Really unhappy. My results are asymmetrical due to her mapping and she stands strong that she made no mistake and

I waited a very long time before deciding to get my brows done because what has happened was honestly one of my biggest fears. I told Rumei beforehand that I was nervous, sent her reference photos, and showed them to her again at my appointment. I paid R1,900 for powder brows because I wanted fuller, defined brows so that I wouldn't have to draw them in every day. I now have to correct the brows she did on a daily basis because they were done asymetrically.

My natural brows were not perfectly symmetrical, but they were also not dramatically uneven, normal brows that didn'tneed a dramatic correction, so there was no reason for my brows to be done as asymwtrical as they were. The main asymmetry I am unhappy with is the difference in the shape that was created through the professional mapping and tattooing. One brow sits noticeably higher and has a much more pronounced arch, while the other is flatter.

During the mapping, I specifically asked for lower arches and discussed wanting longer tails. There were many mapping lines and strokes on my face, which also made it difficult for me to visualise exactly what the final tattooed shape would look like.

I approved the general shape and design I wanted. But I did not understand that I was being asked to independently assess the technical accuracy of the mapping or take responsibility for ensuring the final tattoo would be symmetrical. I am a makeup artist, so I understand facial balance and aesthetics, but I do not tattoo brows. I trusted her as the professional who does this every day to assess the positioning and symmetry properly before permanently tattooing my face.

Once the initial shape was finished, the brows were already uneven. It was at that point that I was repeatedly handed the mirror and asked where I wanted changes made. From then on, the changes were based on what I was pointing out and asking her to adjust. I was put in the position of having to identify what was wrong and guide her on how I thought it should be corrected.

I did ask for several changes because I was trying to get the brows as balanced as possible. But not once, while I was saying that something didn't look right, did I feel that she stepped back and independently assessed the two brows as a whole and made her own professional corrections. The changes were only made when I specifically told her what I wanted changed. She also said things like "I thought so..." when at one point I had asked for anither correction, after I already asked for several corrections. she found it ammusing that I was requesting so many changes. I was simply trying to balance them and I felt very uncomfortable and uneasy by the manner in which she seemed to find it funny that I was asking for so many corrections.

After several changes, I actually told her that I was going to stop requesting changes and rather make further adjustments at the touch-up because I was afraid of making them worse. At that point, I had already asked for several changes and the brows were better, but they were still significantly different. I didn't know what else I should be asking her to change, and I was becoming increasingly nervous that continuing to direct changes could make the result worse. I was not expecting to be put in that situation.

So I did not leave the salon feeling that I liked or approved of the brows as they were. I stopped asking for corrections because I was afraid of making them worse, not because I was satisfied with the result.

This is an important distinction when she says that I "approved" the brows. I approved the general design I had asked for when we were doing mapping. I did not knowingly approve significant technical asymmetry, and I did not understand that I was expected to measure, assess and independently verify the symmetry of the professional mapping. I also told her that I was stopping correction in fear of making them worse.

My understanding was that the mapping approval was primarily about the aesthetic design like the thickness, arch, tail length and overall shape I wanted. I expected the technical assessment of positioning and symmetry to be part of the professional expertise I was paying for. I also expected her to be able to look at the completed brows, recognise any imbalance and use her own experience to correct it.

I did not understand that the process would become me telling her exactly where to add or change shape while she followed my instructions. I don't tattoo brows, and I don't know how changing one part of a mapped brow will affect the final shape once the ***ment settles.

That is why I don't believe it is fair to say that because I approved the mapping or asked for certain changes, I therefore accepted responsibility for the final result. I trusted her professional expertise to assess the finished brows and ensure they were as symmetrical as reasonably possible.

I contacted her that same night, within 12 hours of the procedure, because I was already unhappy with the asymmetry. Her response was that she could never make them exactly the same, that she thought they looked good, and that I needed to let them heal.

After that conversation, and as I thought more about the appointment, I became increasingly concerned about what had actually happened. I realised that the mapping itself appeared to have positioned the brows differently, and that once the initial shape was completed, I had been re**** upon to point out the problems and tell her where I wanted more changes made. That was a major part of why I subsequently asked for a partial refund. I felt that I had paid a professional to use her expertise to create and balance the brows, rather than for me to have to work out how to correct the way she tattoed them myself. I was very uncomfortable at the thought that she would be doing corrections at the touch-up with everything considered because my trust was already affected.

Two days later, I was still very unhappy and felt that she simply wasn't seeing the issue I was trying to explain. I asked for a partial refund.

She declined the refund. Her main reasoning was that I had approved the brows and that she had done nothing wrong. She also said that brows can never be made exactly the same and maintained that she believed they looked good. She offered to help by providing laser removal if I did not like the result.

This is where I feel her reasoning misses the actual issue. I never expected the brows to be perfectly identical. My issue is that there is a significant difference in the tattooed shape, and that difference was already present in the initial tattoed shape before I was asked to direct changes.

Approving the general design of the mapping is not the same as approving the technical symmetry of the finished tattoo. I trusted her to use her professional expertise to assess the mapping and the positioning of the brows. When the initial shape was already uneven, I did try to point out what I was seeing and asked for several changes. But I should not have been expected to know exactly how to technically correct a permanent brow tattoo myself.

At that point, I was still willing to work with her. I app**** makeup to my brows once specifically to demonstrate what I was seeing and how simply adding colour in certain areas could make the overall shape appear much more balanced. I then asked whether, at the touch-up, I could use the mapping pencil myself to show her exactly where I felt the brows needed balancing so that we could discuss a possible correction.

