She has been working assiduously within the micropigmentation field for more than three years and she does not know what failure is. In this article we are going to relate about the career that Gabriela Rotundu, a Romanian woman settled in Leeds UK, has built in the beauty industry. Having an angelic face and a strong character, she has achieved success by determination, desire, work and studies. She continues to learn, and the dozens of prizes and championships in which she is constantly participating, are a clear proof that she is a professional specialist who focuses on quality and innovation.
She discovered the secrets of the micropigmentation specialist job 3 years ago and immediately fell in love with it. Since then, she has improved continuously in order to achieve outstanding results.
It all started in 2018 when the manicurist I was going to, Zane Ionela, who now is a famous hair stylist, inspired me with this idea. I felt the need to make a change, and she told me: “Gabriela, you have studied plastic arts, why do not you try to do some courses to become a micropigmentation expert? After I saw some works, that were so perfect and wonderful, I told myself that I had to try. I started to better document and look for professional trainers from whom I could learn the secrets of this job. Sometimes I think I was not the one who chose micropigmentation, but I was the chosen one.
I chose to continue and to dedicate myself 100% to this field when I realized how many benefits this can bring into a person’s life when the procedure is executed correctly. I was so excited about my choice, that I chose to study the micropigmentation for all our three face elements – eyebrows, eyes and lips, through different techniques. At the Simetric Academy with PMU expert Larisa Tanase, who guided me in everything, and from that moment my life was totally changed for the better. From the first day of the course I felt that I have found my goal.
Simetric Academy: My eyebrows done by PMU EXPERT LARISA TĂNASE
I have studied Fine Arts, more precisely church painting at the Nicolae Tonitza Art High School, then I had to finish my Art studies in Drobeta Turnu Severin, at Scoala de Arta Populara [Folk Art School] because my parents moved from Bucharest. Following these studies, I was also approved the right to sign the works I create. After these studies, the next step was to get a job as an apprentice, to take part in church paintings and restorations in the city where I came from – Drobeta Turnu Severin. But I was informed that I had to pay a big amount to start the activity, so I was a little discouraged and I stopped searching. Since then, I’ve crossed the cities working whatever brought me an income; I was independent from an early age.
Finally, we arrived in Timisoara, where I settled and where after a long time I managed to find a job that provided me with a stable income for a decent life, namely I worked as Hostess at Casino Wettpunkt, Eldorado. At the moment I live in England, “my adoptive country” – as I like to call it , where I found my soul mate and I am happy with him – my partner Tom, the one who has been supporting me on my trip to success since the very start.
She is artistic and is interested in everything that is beautiful, but she has a strong personality, too. Gabriela’s ambition is boundless and she admits that in all her activity years she has managed to grow professionally thanks to investing in her own development.
- She has studied the micropigmentation of the eyebrows through 6 different techniques, from the architecture and their stylization to powdering, thread by thread microblading, Ombre, Sombre and Hybrid;
- Eyeline micropigmentation: infraciliary and classic eyeliner;
- Micropigmentation of the lips through 3 different techniques: powdered, ombre and intense lipstick effect;
- The Powder technique is the most sought after, at least among my clients because it has evolved a lot. Now there are several ways to create this technique in such a way that it matches for all categories of women plus it can be carried out on all skin types.
Successes come on one at a time!
The last championship I attended was the World Lash Championship Venice 2021 in the Master category organized by Loredana Atanasiu. I was nominated with 3 awards, two of them with 2nd place in Powder and eyebrow lamination categories, and one with 3rd place for Henna. Despite all that is going on a global scale, I also participated in the Tik Tok Around the World Competition organized by Giovanni Maralldi, where I was nominated with 1st place for eyebrow lamination and 2nd place for Henna.
But it all started with my first Lashfest 2018 championship organized by Corina Turcuman. Then, my interest in participating was increasing, and as a Junior I was nominated with the 1st place for the Powder and Microblading Technique, 2nd place for stylization with Henna and I received the Best Technical Work “Fashion Eyebrows” Cup from Larisa Tanase.
