Episode 2 Skin Deep: The Business of Beauty

My name is Jessica-Jane Clement. When I'm not working as a model or

trying to protect you from being scammed on the Real Hustle, you

will find me trying out the beauty treatments. I have learned from my

experience it can be like the Wild West. In most parts of the country,

you, me or anyone can open up a saloon. You don't need experience,

but there are some shockers out there. Each week with are

investigating various beauty disaster stories and trying to

discover what went wrong. Tonight, the semi-permanent that cause long-

term damage. It has just knocked me. Completely knocked me. She got a

pair of tweezers and was just ripping my eye lids apart. I'm on

the case of the salons responsible. What sort of glue did you uses that

caused this client of yous to end up in A&E Department? Us girls

spend on average 300 days of our lives applying make-up. It costs us

�9,000, but you can say goodbye to all of this lot with semi-permanent.

Then again, if it goes wrong, it will take more than a wet wipe to

get it off as 34-year-old mum of three, Michelle Musselwhite were

Liverpool, found out to her cost. did overpluck my eyebrows, that is

probably why they were lighter and there was not much hair there.

thought that the answer to the make-up nightmares was the semi-

permanent eyebrow tat use. I said to my husband, it would be great if

I could have them tattooed. Snai. said it would be a nice treat to

have them down. But her eyebrow tat use turned out to be a cosmetic

tragedy. I researched the net, and they turned out to cost �300, this

is what I'm left with. This one here is longer. It is also thinner

here than this one. This one has a dip. They just don't look the same.

It has just knocked me. Completely knocked me. I hate going out.

sorry. Today, in stead of fuss-free brows, Michelle will need an art

degree to pint them in properly. have to colour in the light bit

there first. Then on this side I start here as this is the part that

is a bit lighter than the rest. I give it a colour in. To do all of

this every day, it probably takes about half an hour, 45 minutes.

is no longer relaxed about her appearance. I won't go out unless

I've coloured them in. It's affecting me. If I had known, I

would never have gotten them done. More of us than ever are opting for

semi-permanent, but it is not cheap. Eyebrows can set you back up to

�500. The procedure involve as needle that imprants ink below the

skin's stays, but not as deep as a normal tattoo, but if the make-up

goes wrong, you can be stuck with it for months. Michelle is coming

to London to meet me. She has donned a cunning disguise. I would

not go out without these. I wouldn't know what else to do. They

hide my eyebrows enough. I'm hoping to find out what went wrong. I am

pretty worried about what she will think of me when she sees me.

know it will be a little difficult for you, but do you mind if I see

your eyebrows? OK, so I can see straight away, is that one going up

higher than the other one? A little more like that? Is it square? Is it

round? I don't know what? How has this affected your confidence? I

can't believe someone has done this to you. I won't go out without my

make-up on, I get paranoid. I think that people can see it. Tell me

about this lady, how did you come across her? I went on to the

internet to search for the best place. She had her conservatory

made into a beauty room. She had the uniform on. It looked to me

professional. At what point when she was doing your eyebrows did you

think something was not right? After the first procedure they

scabbed over. You had to wait for it to fall off before seeing the

end result. This eyebrow was a lot lighter. Like it is now, really. I

went to see her and explained that they don't look the same. She said

not to worry, that they would be alright after a top-up. No

different at all. Have you told her now you are not happy with it, and

has she said she will re-do it? She said there is correction that

needs doing, to come and see me, but I have thought you have no

chance. You are not touching me. Michelle, I think that the world

has to find out how the world of semi-permanent is regulated and

secondly, I think we need to find out how we can help you? Fix them?

How does that sound? That would be fantastic. Thank you very much.

