Venus Permanent Make-up

The last time I came here was in 2010 for some permanent eyebrows and Kanako did an amazing job. Now we’re in 2014 and I have returned. Again, my eyebrows are perfect. The pictures I have are before and right after. My eyebrows look much more natural after the healing process. I will be back when it’s time and continue to refer friends.

Kanako is absolutely amazing! She is so meticulous and careful about making sure that you get the eyebrows you want. My eyebrows look so natural. Her prices are reasonable and she is wonderful. I definitely recommend her.

If I didn’t live 3 hours away, I’d keep coming back to this place. My friend and I came here on a weekday to try out lash perm service. It was the first time for both of us and Kanako was able to do our lashes together so we didn’t have to wait an hour for each other. Her place is small and we walked right past it twice, but once we found it, it was clean and quiet. The actual process takes maybe 45 minutes? I ended taking a cat nap. The outcome of the service was worth the drive and $ 60. My lashes stayed curled for probably a little over 2 months? And my friend was amazed with hers, she didn’t even realize she had lashes. Lol. I’ve since tried another place in my area and the perm didn’t even last a month.
If I was on a mission for another perm, definitely coming here again.

I’ve been to Kanako twice now and I absolutely love her. Her prices are reasonable and she’s an ultra perfectionist. She’ll make minor adjustments to your eyebrows until you’re completely satisfied and she’s such a sweet person! I would definitely recommend her.

As a teenager, I over-​plucked my eyebrows. As a result, they’ve been uneven and patchy for years. Liner helps but wears off, and sometimes I don’t feel like wearing makeup but still want a more polished look. A few years ago I started looking into permanent makeup and finally had it done this year.
I wish I’d done it sooner. It looks fantastic.
I was going for a very natural look, just filling in the patchy areas and creating a better shape. I read dozens of reviews and even considered flying down to LA to a person that a friend recommended. In the end I went with Kanako and am so glad I did. First, she’s very warm and friendly and suggested that I come in for an evaluation and could either have the work done that day or take more time to think about it. That’s huge and made me feel a lot better about not being rushed into it. She drew in brows with a liner to make sure she knew what I wanted and we went back and forth on that several times before landing on the exact right look. I asked her about the healing process, etc and decided to have it done that day. Then she got to work. It’s a big investment in terms of money and trust and I never felt that she pressured me at any point.
Second, as others have mentioned, she’s a perfectionist. We probably went through 12 – 15 checks where she’d ask me to sit up and she’d stare at my brows looking for the slightest imperfection and then correcting it. She also got my input at each point along the way.
Third, it didn’t hurt much at all (this was my first tattoo ever). Everyone has a different pain threshold; for me, it just felt like little scrapes. The numbing cream helped and the recovery wasn’t bad at all.
Finally, her office and instruments were very clean and her demeanor is very professional.
Definitely remember that your brows will lighten up a lot. When I left, they felt very dark and a little severe but by the 3^rd and 4^th day, the top layer of dead skin was starting to flake off and the real, more natural, color and shape came through. It takes about a week or so for it to look the way it does now (about 4 months later) and the color has held well.
The price is high but given the high stakes (doing something semi-​permanent to your face!) it was worth the investment. I would definitely recommend Kanako.

Kanako’s lovely — friendly, fast and professional. I’ve seen Kanako monthly for the past 4 months for an eyelash perm and her work only gets better. For $ 60, you get a perfect curl that lasts for for 4 – 6 weeks (no stinging, no overly curled lashes) — love that I don’t need to curl my lashes everyday!

I’ve been Kanako’s client for now 5 years — and I’ve had a number of her services. She’s been nothing but professional, kind, attentive, detailed and accommodating. Much respect is given to her for her craft and talent and public service From lash curls to brows, upper and lower liners — I couldn’t be more pleased. Over the years I continue to receive countless compliments. My motto «not trying to change anything — just enhance» I am who I am…

I hate writing bad reviews but don’t waste your time and money. My eyebrows were completely gone within days. Go to «Fanny’s Skin Care» on Geary street in SF. I wish I found out about that place sooner! I love my eyebrows now.

I was interested in eyelash perming since I was going on a trip soon. This was back in Jan 2015. I called Kanako and scheduled an appointment but had to change the appointment and she did not give me any attitude or grief about changing the appointment. I have Asian lashes that are short and straight. The prcoedure did not hurt and time flew by. My eyelash came out curled but not kinky curly. She told me one side was not as curled as she liked so I had to sit a little longer with more solution. In the end, I really liked my eyelash perm. It did last 2 months. The only issue that I have with eyelash perm is that when it starts to wear off, my eyelashes are in different directions. The eyelashes do not uncurl at the same time. Some uncurl quicker than others so it looks really bad. But that’s not Kanako’s fault though. She was very meticulous with her work and worked really fast. Would highly recommend for eyelash perm!

