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Mirror Magazine

Piercing appeal
By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
Ouch, that was the initial reaction. The staff at Mr. Pierce Studios had all done something drastic. One had an eyebrow ring, and another a nose ring. Their forearms were bursts of colour. I stare mesmerised. They laugh and say, "But it doesn't hurt at all!"

The latest salon in town, Mr. Pierce Studios has it all. There's the Hair and Beauty Parlour that caters to kids and adults alike, no discrimination. Whether you want to cut it, crimp it, straighten it or perm it, these guys are willing to go the whole haul and more.

Did I say more? Well more it is. For, besides the usual menu available at beauty parlours around Colombo, Mr. Pierce Studios is willing to, as the name suggests, 'Pierce your ears, eyebrows, navel or even your tongue!

Mr. Pierce Studios International is recognised throughout Britain as the premier company at the 'cutting edge' of western fashion. As well as the successful salon and training academy based on the south coast of England they have been responsible for training over 400 other professionals in hair, beauty and nails throughout Europe.

Mike Packham, the founder of the salon who speaks of twenty-five years experience in the field, explains. "Well, it all began around 10 years ago. I started to receive calls from young girls asking if I would do body piercing for them. What I conducted at the time was merely a hair and beauty salon and I was shocked at the number of calls that were coming in. It really struck me only when a friend of my daughter got a tongue ring done and it got infected. I realised then that the piercing revolution was really taking place and thought of starting up on my own."

At the time, piercing was, as Mike suggests associated with 'big burly men and dark studios', but it was a trend that kept growing. After talking to a piercing artiste, Mike went on to have a chat with medical officials and aromatherapy experts in order to perfect the most hygienic method of performing the art. "An after effects formula was created together with an aromatherapy company and we began piercing!"

A salon in London soon became interested. They called up Mike and thus began a career in teaching the correct art of piercing. An exhibition in London followed.

"Twenty people signed up for lessons during the day. It was a hit!" Their recipe for the perfect piercing was what drew the customers. They all specialise in Tattoos. "We'd first have a discussion with the client as to what he/she would prefer. After the tattoo has been completed, the client would have to listen to the lecture on after-care and the client would be free to come back to us at any time," says Mike.

All permanent tattoo wearers, your prayers have been answered. For through some research, Mr. Pierce Studios has found an American liquid that can remove that mark off your shoulder for good! The E-Raze liquid is implanted to contact the unwanted pigment and acts like a magnet, drawing it gradually to the surface of the skin.

Mike is a firm believer that fashion should be temporary. "The designs change with time and a permanent tattoo would be unmoveable." At around the same time he heard of a German pigment that would not leave a permanent mark.

This is perfect for all those who want a tattoo, which is not for life! All colours are available, and the process is not painful. The life of the tattoo will depend on such factors as the age of the client, the position of the tattoo on the body and the amount of sun it is exposed to. There's also airbrush tattoos for the not so daring. These last from five days to a week.

But that's not all. Mr. Pierce Studios says that to add 'sparkle' to your life a tooth jewel should be experimented with! Tiny crystal like objects are affixed on to the teeth. This is a temporary sticker and can be discarded at any given time.

The 'wake up to make up' concept is also to be introduced. Using the disposable micro needles in their Golden Eye computerised pen, you can have permanent eyebrows, eyeliner and lip liner for up to five years. The shade is carefully chosen during a consultation, a colour match paint is applied for you to approve and the treatment carried out during a half-hour. "This is a big step, especially when going in for the permanent eyebrow. The fashion of the time should be of no consideration. A classic arch is best," says Mike.

Mr Pierce studios are also to be the first British based hair and beauty salon group to have BOI approval.

But how popular is the art going to be in Sri Lanka? "Immense!" he says. "When Rochelle Ekanayake, the salon director first e-mailed me about two years back, I was unsure. But she was persistent. She came to an exhibition one day and that proved to me just how serious she was. Everything took off after that! If the response we've received this far is anything to go by, as Rochelle very rightly said, this is just what Sri Lanka needed."

Together with all these services, Mr. Pierce Studios will also hold a full wedding service (Rochelle's speciality) which will include advice service, the design and hire of wedding attire and full makeup service for the big day.

So if you are ready for a dramatic change in your life, this might be just the place to visit!

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