Meet Tracy Russell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Russell.

Hi Tracy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Nurse Tracy, a registered nurse since 2008, specializing in women’s healthcare. After a decade of bedside nursing, I was burnt out and looking for a career change. I got my eyebrows microbladed and fell in love with how it made me feel, and the idea of creating a new beauty business!

In 2019, I became a licensed cosmetic tattoo artist in Vermont and opened Inked Arches Permanent Makeup. I began working out of a day spa while still nursing part-time and building my brow business on the side. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I decided to leave nursing for good and started construction on a tattoo shop in my hometown, Main Tattoo.

In 2021, I “retired” from nursing, and began training other women how to perform permanent makeup through Vermont’s first state-approved course! Since then, I have trained more than 17 women how to do microblading, machine shading, lips, and eyeliner techniques! Main Tattoo employs two body art tattooists, and Nurse Tracy has also been training to do body piercing through a 1,000-hour apprenticeship. Nurse Tracy is also trained to perform permanent eyeliner, lip blush, and paramedical tattoo procedures including saline tattoo lightening, scar camouflage, and 3D areola reconstruction.

In 2022, I made the move to Jacksonville from Vermont to begin offering permanent makeup services and training to the southeast! I am excited to begin my permanent makeup journey in Florida, as I have family from this area, and have been a nurse previously at Celebration Health in 2011. I am excited to expand my paramedical tattoo practice in Jacksonville, as this is a field I am passionate about as a nurse. Helping men and women feel confident and wake up feeling naturally beautiful is why I do this!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Surprisingly, it has been a smooth road, with lots of hills and valleys! I expected the pandemic to be the end of my beauty business, but shockingly demand surged! I believe face masks made us all realize the importance of brows and lashes. There are challenges running your own business; scheduling, managing inventory, etc. I enjoy coming up with ways to overcome obstacles in my business rather than being grumpy every day waking up to do the same for someone else’s business!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a cosmetic tattoo artist, which is also called a permanent makeup artist. I am licensed to perform microblading, ombre/powder brows, combo brows, and other tattoo techniques including permanent eyeliner and lip blush. I am known for my bold brow styles like the combo brow, which is a mix of microblading and machine shading. I am proud of the 14-year nursing career that leads me to cosmetic tattoo, which requires intimate knowledge of skin anatomy, safety, and sanitation practices.

I spent seven years as a labor & delivery nurse, before moving to house supervising and clinical informatics. Nursing satisfied my nerdy, science side, but not my creative artistic side. What I am most proud of and what sets me apart from other cosmetic tattoo artists, is my knowledge of nursing as I began offering paramedical tattoo treatments in 2021.

I have performed scar camouflage for vitiligo clients, and have begun offering 3D areola tattoos for breast cancer survivors and those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery. I am also helping those with unwanted tattoos get them lightened with saline removal. I feel that I am still helping clients as a nurse, just on my terms away from the hospital bedside!

I have also begun body piercing, which as a nurse makes adults and children feel more comfortable knowing that a nurse is performing it! I will begin offering body piercing in Jacksonville later this year. In the meantime, I will be offering Tooth Gems, a temporary adornment to add sparkle to your smile!

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love the American Academy of Micropigmentation’s PMU School Podcast for industry tips and discussion. My favorite book right now is The Universal Laws of Success and Achievement by Brian Tracy. I love anything created by Brendan Burchard, Grant Cardone, Gary V., and Russell Brunson. Additionally, Fortitude by Dan Crenshaw is a must-read!

I have actually created a new podcast, the Female Piercer’s Podcast, to help other women break into the industry! Check it out on YouTube, Apple, Google, or Spotify!

Pricing:

• Microblading $550
• Powder/Ombre Brows $550
• Combo Brows $650
• 3D Areola $500
• Tooth Gem $65

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: inkedarchespmu.com
• Instagram: @inked.arches.pmu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inked.arches.pmu
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkAAnTzDDwMv3WkHNtH4s5Q

Image Credits
Brad Maynes