really, really feel for Michelle. The eyebrows are so badly done. The

eyebrows are so important to framing your face. I can't imagine

what she is going through. Jessica- Jane Clement suggested to see if he

is can get hem to correcting them. I am over the moon about it. I

cannot stress enough how happy I am about it I am beaming! If there is

one event that will prompt anybody to trying out a new beauty

treatment, it is getting married, but one bride-to-be, had a makeover

that could ruin her big day. After a seven-year engagement, 24-year-

old hairdresser, Louise from Kent is getting hitched to Jacko in a

few weeks' time. He blew up balloons and put a statement in the

paper. Saying if he told me he loved me, would I marry him. He got

down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Properly. We have a

chart for every part of the wedding so far. Haven't we? Yes. Just so it

runs smoothly. Hopefully! That's the plan, isn't it?! But one thing

they did not plan for was the bride-to-be having a beauty

disaster. I first thought, oh, my God, it's my wedding and I'm

missing half of my lashes. problem started when sister, Katie,

arranged a pre-wedding treat, �20 eyebrow extensions at this salon,

Bollywood Brows. I went in. Sat down. She put the pads under my

eyes. Then started to put the larbs on. About 20 -- lashes on. About 20

minutes after she started to do it, I said that I think that my ie lids

are stuck tote. She said that -- eye lids are stuck together. She

said, no, that they were stuck to the pads, and when she takes them

off I would be able to take them off. She took off the pads, asked

me to open up my eyes, but I could not open my eyes. Shocking lie,

Louise's ie lids had been stuck together. She got tweezers and was

ripping my eye lids apart. I was telling her it was hurting. She

said that this was a bit that people can find uncomfortable.

lashes were left patchy. manager said if I was not happy I

did not have to pay for it. I said I was not paying for them to rip my

eyelashes out. Of course not. Overnight, the beauty blunder

turned into a medical emergency. Her ie eye lids swelled. I went to

A&E Department, the nurse said it looked like they had used superglue.

Nothing was coming off. As glue this strong can cause permanent eye

damage, Louise wonders if her flutter was worth it? I am missing

loads. There is a great big gap here. My wedding is in six weeks'

time. The biggest mistake of my life. We are in the biggest beauty

boom since the 60s. We are expected to pay for eyelashes from �45 to

�200. Single lashes can last up to two months, but beware, the over

use of this treatment leads to bald patches. I went to speak to

Bollywood Brows in Gloucester about this case. First, I needed to work

out what went wrong. So I'm taking the girls to one of the UK's

leading eyelash salons in Knightsbridge, London. Sue Marsh

has agreed to cast her eye over Louise's lids. Louise has had a

painful experience. I would obviously like to see how I can

help. That depends on how Louise's eye lids are growing back. This is

our Louise. Nice to meet you. We have pictures here of the

original eyelashes, I was hoping that they could shed light on what

has happened. You have the extensions here. The glue looks

dreadful. There is a awful lot of glue. I can see that the eye lids

have swolen and the lower lids are swollen and irritated. This

adhesive is the strong adhesive, you can tell by the reaction that

you have had here. It should not come into contact with your eye lid

or skin. It is designed to work on the hair of the lash. Sue things

not only was the glue applied badly, but the technician used the wrong

lashes for the job. This is a commonly known flare lash. It would

be used with an adhesive that lasts overnight. I did not know that they

were just dailies or night lis? I did not know that? It certainly not

something that you would be seen to wear on a day-to-day basis. This

can't do that. The weight is too heavy. Why would they do that?

my opinion, the person applying the product, I don't think, has been

trained correctly. So, you girls went to have semi-permanent

eyelashes, they used semi-permanent glue, but used daily eyelashes.

With the wedding so close, Louise is desperate to find out if her

eyelashes have grown back enough to support falsies. What are you

looking for? I am looking to see the recovery on the lower eyelashes.

So, what is the verdict? They look to be relatively normal. So I think,

going on that, it means that I could do something to help you for

your wedding day! Yeah! That would be lovely. Thank you. That will be

lovely. Thank you. I've also been investigating Michelle

Musselwhite's bad eye -- eyebrow job to find out if you are

protected by this type of salon procedure. When we contacted the

Liverpool county council, in this area, we got a surprise. They told

us that anyone who wanted to open up a semi-permanent make-up salon,

would have to comply with Health and Safety Regulations, but don't

don't have to be registered. So basically, they don't have to be

trained. All of the equipment you need to set up a semi-permanent

make-up salon is available online. So here is a machine for �2,500. I

can pop that into my shopping cart without requirements to prove I am

trained and I would make my money back after a few months. So, I want

the women of Liverpool to know it is up to them to ensure that they

put their brows in the hands of the professionals. This may not look

like much, but it is about to become a brand new pop-up semi-

permanent make-up stand in the heart of Liverpool. Yes. Brilliant.

One, two, three! We are telling the punters we are offering eyebrow

tattoos at �35 a pair as part of a promotion for the new salon. I want

to find out how many ask the vital question, have you have training?

