About once a month, one of my clients, friends or family members gleefully comes up with the notion that I should offer a Permanent Makeup Groupon. I always patiently explain why I have never, and will never, offer a Daily Deal for my services.

While these deals are great for businesses looking to attract new patrons/clients in the hopes that they will regularly return (restaurants and service providers who do quick and inexpensive services), they are horrible for practitioners who perform lengthy, specialty treatments (especially independent business owners like me who put lots of love and time into every single procedure). These deals force us to become little factories, stamping out services as quickly as possible, in an attempt to keep up with the sudden and huge influx of business.

If you don’t believe me, do a search on www.yelp.com for Permanent Makeup in your city. I’ll bet if you read through the comments of the technicians with the fewest stars, you’ll most likely find several remarks about Daily Deal-related catastrophe (the technician never answered the phone, the prospect was treated poorly or rushed during the visit, or the results were not what was expected).

Remember that a technician who is offering a Daily Deal for Permanent Makeup is only doing so because he/she does not have enough business elsewise! It’s a desperate effort to generate income, as Groupon and the other Daily Deal services take 50% of the profit from business owners… and this is after the service/product has been drastically discounted to entice people to buy in the first place! Think of it this way: a $99 Permanent Makeup “deal” is going to net the technician $50. And out of that, she needs to pay for supplies and overhead. If she does her job correctly, that client is not expected back for a few years. She’s now got to pump out lots and lots of Permanent Makeup just to make ends meet. Is that someone you want working on your face?

Every single week, I see at least five new clients who find me on Yelp after they’ve experienced a frustrating experience by another technician (many stemming from Daily Deals). They’ve come to me to see if I can correct brows that do not match, repair eyeliner that is uneven, fix brow color that healed funky or didn’t take at all, or get their lips the color they desired. In most cases, I can help them, and when I do (and while I try to be as fair as possible in my pricing), I need to charge them for my time and my supplies. So in total, now they’ve ended up paying more than they should have had they chosen a reputable technician in the first place.

Daily Deals are awesome for some things. Don’t risk it with your Permanent Makeup.

Kimberly Armstrong is a Permanent Makeup Artist & Educator who has been designing natural-looking Permanent Cosmetic procedures for almost a decade. If you’re interested in Beautiful Brows, Smudge-Free Eyeliner or Luscious Lips, be sure to check out www.beautymarksbykim.com or call 949-466-0080 for more information.