For many people, a tattoo is a way of demonstrating individuality or, conversely, membership of some kind of tribe or belief system.

For others, it can be life-changing; giving them back a part of themselves that has been cruelly taken away by fire, by disease, by a quirk of fate.

Karen Betts, a make-up artist and hair stylist, taught herself tattooing when she rented part of her building to a tattoo artist. Her earliest attempts were cute little Winnie the Poohs and love hearts – she admits now they were not her finest work.

But when, 15 years ago, one of her clients – a woman who had lost her hair during chemotherapy – was willing to let Betts get creative with her neighbour’s needle, her career took on a whole new trajectory. “She had lost her eyebrows, so I tattooed them in.

“Then, when she had breast cancer, I tattooed around her nipples after reconstructive surgery. I thought, ‘You know what, there is something to this. I think I could really give people back what they have lost.’”

Read this feature in full by clicking here , and don’t forget to take a look at Karen’s semi permanent makeup website.

She said of the treatment: ‘I’d heard so much about Karen Betts and her work so when it came to doing my eyebrows, she was the first person that came to mind’.

Following the treatment, Jade said: ‘I’m thrilled with the results, they frame my face perfectly!’ and we couldn’t agree more!

Having established herself as the number one permanent cosmetic beautician in the UK, Karen Betts has an unrivalled reputation in both the beauty and medical sector.

Such is her esteem that in addition to being the permanent cosmetics consultant for both the BBC and Sky TV, she has launched a successful collaboration with The Katie Piper Foundation and was exclusively chosen to mentor TOWIE’s Amy Childs as she opened her own beauty salon.

And as the pioneer of creative cosmetic tattooing in the UK, it’s no surprise that her expertise is in high demand nationwide.  The treatment has become increasingly popular in recent years following a surge in demand for shapely and defined eyebrows. Correctly shaped brows have long been known to frame the face and maintain a youthful appearance; Karen’s technique is to apply tiny, individual hair strokes in different shades of pigment to create a 3D effect and long-lasting, natural-looking eyebrows.

Learn more about Karen’s treatments by visiting www.karenbetts.co.uk or find our how permanent makeup can benefit you via the Nouveau Contour Training Academy, of which Karen’s is the MD – click here.

Whether you’ve lost your hair through illness or simply want to have an easier beauty regime, Karen is the woman who pioneered creative cosmetic tattooing in the UK 12 years ago.  She offers eyeliner, lip tinting, nipple pigmentation restoration and eyelash enhancement but she says her most popular treatment is by far eyebrow tattooing.

“About 80% of people don’t have a good eyebrow shape naturally and it makes such a huge difference to your face.”

Karen has tried and tested her own techniques and is keen to reassure people that it is a viable and realistic option:

“Some beauty journalists are snobby about the results because they say it doesn’t look real. If it’s done properly though, it should be a natural daytime look”.

The make-up lasts for 12 to 18 months before it needs retouching so it is important that it is an everyday look and she encourages her clients to use ordinary cosmetics if they want to create a heavier, evening look.

For anyone considering the procedure, Karen recommends going for a consultation. “You have to really trust anyone who is going to permanently tattoo your body,” she explains.

Karen really is the number one expert in her field and has appeared on television shows including 10 Years Younger, Extreme Makeover and This Morning. What makes her even more special is her compassion for women and men who have lost their self-esteem after illness or disfigurement. Katie Piper, the well-known campaigner behind the Katie Piper Foundation, is one of Karen’s long term clients and now Karen is the exclusive permanent make-up consultant for the foundation.

Click here to read the article in full…

Our thanks to ‘Tell Us Fashion’ online magazine – click here to visit their website.

Take a look at Karen’s inspirational video’s on permanent makeup and medical tattooing with both Katie Piper and Caroline Monk by visiting Karen’s website, click here. You can also follow Karen on Twitter – follow her now

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Jackie is one of many esteemed Make-Up Artists who use Let’s Go Lashes to give their clients’ eyes the added oomph they’re after.

With four fabulous collections to choose from – Flirt, Heartbreaker, Tease and Temptress, there’s a lash for every look, whether you’re after barely-there natural or dramatically seductive.

