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Emma Hall – BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire Interview with Mark Powlett

MP: It’s time to talk tattoo, Emma Hall’s here but first of all, it’s not tattoos is it?

EH: Well actually it is a form of tattooing, so you’re nearly there.

MP: Now you’ve got with you a big machine, it comes in a great big box doesn’t it. Before we talk about what you do, can we have a listen to what the machine does and have a look at the machine.

EH: Of course. It’s not as harsh as your average tattoo machine.

MP: So you’re holding up there, it’s like a pen.

EH: Yes, it’s like a sharp pen and it makes a little bit of a noise, like a tattoo machine, it does make a noise but just not as loud, it’s not as harsh.

MP: And it uses a needle, does it, in the end?

EH: It does, a very, very fine needle.

MP: In what way is that not like a tattoo then?

EH: Well it is a form of tattooing because it goes in to the dermis of the skin but tattoo artists they use inks and dyes and they go very deep into the skin, up to 4mm, where permanent make up is very superficial, its only 0.5mm into the skin.

MP: 4mm that’s quite a long way.

EH: That’s a lot into your skin on your skin but on your face it’s a lot more shallow, it’s 0.5mm into the skin so it’s only actually scratching the surface.

MP: And that’s all down to the machine I take it?

EH: That’s all down to the machine yes.

MP: As long as you don’t jab it? The machine just sets it?

EH: It does. It actually goes into the skin up to 180 times per second so it is very clever.

MP: And so does it have an ink on it?

EH: Not as such, we don’t use inks and dyes, we use hypoallergenic pigments, hypoallergenic inorganic or organic pigments so they’re very natural, they’re very skin-friendly. I mean there’s a very, very small chance of an allergic reaction occurring from it.

MP: So would there be more of a chance with a tattoo?

EH: It’s hard to say really.

MP: When people have tattoos and they get quite sore don’t they. You see sailors with a patch over their arm cos they’ve had an anchor tattooed on it and it’s a bit sore for a while and it goes a bit red. When you have this kind of thing done does it not do that?

EH: Well, no it shouldn’t. What I tend to do with all my clients is test everybody first but of course because it’s my clients face it’s the most important thing and they’ve got to look at people on a day to day basis. With a tattoo it’s different because it’s actually under their clothes most of the time or in a place where people can’t see it so it’s not such an issue to actually test for an average tattoo but for your face it’s imperative that you do have a test first.

MP: Where do you test?

EH: Usually behind the ear but it’s usually a scratch test or a patch test in the post just like with an everyday ordinary plaster that I send out to my clients.

MP: And what are people having done? I’m guessing it’s mostly eyebrows is it?

EH: It’s mostly eyebrows, yes. I mean with all the fuss about Coleen having her eyebrows, it’s been in the papers quite a lot. It’s a fantastic procedure.

MP: This is Coleen Rooney? I thought it might have been Coleen Nolan for a minute

EH: Yes, it is Coleen Rooney.

MP: That’s fine I just wanted to make sure everybody knew which Coleen it was. It’s not a secret I doubt, is it?

EH: Well I don’t think it is, no.

MP: Cos Coleen Rooney’s had this done.

EH: She has, yes. It’s been in all the papers

MP: Do you have to shave, I’m assuming, have you ever done this on any men?

EH: I have, yes.

MP: Oh, you have?

EH: I have, yes. It’s quite rare for a man to have this done but it’s usually due to a medical condition like alopecia or maybe if somebody’s had cancer and their eyebrows have never grown back so it is a possibility for men but I would say for 99% of the time it’s for ladies that have overplucked in the 60’s or the 70’s or even the 80’s cos your eyebrow hair, the folicules, your hair stops growing after a while in the eyebrow region after a certain age.

MP: Oh so it doesn’t come back? So if you have really thin eyebrows and you’re plucking and plucking and you thought I’ll stop plucking and grow them a bit thicker for the winter that’s not gonna happen?

EH: Well it all depends on the age really of the client, yes that’s true, yes.

MP: Is that the only hair that does that? The more you take it out?

EH: Unfortunately, yes it tends to grow other places instead of as we get older.

MP: Yes it grows out of your ears and your nose doesn’t it

EH: Yes, exactly.

MP: And how long does it take to do an eyebrow?

EH: On average I’d say about 40 minutes. Obviously we numb the area first and also we draw on a design that’s perfect for the clients facial shape and also for the hair tone, skin tone and we don’t do anything with the needle until that client’s 100% happy with the shape then we go over it designing little tiny hair strokes. So it’s little tiny hair strokes that mimics an actual eyebrow.

MP: So you don’t just do a circle and a crescent shape and then colour it in.

EH: No it’s actual little tiny hair strokes that we do so it can give somebody their confidence back over years of over plucking. A lot of ladies draw on their eyebrows every day and it can take up to half an hour for ladies to do that so to have this procedure done it’s actually giving them an extra 20 minutes in bed in the morning.

MP: When you’re doing it do you every go – whoops! – just to see how they react?

EH: Well it hasn’t happened to me yet.

MP: When you first started I’m assuming you’ve been doing it a while and you know what you’re doing now, but when you first started are you a bit nervous?

EH: Oh yes, I mean the first couple of months you are very nervous but usually we practice on our mums, our sisters, aunties, friends of the family before we do anything on the day to day public so we make sure we are top of our game before we actually get out there.

MP: It’s got to be better to practice on people you don’t know and aren’t gonna be round all the time. If you practiced on your mum and then got it all wonky you’re gonna have to look at that for the rest of your life!

EH: Well I suppose that is the case for some people.

MP: And what sort of training do you have to have for it?

EH: Very intense training, up to 12 days sometimes. It depends, different companies train people differently but also you have to do lots and lots of case studies before you actually get a certificate so you have to go through a lot of people before you can actually go out there and do this procedure.

MP: And is it regulated so if anyone does it you have to have all the certificates and everything?

EH: Yes you do, yes you have to have a certificate, insurance and also premises to work from.

MP: So I know you do loads in Coventry don’t you?

EH: I do, yes.

MP: You do the White Room in City Arcade, they were our game for a song feature, we know them.

EH: Yes, the owner Emma is a good friend of mine and she has a fantastic salon and we’ll be doing a lot of promotions in there soon. Also Radford Road, Coventry and also 80 Dawlish Drive.

MP: And is it all eyebrows or do you do any other things?

EH: No I do permanent eyeliner, also lip blend and also a beauty spot.

MP: Do you know I was gonna say has anyone had a beauty spot, and they do?

EH: Yeah, then do yeah.

MP: So Madonna could have had hers cos she used to stick one on, I don’t know if she still has it but in the 80’s she was very famous for having a beauty spot.

EH: You know if I ever did anyone famous, I’d never tattoo and tell so I wouldn’t be able to tell you.

MP: So the eyeliner, is that scary the eyeliner? I don’t like things near my eye.

EH: Well I suppose the thought of it is quite scary but when you know what you’re doing you actually immobilise the eye with your hand so the eye can’t actually move so you make sure that eye is still before you go in there with a needle. It does sound quite scary but it’s not>

MP: So what’s your next appointment going to be? What are you doing?

EH: My next appointment will be a set of eyebrows which is my favourite of all the procedures to do.

MP: Well listen, good luck with those eyebrows. Before you go give us another zhzhzh on the thing, it’s a bit like being in a dentist.

EH: Sure

MP: Listen it’s not scary at all. Thank you very much Emma.

EH: Thank you Mark.