ve been in the Beauty Industry since gaining my Diploma in Beauty Therapy back in 2010.

For two of those years I did beauty part time to become a full time Adventure Cave Guide in Waitomo Caves! Soo much fun. I met so many people from all around the world, most of whom inspired me in their own way. If you ever thought of caving… DO IT!

I dabble in coffee making! I’ve got espresso making skills. One of my first jobs as a 15year old was in a café. I’ve worked in a few cafes in my time, I enjoyed smelling like a coffee bean. Good times, good times.

I left high school for farming! I loved farming. Fencing, horse riding, quad biking, 2 wheelers and tractors, all on the rolling hills surrounded by nature, native forest and native birds. That was paradise.

 

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What can we expect to see from you soon?

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I currently work from my home base Studio in Waitomo District; you’ll catch me there most of time. I have guest spots coming up in Tattoo Gold, Takapuna, Auckland! Cannot wait for that. Once Covid19 has dwindled out and we’re allowed to fly again, I’ll pop over to Sydney every so often.

 

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Do you have anything to say to your readers?

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Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope you’ve enjoyed this conversation and learnt a little bit about me, maybe you’ve learnt something about yourself?... maybe? Maybe not. Either way, you’ve done well to read this far. I invite you to book in for treatments, and I hope you enjoy my website. Feel free to ask any questions that may not be answered on the FAQ page via the chat box on the right there.