If anyone asks me that I will be honest and say that I have had no

training, that I don't know how to apply the tat use and I don't know

how to use the machine. How many will allow me to sit there in the

chair, turn on the machine and start to tattoo them without even

asking about my qualifications? Welcome to Eyebrows-R-Us. What is

your name? The first clients take a seat. Will they ask about my

qualifications? Can I get you to sign? This is a waiver form. I need

you to read through this for me. Put your name, date of birth and

have a read and sign at the bottom. There is no mention of

qualifications on the form. Even so, all of the punters signs it. So, it

is on with the consultation. The shape that you have now is that

what you like? You have had them done already? I have. When? Three

years ago. I will measure you. You move the hair out of the way. We

have two types of ink, a medium ink and dark ink? Questions? No? Are

you sure we are ready to go, OK? Yes. Right, Amanda. I'm actually,

I'm really sorry, I'm not tattooing your eyes today. It is nothing to

do with your eyebrows, but I'm not really a semi-permanent make-up

artist. These cameras are not here today to film the promotional

video... We are filming a consumer series about... Am I on TV? This is

about beauty Alisons. -- salon. Five people sat in the chair, what

made them happy about me putting a needle to their face? The offer.

it was because of the price? Yes. have never done this before? What

were you thinking? Why didn't you think about asking me about

insurance, certificate of training? I don't know. You must ask to see

certificate of training. Insurance, and you must have a patch test as

well. It was my fault. I did not ask to sequel fictions, or

certificates. It has opened my eyes. I will check on things the next

time. I hope that I have proven that if it often looks too good to

be true, it often is. Hopefully, the girls of Liverpool will think

twice about having their semi- permanent eyebrows down. -- done.

When we contacted the Liverpool City Council, they said that they

are now considering a registration scheme for the salons. Earlier, I

met Michelle Musselwhite. I wanted to free her from the shades of the

semi-permanent tattoo she had done that went badly wrong. We went to

see the make-up maestro, Kevin Fortune. I will bring out her

natural beauty. Kevin Fortune wants to work out why the eyebrows are

wrong for her face. When I look at the picture, I can understand why

Michelle is upset with the eyebrows. One is darker than the other. It is

giving the illusion of sitting back and distorting the shape. The other

thing I noticed is that the eyebrows are high up. On Michelle's

face it gives an unflattering look of a puffy eye lid which she

probably does not have. Something else, the eyebrows are too close

together. That gives the illusion of frowning or looking upset or

angry, but when we cover the eyebrows, Michelle has this soft,

gentle look in the lives. So the whole look together gives us a

different kind of communication. Let's have a look at the virtual

make-back. OK. Let's start again to see if we can do a slightly better

improve 789. Whether I have done here is chosen a shape and style

which I think works for Michelle. Giving her a soft, gentle arch and

dropping them down so it gives a gentler, softer, kinder expression

to her face. I have lengthened the brow as Michelle has a full face.

The overall look gives Michelle a gentler, softer, kinder and more

approachable look to her face. I think it really works. Kevin is

clearly showing me why Michelle's brows had been something to frown

at. I am more determined that -- than ever to sort them out. The

experts confirmed that both our clients had poor treatment at the

salons. I wanted to put these allegationss to the salons to see

what they had to say. Let's see if they will meet up with me. Louise

is finally about to get a fab flutter from eyelash guru, Sue

Marsh. Hello. Alright? How are you? Good to see you. Are you nervous?

Slightly. It is teledays to go before the wedding. I will do a

proper consultation for you if you can follow me in. The eyelashes are

looking better. When I finish you today, you will look like you were

born with beautiful eyelashes. If anything feels uncomfortable, tell

me. Sue is tinting Louise's natural lashes. I will just catch the tips

of those. I am using a mixture of brown and black. Sue is using long-

lasting glue to apply the lashes, but it will not go anywhere near

Louise's eye lids. The extense itself should rest on the hair

shaft itself. In order so that you don't get a reaction from the

adhesive itself. This is no beauty quick-fix. Sue is applying lashes

of different colours and lengths one at time. Because it is your

wedding, I think that you deserve beautiful eyelashes, as all brides

cry. This will be the one where you don't have mascara running down

your cheeks. I am really pleased. If I'm happy, I think you will be

delighted. It is my work, I am excited. I think that she looks

stunning. And after four hours of fiddly work, Louise finally has a

fab flutter of eyelashes. Oh, my, God. I can't believe it! They look

absolutely beautiful. I love them. I feel very confident on the

wedding day, now, I we canon. I really am very happy with the

result. I'm back in Liverpool with a surprise in store for Michelle. I

have set up an appointment with semi-permanent artist, Hazel

Furlong. She's tattooed hundreds of new brows and trained people in the

art. I know that Michelle was disappointed in the treatment she

has had. I will not know if I can fix it until I see her for myself.