Jackie wanted to give the girls’ a dramatic look to guarantee a stir on stage:
“While working with Steps on their reunion tour, I took plenty of Let’s Go Lashes with me – as well as having a huge range of fabulous styles to choose from, the strip also has great flexibility which eases application. I used Heartbreaker 5 on Faye Tozer which added extra volume and length and gave her a fabulous, full-on glam look!”

Follow Let’s Go on Twitter & Facebook and keep up to date with the latest news & offers.

Our celeb pamper days are becoming so popular we keep having to add extra dates to our calendar!

The celebs that joined us at our Harley Street clinic had a fantastic time trying out our products and treatments, and it is safe to say they loved the results…we think the fizz and nibbles went down well too!

Jessica Jane Clement (photo left) has fallen in love with her Let’s Go Lashes; she looked gorgeous, and the lashes made her eyes look amazing – so good in fact that Fabulous Magazine took a picture to feature in their next issue. She said on Twitter, “Love my Lets Go Lashes I had done at the NouveauBG Pamper Day, thanks girls and sorry for eating all the cocktail sausages!”.

Our A-lift treatment is fast becoming one of the most sought after age reversal treatments on the market. Both Martin Offiah and Caroline Monk left our Pamper Day looking fantastic and feeling relaxed. They have been raving about A-lift ever since and have already booked in for their next treatment.

We like to spoil people here at the Nouveau Beauty Group so all our celebs left with a box set of Mink lashes and a face mask – Martin has assured us that these were going to his wife!

We almost couldn’t keep up with all the feedback we got on Facebook and Twitter following the event, and now we even have Calum Best booked in for an A-lift!

Thank you to all the celebs that joined us, and all our fabulous technicians who made the day what it was. Here’s to the next one!

Click here to read the Scratch Magazine article in full.

Click here to follow Nouveau Contour, Karen’s permanent cosmetics training academy, on Facebook or follow Karen on Twitter by clicking here.

Thrilled to have won the prize, lash-lover Linda says “I feel naked without my Nouveau Lashes – I absolutely love them. And I’m still in delightful shock at winning this amazing trip”

Click here to view the article in full.

Click here to follow Nouveau Lashes on Facebook! Or visit the Nouveau Lashes website and find your nearest lash technician – click here.

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious individuals to work in partnership with the Nouveau Beauty Group and Karen Betts (as seen on Extreme Makeover and  10 Years Younger).

The ideal candidates will be motivated and enthusiastic with a drive to succeed, trained in beauty (qualified to Level 2 minimum) with own transport.

In return for your hard work and dedication we will provide you with a realistic earning potential of £500 a week, full training, full marketing and PR support, and your very own Account Manager.

We would really like to meet you and share this fantastic opportunity with you.  For more information please call 01977 652232 ext 33 or email charlotte.crosby@nouveaubeautygroup.com

“…after 20 minutes of gentle probing (during which time I almost drifted off to sleep it was so soothing), I looked in the mirror and the left side of my face was noticeably, brighter and firmer. But the most dramatic effect was the lift in my eyebrow, it was much higher than the other one and my whole eye area looked toned and fresh. Impressive.” Read the full feature by clicking here.

Click here to read more about the A-Lift treatment from Karen Betts, ‘Like’ our Official A-Lift Fanpage to find our more about the
A-Lift.

Katie Piper and her Foundation are well known in the UK for their charitable work which aims to make life easier for people living with burns and scars. Katie’s ambition is to help others in their quest to feel confident again in spite of their scars; and strives to recommend and provide a network of the best treatments and technicians available for fellow survivors.

Karen has personally worked with Katie Piper as she recovered from an acid attack in 2008 and, over a twelve month process, recreated Katie’s lips, brows and eye definition. This personal and professional relationship developed from then and resulted in Karen offering her expert skills and services in four clinic locations countrywide – including London’s prestigious Harley Street – to help survivors look and feel attractive again and hopefully help improve the lives of people living with facial disfigurements.

Katie Piper says: “I’m so pleased that Karen has offered her expertise to help other survivors feel more confident about themselves. She has a great passion and determination to help change people’s lives and I’m delighted that she’s able to help the Foundation.”