Thinking about nano brows, lip blush, or permanent eyeliner in the Austin area, Leander, Round Rock, Cedar Park, or the city itself? Choosing the right artist is the single most important decision you will make. It is your face, and the result should be safe, natural, and beautiful. Here are the five checks we recommend to every client, even the ones comparing us against other studios.
01, Check their portfolio
Look for real client photos, and especially healed results, fresh work always looks crisp, but healed photos show the truth. Do their brows, lips, and eyeliner match the style you want, natural or bold? Trust your eye and your gut.
02, Read the reviews
Search for reviews on Google, Yelp, and Instagram. Look for feedback about results, professionalism, and hygiene, and pay attention to how the studio responds to clients.
03, Verify licensing & cleanliness
Your artist should hold a Texas tattoo license, use single-use tools, and work in a clean, licensed studio, never a kitchen table or hotel room. Do not be shy about asking; a professional studio is proud to show you its safety standards.
04, Ask the right questions
- How do you choose pigment color and shape for my face?
- Can I see healed photos of this exact service?
- What is included in the price, is the touch-up extra?
- What does healing look like, week by week?
A good artist will answer all of these happily during a consultation, before any commitment.
05, Know the red flags
- No portfolio, or photos that look like stock images
- Unusually low prices with no reviews to back them up
- No mention of sanitation or licensing anywhere
- Pushy behavior or pressure to book on the spot
Permanent makeup done well is an investment that pays you back every morning for years. Done poorly, it is expensive to correct. Take your time, compare portfolios, and choose the artist whose healed work you would be happy to wear.
Why healed photos are the only photos that matter
Fresh PMU always looks flawless, the color is at maximum saturation and the swelling smooths everything. The truth arrives 4–8 weeks later, after the skin has healed and rebuilt. An artist proud of their healed results will show them without being asked; browse our gallery and you will see both stages labeled. When you compare studios in Austin, Round Rock, or Leander, make every comparison healed-to-healed. A studio with only fresh photos is hiding the part that matters.
What Texas actually requires
In Texas, permanent makeup is regulated as tattooing: the studio must hold a state tattooing license, use single-use sterile needles, and follow bloodborne-pathogen protocols. A licensed studio is the legal requirement, kitchen-table and hotel-room PMU is not just risky, it is illegal. Ask to see the license; a professional studio has it displayed and will happily walk you through their sterilization standards. Certificates from named training academies are the second thing to look for, techniques evolve fast, and serious artists keep training.
Why the cheapest quote becomes the most expensive
Corrective work is a large part of what experienced PMU artists do, and nearly every correction we see started as a bargain. Fixing over-saturated, asymmetric, or discolored work costs more than doing it right once, takes multiple sessions, and sometimes needs removal first. When a price looks dramatically below market (in the Austin area, quality brow work generally runs $300–600), the difference is coming out of pigment quality, sterile supplies, training, or time spent on your design. Your face is the wrong place to find out which.
Use the consultation as your test drive
Every serious studio offers a consultation, free, in our case, and it tells you almost everything. Did they analyze your face and skin before proposing a technique, or push one service on everyone? Did they map and show you the design for approval? Did they ask about medications, skin conditions, and your daily routine? Did you feel rushed? The consultation is where you interview them. Book one with us and bring every question on this list, we like clients who ask.
Quick answers
How do I verify a PMU studio is licensed in Texas?
Ask to see the studio license, Texas requires tattoo/PMU studios to be licensed with the state health department. Legitimate studios display it and will show you without hesitation.
What is a fair price for permanent makeup in the Austin area?
Quality brow work in the greater Austin market generally runs $300–600, with the perfecting touch-up either included or $150–200. Prices dramatically below that range usually signal cut corners in training, pigments, or sterile supplies.
What questions should I ask at a PMU consultation?
Ask how they choose technique and pigment for your skin, ask to see healed photos of that exact service, ask what the price includes and what the touch-up costs, and ask them to walk you through healing week by week. A good artist answers all of it happily.
Want to see how we answer all five? Come meet us, the consultation is free.
Every service at Frenkel PMU House begins with a personal consultation at our Leander studio, serving Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, and greater Austin.