Today we’d like to introduce you to Gene Phillips.
Hi Gene, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, I’m Gene. I was born and raised in Malaysia. I spent a year in New Zealand for my bachelor’s degree and started my career as an animation producer back in Malaysia while still pursuing my passion as a bridal make-up artist on the weekends. I won numerous awards in the beauty industry, including being voted one of the top 10 make-up artists in Malaysia. This was all due to my drive for perfection and passion, and interest to never stop learning. I met my husband 2012, quit my full-time job as an executive animation producer after I gave birth to my first child. A second would arrive three years after the first.
We started planning on moving back to my husband’s previous home, Houston. Even though I would be away from my home country, I knew I would want to start a business in which I could use my artistic talents. Animation wasn’t a good option in Houston, and the bridal makeup job would occupy my weekends, not allowing me to spend time with my family.
So, I thought “I want to do something that would allow me to arrange my schedule so as not jeopardize quality time with my family”. Back then, microblading was all the rage and impressive to me because with it, it is possible to create realistic hair strokes that blend in with the eyebrow. I knew that with my beauty and artistic background, it wouldn’t be hard for me to master that skill. So, while still in Malaysia, I started that business. The time came, and we eventually moved to Houston.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I moved to Houston in July 2018. I was in a new country with a new culture and completely new set of rules for business. All I had was my husband and my two young kids. I had to start from scratch, which presented numerous challenges. I knew nothing about the market and nothing about how to set up a business here.
But I have always believed that it is not possible to beat a person who won’t give up.
When I arrived in Houston, it took me three months to get my kids into school, settle myself, build my own website, and start the microblading business. By this time, it was October 2018. I worked diligently to promote my work through social media with tons of updates and postings. I considered myself very lucky as in I didn’t struggle to keep the business running, but I can’t deny the considerable effort that I put in to make that happen. Business was good until Covid hit in January of 2020. I chose to stop the business completely rather than risk my health. That was a tough choice. During this time, my children were attending class online, and I was back to being a full-time mom, managing the children’s schedule.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Gene Phillips Brow Art?
2022 arrived, and I was able to put both children back in school. I decided that it was time to go back to work. Being completely away from the industry for 2 years added to the complexity of returning to the business.
I aimed to master something that would make me different and stand out from others but did not know yet what that would be. I eventually stumbled upon a technique called nano-brow. I knew right away this is what I was looking for and took a course to master these skills before I went back into business again.
I spent many months of late nights learning and practicing this technique after the children were put to bed. The nano-brow technique is exponentially more challenging than microblading. The amount of time that I spent, and still spend practicing, is truly astounding but I believe if you don’t sacrifice for your dream, then your dream becomes the sacrifice. I didn’t just want to be good; I wanted to be the best. My goal was to garner as much positive attention and exposure as possible as soon as I got back to work. I knew the only way to this would be to never stop practicing.
The reason I like this technique the most is because it is possible to achieve ultra-realistic brows with individual strokes (representing individual hairs) that change in density and thickness over a single stroke and between different strokes. No other technique can achieve this.
By using various colors, pressures, and movements of the needle, it is possible to make different stroke effects to suit anyone. This is tremendously satisfying and inspiring! I have no doubt that this is most challenging technique in the permanent make-up word, and in my opinion, among the highest level of art forms. My persistence and hard work paid off because when I launched this technique when I returned to my business, I received such an overwhelming response.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Starting a business in a new country, completely on my own, including signing a rental contract with a salon and getting a license without knowing if it was going to work out or not was a quite a risk in my opinion.
However, I had previous experience with generating new businesses on my own in Malaysia, and they all worked out the way I intended. That definitely gave me confidence I would succeed in Houston even though I was completely new to the city, state, and country. I have always been positive and also a very hard worker. I absolutely believe nothing is impossible if you keep trying, and if someone else can do it, why not me? I have clients now that travel all the way from Austin, Fort Worth, and even Mexico to see me. I am truly blessed that they love my work and have trust in me. No doubt, I am also very lucky to have a super supportive husband who always has my back!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.genephillipsbrowart.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/genephillipsbrowart?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genephillips.browart29/
