Meet Natalia Markajani | Permanent Makeup Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Markajani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, what role has risk played in your life or career?
There’s a Russian proverb “The one who doesn’t risk, doesn’t drink champagne”. And I love champagne :). I’ve risked a lot in my life, but I always rely on my intuition. I’m originally from St Petersburg, Russia and in 2011 I met my future husband Ross overseas. We started dating, fell in love, a year later we got engaged and I moved to the Middle East, where he was stationed at that time. We moved to the States in 2013 and got married. So, for love, I took a risk, left everything I had back home and guess what? It paid off. We’ve been happily married and have 2 beautiful children.
As for career, I started my permanent makeup business during Covid-19, Everybody, including my mom, thought I was crazy. But I had a vision – I knew that’s what I wanted to do – I wanted to help women feel more beautiful, give them the confidence and simplify their makeup routine. Looking back, I feel very proud of myself and how brave and determined I was to start a business from scratch and keep getting better at my craft.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a permanent makeup artist specializing in powder/ombre brows, lip blushing, permanent shaded eyeliner and paramedical tattooing. Starting a new business venture naturally came with challenges. Initially, I focused on developing my skillset and honing my craft. I practiced by tattooing on latex for hours everyday. I took classes, purchased and watched webinars by the best artists, all while trying to build my portfolio and grow my social media following. I knew marketing, SEO, and social media were important to obtain clients, but I quickly found out how out of depth I was in those areas. It became abundantly clear that engagement on social media was key to my businesses success. With that said I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Too often entrepreneurs fall into the trap of trying to do everything, which ultimately leads to burnout. I felt it within a couple of months of being in business, so I hired a marketing firm, website designer, and social media manager to handle some of the burden. This quickly paid dividends as I had more time to focus on providing the best possible service for my clients. With the additional support, I’m proud to say that in a relatively short period of time I was able to build a successful business that offers one of the best permanent makeup services in the DMV area. I truly care about my clients. What sets me apart from other artists is that I’m not afraid to grow. I am devoted to my business and craft. I even traveled to Europe for trainings so I can offer my clients the best of both worlds. Now I’m working on expanding my studio to a training academy, because there’s lack of high quality training in Maryland, therefore, a lot of botched jobs and students that get discouraged and disappointed in PMU industry.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for my family. My children inspire me, my mother grounds me, and my husband is my number one cheerleader. With their combined support, I have been able to elevate my craft and focus on providing the best possible service to my clients. A solid foundation of love and encouragement has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally.

Website: www.altrabeautylab.com

Instagram: @altra.beautylab

Facebook: Altra beauty lab

Yelp: Altra beauty lab

Image Credits
Lena Belosky