Those who frequent Miss Derm’s Las Piñas branch have, without a doubt, met Margie Abiera—also known as Marg (read: Marj) and had the privilege to have their brows or lashes done by her skillful hands. From lash extensions, lash lift, microblading, microshading, brow lamination, and even HIFU, this 25-year-old Caviteña does it all and breezes her way through being a well-rounded Semi-Permanent Make-up (SPMU) artist.
Marg has been doing lash extensions and lash lifts for almost 7 years already before she became one of Miss Derm’s angels. Having been a mother at a young age, her child became her inspiration to focus on mastering her skill as a lash artist right after she finished high school. Eventually, she found her passion in making people happy through the work that she does. “I'm so happy kapag maayos at maganda ‘yung kilay at lashes na nagagawa ko,” she says.
Having the innate interest in everything make-up and beauty, Marg has always wanted to learn about more advanced semi-permanent make-up procedures. However, she didn’t really have the chance to study about it. Until she entered Miss Derm.
I always watch videos [of microblading], I really want to learn talaga,” she shares. “When I joined Miss Derm, ‘their artists, ang gagaling nilang lahat. I always watch them I still I slowly learn. And then, our boss Ms Marzen sent me to a prestigious training”
Marg studied at Andi Pasion Asia Training Institut , a training school for brow arts that offers a course on eyebrow microblading and microshading—an opportunity she was beyond thankful for. Having finished the course successfully formalized and certified Marg’s skills, and added cosmetic tattooing to her growing portfolio.
Today, more than a year into being a microblader, Marg has become one of the most requested artists in Miss Derm Las Piñas. “In a day, I have maximum of 5 to 6 clients. Mix— microblading, microshading, lash lift, lash extensions. Depende sa kailangan ng client. There are days more on kilay, minsan more on lashes.”
Marg believes that what makes her work stand out lies in the understanding of the importance of brows and lashes. “I always do my best best ko para lalong gumanda [‘yung clients]. Especially now always tayong naka-face mask. Kilay at lashes nalang ‘yung nakikita sa’tin. So, it should always look its best.”
She also goes the extra mile in building her relationship with her clients—knowing that aside from skill, trust is also very important when doing semi-permanent make-up. “Important ‘yung communication between the artist and the client,” she says, explaining that learning what the client wants and setting clear expectations help her deliver quality work. “If you don't do your best the first time, your client won't comeback again.”
Thankfully, Marg’s clients always come back, she says with pride.
Every brow session starts with an assessment, Marg says. “Kapag walang hair talaga ‘yung kilay, mas kailangan ang microshading. For hairy brows, mas okay ‘yung microblading.”
She checks first what procedure the client needs best before taking brow measurements. “Then, I carefully explain the process to the client. Tinatanong rin muna kung anong preferred look. Natural-looking, or make-up look?” If you’ll ask Marg, she recommends to always choose a natural look, especially for beginners. “Kapag kulang, pwede namang mag-add [ng pigment]. Kasi mas mahirap magbawas kapag nagawa na.”
For lash extensions, the same principle applies. “Natural first. Makikita naman sa una kung okay na sa kanila. If you think you want more, mag-a-add lang ng extensions.”
Marg also helps undecided clients how to choose between lash lift and extensions. “Kung mahaba ang lashes mo and [may tendency na] that they will always scratch their eyes, I would recommend lash lift. Extensions are good for events naman at sa mga nag-wo- work, para glammed you almost don't need to wear make-up.”
When clients decide to get extensions, Marg does an assessment based on the shape of the
eye.
“If you have chinita eyes mas okay ang open eye style to open your eyes.. For almond eye naman, kailangan na ‘yung cat’s eye style.” Since lash extensions have different lengths, it takes an expert like Marg to know which combinations to use to achieve the desired effect.
In her years of working as a semi-permanent make-up artist, Marg humbly says that she believes she has mastered the art of lash and brows. She has 7 years’ worth of brow and lash looks in her portfolio to prove it. “Yes but I still have so much to learn,” she says. Her dream is to master every SPMU skill there is, so that one day, she can be a full-fledged master.
One thing that never changed since Marg started her career, she says, is the satisfaction of seeing how happy her clients are with her work. Hearing them say ‘Ang ganda ganda. Ayoko nang magpagawa sa iba. Ikaw na talaga,’ never fails to put a smile on her face and validate her journey. Ultimately, this motivates her to be the best she can be, as an artist at work and in life.