Would be nice if they checked their messages, as their voice mailbox has been full the last few days, they don’t check Unilocal messages often, and they don’t have an email to contact. Would have liked to come here, but if customer service is any indication it doesn’t look like I missed much.

Love love love Kanako-​San! Duomo arigatou! She genuinely care if a customer is truly satisfied with her service. She made sure if I loved the shape of my eyebrow tattoo until I said YES! …for sure it took me over an hour to feel I was sure. yet she has been very patient with me by presenting different options of shapes. I had been extremely selective yet indecisive about a perfect shape I was looking for., (yes, the worst type of customer I didn’t wish to be) but I was realizing how difficult it was to be 100% sure about the shape. Kanako-​San guided me until the very end of my decision by advising me not to worry about changing again if I was not happy, since she wanted to make sure this was what i liked for the next few years. I just came back from her salon and I am very happy and excited with my new eyebrow! I strongly recommend her service to anyone who wish to own a beautiful piece of art (eyebrow) to make everyday life easier by skipping of eyebrow drawing :)

Kanako is AMAZING! I will gladly continue to make the trek from San Rafael just to see her. I just had her perm my eyelashes (for the second time) and couldn’t be more happy. I’ve had my eyelashes permed elsewhere in SF, and my eyes stung the whole time and eyelids were raw afterward (yikes!). Kanako does meticulous work and I’ve never experienced a second of discomfort. My eyelashes are seriously perfect. I didn’t realize how clumpy the previous girl who did mine left them, and that my eyelids shouldn’t feel raw… and that this could actually be a fun experience. Additionally, Kanako is really fun to talk to. Can’t wait to see her again soon. xx! Thanks, Kanako!

I really did not want to write this review since Kanako is such a nice lady but felt I needed to informed the public about my last experience. The ink she uses for permanent makeup did not stay unfortunately even though I thought her eyebrow shaping/​design was excellent. I went back three times for touch ups (each time free of charge to correct the error) without any success each time and finally gave up.

Kanako’s a great esthetician, and I have been going to her for lash perms over the past 6 months. While I have long lashes, they do not hold a curl so I wanted to find the next best solution. Although I previously wanted lash extensions, I was not looking forward to the monthly touch-​ups and the damage it causes to lashes, so lash perms seemed to fit what I was looking for.
The entire process takes about 45 minutes (20 minutes for the solution, and 20 minutes for the neutralizer), and is painless. The solution also does not really sting, although it can be a tad uncomfortable if you get it in your eyes. However, Kanako is very meticulous with a gentle touch, and I have had no issues during any of my visits.
Kanako did mention that not everyone’s lashes ‘take’ on the first session, and my first perm definitely did not last very long (approximately 5 – 6 weeks). Upon’s Kanako’s recommendation, I went back after 3 months (just like hair, you don’t want to continuously perm your lashes too often), and my second session has lasted much longer.

I wish I can give Kanako five stars, but I can’t. I did both my eyeliners and eyebrows with her last October. Same as other reviews mentioned, the tattoo apparently not holding up and faded away leave uneven look on my eyebrows about a year. I called her, the answer I got from her was everyone is different, she stated she thinks there is no point to do touch up anymore. She suggested me to find other method (tattoo gun which she is not doing) to fix the problem. Honestly, I just think the name of «Permanent Makeup» is misleading. I do not expect tattoo will stay «Permanent» but definitely should be longer than only a year.

My eyebrows have bald spots and an awkward, too-​round arch. Kaneko fixed both problems. My daughter raved at how natural the arch is now. My skin seems to have a difficult time retaining the ink, but Kaneko does touch-​ups. I am more than 5 stars pleased!

I really want to give Kaneko five stars because she did a great job with the brow tattoos. Very natural looking with the feather brush work. She has a gentle touch and the brow work was almost painless. The eyeliner, however, was another story. It was painful and it looks like it was drawn with a Sharpie pen, even months later. It does not look natural. She seemed to be in a hurry and one of the lines is slightly off. It hasn’t been a year but the dye has faded and does not match the brows.