Hello! Lovely to see you again. How are you doing? Alright. I'm scared.

You don't know why you are here yet? I know. I'm all excited.

have brought you here to meet a professional semi-permanent make-up

artist. She is going to assess what has happened to your eyebrows and

assess if she can fix them. Now? Yes. Are you excited? Yes. Let's go

and find out what she can do. Come on, Michelle. To work out if she

can help Michelle, Hazell needs to analyse the brows. You can see

where the pigment has come out of the skin. It is a little thicker

here. Can you explain to me what went wrong in the first place, what

this lady did? It is simply a wrong colour choice. Poor technique and

obviously overworking the skin. Hazell, the big question, can you

correct them without removing them? I think there is a good balance

with the shape here. It is up to you. I'm happy to go ahead if you

are? Definitely. After five months of wonky eyebrows, that is great

news for Michelle. This will scratch... It's a bit easier this

time? Oh, yes, much better. Would you like to take a look at your new

brows? Oh, my God! They are gorgeous! I love them. Are you

happy? You like them, really? I can't believe it! E -- I don't have

to draw them on anymore. Over two weeks, Michelle's new brows will

peel and heal, then we will know if they are finally even. In the

meantime, eye come to Gloucester to get answers about Louise's lashes,

but speaking to the salon, Bollywood Brows is proving tricky.

They have shut down. Will talk to some of the shops next door to the

salon to find out when the salon closed down and if they know where

the owner has gone. The salon was not open. I have discovered it has

not traded since August of this year. I don't want to give up, so

I'm going to find out where the other than has gone. It will take

digging, but as the saggon could reopen, I'm determined to track

down the owner of Bollywood Brows. I have done some research, I found

out that the owner and the business is registered at a different

address. It is a residential address. So the best bet is to get

there early to ensure that I catch the other than. I want to show her

this picture of Louise and find out how sneels knowing the painful

predicament that -- how she feels knowing the painful predicament

that Louise went through. I'm waiting for the lady now. She is

here now. Pulling up in the car. I'm going for it. Yvette? I'm

Jessica-Jane Clement from the BBC. I want to ask a few questions

regarding a client of yours who ended up in A&E Department. Are you

filming? I want to know if your beauticians are trained? What are

you doing? What sort of glue are you using that caused this client

of yours to end up in A&E Department. No comment. Why did

your client end up in A&E? Did you use a patch test? Yes. Then why did

she end up in A&E? This is ridiculous. Were your beauticians

actually trained? Well, she was not happy about that. She said that the

beauticians were trained, but there is no explanation as to why that

has happened. If there is one thing I have learned, always ask what

training your beautician has had. A patch test is simple. If the Bute

sigs professional, they should know how to use the right materials in

the correct way. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't assume that if a shop

looks pretty, you are going to get what you paid for. Back in

Liverpool. It's been two weeks since Michelle got her replacement

eyebrows. Have we finally turned that frown upside down?

absolutely love my eyebrows. They are fabulous. I just love being

able to get up every day and not have to pen them in and things. To

just be able to go out. It really is life-changing. I finally have my

old Michelle back. It is so nice to see her with the re-newed

confidence and the bubblyness about her again. My eyebrows make me feel

confident. I'm able to now walk into a room and not feel

embarrassed and sep back or hide behind. I'm the one -- and step

back or hide behind. I'm the one now who goes in first. Mish 7/11

happy, I think that's a cause for celebration. Oh, I love a good

wedding. It looks like Louise's lashes well and truly saw her up

the aisle. When we contacted Michelle original semi-permanent

make-up artist, they said that they have appropriate training and have

been practising -- practising for two years. Saw red raw skin. It

burnt. I want to find out if this stuff is legal. Can I talk to you