Hailing from Russia, Perma Blend Select Team artist Elizaveta Surkova has been showing PMU artists around the world how it’s done for nearly 10 years. From her beginnings working with lashes and brows, Surkova has quickly risen to become one of the top PMU artists in the world. With over 350 certifications, she is a master of her craft offering cutting edge education to students from around the world at her studio, International Glance Academy Black Butterfly. We caught up with her to talk tips, technique, education, and more.  

Q: You’re one of the top permanent makeup artists in the world. What’s the secret to your success? 

A: Work, work, and work. Anytime and anywhere! My family helps me a lot, of course. My husband and I are always and everywhere together. Doing business is much more interesting as a couple. I am constantly learning and developing because the industry does not stand still, and we must constantly move forward. You can't stop. 

Q: Tell us about your studio, International Glance Academy Black Butterfly. 

A: We opened the studio in 2012 and it was very meaningful for us. We were the first, in our region, to position ourselves in the way that we did. We trained specialists who took our idea and later opened their studios. We have graduated over 3,500 students from around the world to date and it is inspiring. My students are completely immersed in the profession and quickly become the best. I am so proud of my students. From the very beginning of my permanent makeup career, my dream has been to be part of a global team. And it's cool that now I'm with Perma Blend!  

Q: What is your approach to education? Tell us about your system. 

A: Education is a very important part of my work. You need to improve constantly, especially since now all knowledge is very affordable. Webinars, conferences, forums, and you can buy courses online even without leaving home.  

It’s very important to find an approach that works for each student. Things come easier to one person while with someone else you must work longer until they understand. I always provide support for my students 24/7 in our private chat.  

My husband Aleksey helps me a lot in training. He has been working as an artist for about a year and is aware of the difficulties for beginners. In addition, when there are two teachers in practice, it is much more interesting. I try to convey the maximum of knowledge that I have collected over the past 9 years to the students, but, of course, it is simply impossible to tell everything within the course, although I really want to. Sometimes we train until 11 pm and until midnight!  

If the artist is interested, ready to work, to make the effort, then everything comes. My students are gaining a client base very quickly, winning championships, opening their own studios, but this requires effort. 

Q: How did you come to work with Perma Blend? 

A: I am one of those masters who likes to use the best! I always strive to provide only high-quality services, goods, brands. I tried pigments from many companies in my work, but there were always many drawbacks: either there was no lip product line, they were constantly out of stock, or different shades came in every batch. There was no consistency in quality or availability. I have been working with Perma Blend pigments for 3 years now. I’ve managed to study the color scheme and the peculiarities of pigment styling during this time. I can say that I am in love with Perma Blend!  

Q: What do you like about the brand? 

A: It is important to work with a quality product for me. Perma Blend offers a chic palette, makes constant innovations, gives detailed product descriptions, highest quality certifications, great prices and predictable results. I like that these are not just bottles with colors, but each pigment has its own color scheme. They are created with understanding and love for the product. All this is very much felt in the company's policy. 

And all shades mix perfectly with each other. It's so cool when you know the color will heal beautifully, every one of them. It will adapt itself to the client and will fit as needed. The only drawback is that you constantly want to buy them again and again!  

Q: What are your favorite Perma Blend products? 

A: I have a lot of favorites. Right now, I'm really enjoying the Blowout brown shade. My top shades are Dark Forest brown, Wild Sable, Tea and Toast, Espresso—these are just the best. I like to darken shades with Ebony, sometimes I use Bronzer and Tina Davies' Gold Sunrise correctors. And I love the lip line, especially the Envy and Lust sets, which were released in conjunction with Tina Davies. They are unreal! The colors are super, very concentrated, and heal perfectly. My favorite shades are Magenta, Pink Coral, Rose Pink, Peach. And I also really love Hen party, as it suits everyone. 

Q: What is some of your best advice for working with Perma Blend pigments? 

A: The Pigments absorb very quickly into the skin, so you need to work with them as superficially and easily as possible. This saves time and gives a beautiful result. A very important tip is not to deepen or condense!  