I believe that all championships are important as for each of them we train and practice intensely. At the same time, we improve our labour and we accumulate new knowledge. Each time I’m preparing with the trainers that taught me. For example, Larisa Tanase makes a group for us the participants where we put our works, and it helps us with constructive suggestions for all. Even during this period I’m preparing for another championship-Germanybestlash & bro, organized by Violeta One.
I was awarded the 1st place in the micropigmentation of the lips and eyebrows Special award, where I took the Crown. It was also at the Germany Best Lash & Brow Championship 2021.
Recently, I was nominated with 5 other awards: 1st place for Henna brow, 2nd place for powder technique and lips micropigmentation, 3rd place for powder and lips micropigmentation. I participated with several works and I am very happy for each result that I obtained.
“If you want to be the best, you have to learn how to do it, from the best”!
I choose the training courses based on the public needs and the situations I face every day. First, at least one masterclass per year is needed to learn the new trends in micropigmentation-colorimetry, pigmentology and corrections.
- I studied the pixel powder technique with PMU EXPERT LARISA TĂNASE, being perfect for those who want a natural result of the eyebrows.
- Removing old works, Tattoo remover with Teodora Natalia Draghici.
- I made further trainings in the stylization of henna eyebrows, together with Lilia Hanganu.
- I improved my natural eyebrow styling techniques with Camand Ramzian as trainer.
- Recently, I successfully completed the laser removal courses and other substance removal courses at the Symmetric Academy with Larisa Tănase.
- The last technique that I have studied was an ambition of mine, namely hairstroke (threads using the micropigmentation device), with Cornelia Copăceanu.
Even though she always had the support of those close to her, she did not have everything handed to her. She was educated in such a way that she could get what she wanted on her own.
One of the difficult moments in my professional evolution was when I was enrolled in masterclass courses with Larisa Tănase and I was preparing for my first championship, Live Lash Fest organized by Corina Turcuman, and at that time my mother passed away. It was a mixture of emotions that was hard to describe. That’s why, from that moment on, I call difficult moments, challenges, thinking that way I can get over them with flying colours.
What made me not give up? I knew that my mother would not want this; she would have wanted me to give my best. I have had support from the wonderful people in my life, the family that is together with me emotionally, my partner who supports me at every step, my mentor, Larisa Tănase, trainers and clients who have a very important role in my evolution and whom I thank from the bottom of my heart.
She adores her job because it gives her the freedom to always create something new, and the ambition and courage helped her to always achieve remarkable results.
I think that if you have a passion for what you do, it will never be hard. Intense preparations, courses, championships and congresses are a pleasure when you love this field. As for the qualities that a micropigmentation expert shall have, I think one needs to be creative, to have ambition, desire, to have a mentor, to be responsible, not to stop investing in knowledge and believe in oneself.
If some specialists are pleased with one or two improvement courses, for Gabriela, continuous learning gains importance and a stronger nuance. The quote: “Anyone who gives up learning is old, even if he/she is 20 or 80 years old. Anyone who continues to learn stays young. The most important thing in life is to keep your own young mind” characterises her entirely, and new knowledge is the basis of success.
In the micropigmentation field and not only, things evolve in an accelerated way. That is why we also have to keep up if we want glad customers to come back with confidence. I love when I help putting a smile on my clients’ face, knowing that I took the best decision with them. This cannot be realized for real and indefinitely if you do not improve yourself.
A day in the life of Gabriela Rotundu, looks like this…
When I have time, I paint. My style to paint is the same as when I create the semipermanent makeup. In painting, as in micropigmentation, there are well established rules that you have to follow in order to have a quality result. These two also have in common that from one work to another, I discover something new and it never becomes monotonous. In the case of painting, I create a story that then I put on the canvas using the right colours, being closer to the message I want to transmit.
In the case of micropigmentation, the story is the client, and during professional counselling I get to know her lifestyle and the way she is as a person; then, the next step is to create the eyebrows that best suit her personality. Every person has a story and a way of expression, but sometimes we are mistakenly understood because perhaps one of the elements of our face does not help us, as if something is missing. Therefore, the invention of semipermanent makeup is amazing through the multiple advantages that it can bring to us.