I already felt that this was going far beyond what should reasonably be expected of a client, but I was still willing to find a solution and even to pay additional money for a touch-up.

My message asking about this was then ignored for more than a week. I received no response, no explanation and no apology. After everything I had done to try to communicate the problem and find a way forward, being ignored completely broke the remaining trust I had that we could work together to fix it.

Only after being ignored for that week did I send my final message asking again for a partial refund.

Another major issue for me is how the photographs and "proof" has been handled. Rumei relies heavily on a few photographs taken immediately after the procedure, from lower angles, as evidence that the brows are symmetrical.

I agree that they look much more similar in the single photograph she sent. However, that photograph was taken immediately after tattooing, while there was still swelling, and from an angle that makes the difference considerably less obvious. One photograph from one angle cannot establish that two permanently tattooed brows are symmetrical from normal viewing angles.

Even the photograph I sent her that same night already showed the difference to me. As the swelling subsided, the asymmetry became increasingly obvious, particularly when looking straight at the brows and slightly downward.

Since then, I have sent her multiple photographs, including photographs taken with my back camera, showing the difference from other angles. At one point I was told that my selfie camera was causing the asymmetry, so I specifically sent back-camera photographs as well. A mirror image does not create assymetry where there is none. I have experience in photography and understand the principles.

What bothers me most is that, despite receiving these photographs, she has never once acknowledged the difference I am pointing out in them. The only response I received along those lines was the initial statement that she thought the brows looked good and that she could never make them exactly the same. She did not engage with the specific asymmetry I was showing her or acknowledge why the brows looked significantly different from certain angles.

I do have video footage that also shows how the asymmetry changes in visibility depending on the angle, but I did not send it to her. After the way my photographs had already been dismissed without any acknowledgement of the difference I was pointing out, I did not feel that sending more evidence would result in a meaningful discussion about what I was actually seeing.

This is important because I am not claiming that one particular photograph is somehow "wrong." My point is that the appearance changes significantly depending on the angle. From one lower angle, particularly while the brows were still swollen, they can appear much more similar. From the front and especially when looking slightly downward, the difference becomes much clearer. That is precisely why I don't believe it is reasonable to rely on one immediate post-procedure photograph as proof that the brows are symmetrical. I see my brows every day in person so I found it very insulting that she kept referring to that one photo she has.

This is also why I don't think it is reasonable to say that my concerns are simply because I expected perfection. I understand that natural faces are not perfectly symmetrical, and I never expected identical brows down to the millimetre. My concern is that the tattooed shapes are significantly different from one another and that the difference was created or exaggerated through the professional shaping and tattooing.

I have seen many powder brows, both online and in person, where the tattooed shapes are very well balanced and symmetrical. I also consulted another brow artist specifically about doing a correction, and she explained to me that symmetry is one of the most important aspects of brow work and that my expectation was reasonable. I am also now fixing them and making them symmetrical with makeup on a daily basis so I absolutely don't accept that she cannot make them symmetrical, that is the whole point of mapping and having brows professionally done.

I am now paying for a correction with another artist after already paying R1900 for the assymetrical brows done the first time and will have to pay the new artist for a touch up after that as well. I completely wasted R1900.

The main reason Rumei has given for refusing a partial refund is that I approved the brows and that she did nothing wrong. I don't believe that fairly represents what happened. I approved the general design I wanted beforehand. I did not approve significant asymmetry, nor did I understand that I was expected to take over the professional assessment of symmetry and tell her exactly how to correct it.

At no point after the tattooing did I actually approve the brows as they looked when I left the salon. I stopped requesting corrections because I was becoming increasingly nervous about having to direct the changes myself and was afraid of making them worse. I had already asked for several changes, and although they were better, they were still significantly different.

I expected her, as the professional, to be able to step back, assess the overall brows and use her own expertise and experience to balance them. I had already told her that something wasn't right, and I had already requested several changes. What I needed at that point was professional assessment, not to be responsible for directing every correction.

Rumei has offered free laser removal, and I do acknowledge that she offered a solution. However, that would still leave me having paid R1,900 for brows I am unhappy with, having to undergo removal (if I choose), and then having to pay another artist to redo them. I am also not comfortable having laser treatment on my brows so soon because of the additional trauma and potential scarring or skin changes involved. After the way the tattooing went I also don't trust her enough after all this to do a laser procedure on my face either.

The other option is to add more ***ment at the touch-up. But I no longer feel comfortable allowing someone to make further permanent changes when they still maintain that they cannot see the asymmetry I am asking them to correct, so where would she apply ***ment when she does not see the issue? And how would I allow her to work on them when she explicitly stated after my initial dissatisfaction that she can never get them the same? That would just result in more money lost for me.

I was polite throughout and genuinely tried to resolve this privately. I contacted her the same day, gave her opportunities to help, tried to demonstrate exactly what I was seeing, offered to work with her on a correction, and waited more than a week after being ignored before making my final refund request.

I am leaving this review because I would want to know all of this before allowing someone to permanently tattoo my face, she has no reviews on her facebook because the function is turned off, and noe I understand why. My concern is not that the brows aren't perfectly identical. It is that there is a noticeable difference in the tattooed shape she did, I raised that concern almost immediately, and I don't feel that my concerns were ever acknowledged or addressed, she dismissed what I clearly see in person every day and her communication was very poor. She took no accountability for the outcome she gave me.