If you need to add colors or slightly change the shade, there is always a correction possible. Correction lets us understand how we work: evaluate the result and bring it to the ideal. We, artists, must understand that we are working with a very complex system - the skin and the body, and we cannot know how it will behave.  

Firstly: Learn from the best artists and understand what you are doing. It is better not to finish and add on correction, than to blush in front of the client and remove all your work.  

Secondly: if there is a slight change in color you can always make a small color correction and bring it back to a beautiful tone with a help of a laser.  

We use both methods: laser and remover. Depends on the situation. Sometimes we combine, alternating procedures.  

In addition, it is very important to find your machine and select the equipment. When everything fits together—pigments, apparatus, technique—everything turns out perfectly. The work brings only joy to the artist and the client. If you get a thrill from what you do, you’ll want to develop further.  

Q: What’s it like to be a part of the Select Team? 

A: It was my dream to be a part of a global team, as I said above. When Perma Blend reached out, I was very happy. Being on the team motivates me to become even better— to work more on myself, to study and develop more. To make new acquaintances, new achievements, and new goals. I believe that all dreams come true, the main thing is to make them right and move in the right direction.  

Week 1: Federica Savorani, Nominated by Ylenia Cammareri

Week 2: Paris Nicole, Nominated by Ebony Kimbrough

Meet the PMU Star of Ecuador 

Let's give a standing ovation to an artist who does it all. Wife, mom, PMU artist, educator, and entrepreneur — Lia is an accomplished ambassador with our Select Team. A figurehead of PMU in South America, Lia leads a movement of beauty accessibility to all, while perfecting Perma Blend pigments on the many tones of our Latin beauties. While Lia is a well-rounded artist, she has a love for areola work that pulls at our heartstrings. Go ahead and take a seat — you’re going to want to get the scoop on Lia and her impressive do-it-all take on the beauty industry. 

Tell us a little about your business and where you are located out of? 

In Guayaquil, Ecuador we have a one-stop-shop for artists. Within our location, we have an area dedicated to PMU services, another where we sell our products through Beauty Bazar Ecuador, and the last for my PMU academy. The courses I currently teach alongside my colleagues are: Pigmentology with Perma Blend, Micropigmentation, Tattoo Removals, Eyelash Extensions, and more.  

How and why did you get started within the PMU world? 

About 5 years ago I had the opportunity to learn about the world of PMU — I started with brows, lips, and liner. I’ve always loved lip procedures, but I wanted to learn more about pigmentation and reconstruction of areolas because my mom passed away from breast cancer about 11 years ago. My current focus is on areola and it’s an honor to be able to perform restorative PMU for breast cancer survivors – seeing their faces light-up with happiness makes it all worthwhile. 

From the beginning, I knew of Perma Blend and immediately fell in love with the results of the pigments. I started learning from Anne Marie Rubino, Tina Davies, and Lulu Siciliano to learn more about Perma Blend’s sets and how to use the pigments — one never stops learning. Perma Blend is always improving and keeping their pigments up to date, so I always make sure to keep an eye out for new releases. 

What was your worst and best experience as a PMU artist? 

Well...my WORST experience was also my best learning experience. When I did my first lip procedure, I took 4 hours to complete the procedure. Even though I liked the result, I felt dispirited, tired, and as if I were never going to finish. I knew this experience was the motivation I needed to learn more about PMU to hone my skills, improve my technique, and learn how to color match and mix properly. 

Any advice for other PMU artists out there managing a business and family at the same time? 

Balance in your life starts at home – it will affect other aspects of your life, both professional and personal. If your core is not strong, you will not be able to do it all and do it well. PMU is an art form therefore you must only be your best to give your best.  

Any advice for future PMU artists on how to start your own business? 

WELCOME!!! 🥳🥳🥳 It’s a beautiful world where you are your own competition. With dedication and constant practice, you will get better each day. Do not compare yourself to anyone and be sure to put in practice every time you learn something new. 

What are some tips and tricks you might have when using our pigments? 

I always give 2 pieces of advice:

1. Always keep a Shading Solution handy — it can be thick or thin to avoid the pigment from drying in your cup or ring. If it becomes too dense, you will not be able to apply it to the skin correctly.