Apparently the ink didn’t stay on my skin… within a year and a half it almost totally disappeared off my eyebrows. Always stayed away when using cleansers on my face so she said it’s that some peoples’ skin doesn’t «take» to the ink. That it’d be better for me to have it done with a place that uses a tattoo gun. :(

I noticed right away that she is very meticulous and experienced. She made excellent suggestions but at the same time listened carefully to what I wanted as well. Even though I know far less than she does about eyebrows (seeing as I rarely put on make up), she was still super polite and answered all the various concerns and questions I had.
The procedure only slightly hurt during the first few seconds when the numbing cream has not yet been applied (because she needs to see the planned shape) but after that, you can doze right off!
After the procedure, which took around 30 minutes (it takes around another 30 minutes to plan before the procedure), she made a few more adjustments. She then even offered to pluck my brows for me without me asking her to do so. What a kind lady!
As a beginner to the world of makeup, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to any of my good friends.

Update: I’m giving her another 5 stars!!! I gave in and decided to do the Eyebrow and Eyeliner Tattoo and the procedure was worth every single penny and every single minute of pain. Yes, Kanako uses a numbing cream but I am the biggest pain wuss so it still HURT! No pain no gain right? Trust me, if you want something permanent and perfect, you should only allow her and ONLY her to touch you face!
Just like any other normal tattoo, your skin will peel. After it peeled, my tattoo was a bit faded and it looked more natural. She does offer a free touch up six months after the procedure. That should help put more definition into my tattoo. Mine faded so much that she actually touched mine up for a third time for free. You can tell that she is perfectionist because she didn’t stop until my eyebrows and eyeliner were perfect. She definitely gets A++++ for customer service. She was very considerate about the fact that I’m a pain wuss and she put extra numbing cream on me so that I’m not in as much pain.
The best part was Loverboy didn’t even notice that I had my eyebrows and eyeliner tattooed. He thought I was just wearing light makeup. I have gotten so many compliments on my eyebrows and this made all the pain and money worth it. My eyeliner looks really natural and it gives my eyes more definition.
Also, she is STILL my go to gal for eyelash perms. I don’t let anyone else touch my lashes. She always does a 100% amazing job and it would really break my heart if she moved away.

Kanako is AMAZING!
This is my second permanent make-​up experience. I had eyeliner done 10years ago (somewhere else). I love the idea of permanent make-​up for eyeliner (top only) and eyebrows– it’s SO great. I’m more on the natural, low maintenance side when it comes to beauty regimes so people are always surprised that I would do this, but to me it’s brilliant. :) As long as you go to someone who is very good and a perfectionist.
Which brings me to my opinion of Kanako– She IS a PERFECTIONIST, and she is super sweet. She will make sure you are happy with the results, she really cares. Her prices are excellent considering the value in how she does business. I can not imagine going to a wham-​bahm-​in-​and-​out permanent make-​up place. It’s a tattoo on your face, you want it done by someone who is an artist, who will listen to you and help you figure what will look best on your face.
The result is super NATURAL, even when I tell people and they look close they are surprised and can’t get over how natural they look.
She is very hygienic and cautious. Sure it may hurt a little but not bad, ask for a little extra numbing cream… and before you know it you’re done.
It will be darker for the first 4 – 7 days, then it will flake a little… and you are left with natural looking brows.
I will actually redo my eyeliner with Kanako sometime later this year (just because what I have from 10 years ago is starting to fade).
NOTE: If you are curious I uploaded a photo of my eyebrows.

I can’t even blink right now. What happened to the woman who handled my eyeliner two years ago? I’m a woman who can handle pain (I’ve got a full back tattoo and laid still for 8 hours with no breaks) and I just came back from a three hour Thai massage so I considered myself a pretty strong woman… until today.
I booked an appointment online with Kanako to get a touch up on my eyeliner that turned grey and spotty and after two years, it’s to be expected. I told her I hadn’t been in for at least a year or two but I wanted to make the original area darker and just like the way it was. She replied in a timely manner and everything was all set to go. I even arrived 15 minutes early but then…
She forgot to take her Zoloft or something today. She looked through her paperwork to see my release forms and left me standing there in the uncomfortably stuffy room. She had me lay down as usual on the dentist chair and literally slapped on some numbing gel that got stuck underneath the eyelid and thus making me tear up. We waited so long for the gel to set in while she was jotting down notes that it no longer served its purpose. Every single stab made something deep inside twitch and cringe. (I mentioned I sat through an 8 hour tattoo session with no issues right?)
When I looked in the mirror, there was blood pooled in the corner of my eye. I don’t mean a slight schmear, I mean a crusting of blood sitting there in the corner of my eye. Both my eyes are throbbing, I looked like a hot mess coming out of the place and I’m still tearing up 4 hours later from traces of the numbing gel in my left eye. To top it off, she charged me $ 120 for 30 minutes of a touch up. Her website says $ 70. She also said in a very cold tone, «I can’t do free touch ups on this one.» First of all, I’ve never had free touch ups and second of all, $ 120+tip for 30 minutes of blood and numbed tears will be a hard lesson learned indeed.