Browstress
Curt Saunders
Krystal Cummings, owner of the cosmetic tattoo studio Browstress, wasn’t always into beauty stuff. Before pursuing her license five years ago in permanent and semi-permanent makeup — getting trained to do microblading, brow tinting and other services — she was a 911 operator working the graveyard shift. (Far from her passion, but it paid the bills.)
The Fort Greene native took an interest only when her beloved Aunt Wendy was diagnosed with cancer. “She lost her hair, and I started researching ways to help her get her eyebrows back,” says Krystal, 34, who excitedly discovered permanent makeup videos on YouTube. “I learned that it can really change the lives of people who felt like they lost something; it helps them regain their confidence. I became obsessed with it.”
As Aunt Wendy battled chemo, she encouraged her niece’s burgeoning interest. “She was like, ‘Why don’t you go get trained, and I’ll be your first model,’” Krystal recalls.
Her aunt sadly passed before Krystal could do her brows — but not before inspiring Krystal to fully pursue her passion. In early 2018 she left the 911 call center and opened Browstress (originally in Greenpoint, now in DUMBO), where she regularly boosts her clientele’s confidence and polish with meticulous tattooing techniques, including microblading, nanoblading, lip blushing, freckle tattoos and more.
Curt Saunders
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
“I go very lightly; my clients come to me because they like the natural look.”
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
Courtesy of Browstress
Krystal offers various techniques at Browstress. There’s microblading, the process of delicately implanting pigment into the skin with a tiny needle. There’s the even more natural-looking nanoblading, which uses ultra-sharp needles that mimic the true diameter and dimension of hair. Then there’s combination microblading + microshading, finished with powder for a fuller look, as well as the needle-free process of brow tinting. Krystal also specializes in freckle tattooing, which has proven popular with clients looking for a little something different.
No matter the treatment, her approach is always the same. “I go very lightly,” says Krystal, who consults carefully with clients to map out the shape that works best for their face. “My clients come to me because they like the natural look.”
So why go with permanent makeup? “It saves you time to wake up and not have to do your eyebrows, especially for women with children,” says Krystal, who can relate as a mother of two teen girls herself. “I also have clients who work out heavy, or who are swimmers. But mostly, my clients are people who just want to look a little more pulled together — maybe not all the way done up, but just a little bit.”
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
At Browstress, Krystal prides herself on getting people comfortable for their cosmetic tattoos in an intimate, homelike experience. The airy studio is minimalist with warm touches like plants, a comfy couch, tea and palo santo (not to mention a majestic view of the Manhattan Bridge). And as a native Brooklynite who grew up in Fort Greene, where she still lives, the significance of working just blocks away in DUMBO is not lost on her.
“The neighborhood is completely different from when I was growing up,” Krystal says. “But seeing all the new businesses opening up actually gave me a little more hustle and inspired me to start my own.”
Last year she added her twin sister, Keila, to the Browstress team to work alongside her. Together they also provide training courses for treatments including lip blush, microblading and freckles tattooing. “I feel like permanent makeup is a career that they don’t really talk about in school,” Krystal says. “Being a business owner makes me feel so proud, and I want to show people another way that they can become entrepreneurs too.”
68 Jay St, Brooklyn, 917-474-2366, Browstress.com
