Before Microblading Was a Word

In 1998, when Julie Michaud got her license as Boston’s first permanent makeup artist, the technique was barely known outside of specialist circles. There was no Instagram, no microblading trend, no flood of training courses promising results in a weekend. There was just the craft, and a small group of pioneers who had decided to dedicate their careers to it.

Julie Michaud was one of those pioneers — and her studio, Prettyology, has been operating ever since. Twenty-seven years of continuous practice in a field that has undergone multiple revolutions in technique, technology, and public awareness is, in itself, a remarkable credential.

Thirteen Best of Boston Awards

The Boston media’s annual best-of recognition for eyebrow design has gone to Prettyology and its alumni an extraordinary 13 times — 10 of those won personally by Julie, with 7 additional wins attributed to artists she trained. That second number is perhaps more telling than the first: it suggests a studio whose influence extends far beyond its own client chair, shaping the caliber of work happening across the Boston area PMU scene.

Winning once is achievement. Winning ten times over two decades, while simultaneously producing graduates who go on to win in their own right, speaks to a level of consistent excellence that’s genuinely unusual in any creative field.

The Studio at Mills58

Prettyology operates from a custom-built beauty lab at Mills58 in Peabody — a thoughtfully designed workspace that reflects the studio’s philosophy of professionalism and intentionality. The setting is deliberately different from the frenetic pace of a downtown Boston salon, offering clients a calmer, more focused environment for what is, after all, a permanent procedure requiring careful attention.

The commute from Boston proper is modest (Peabody is roughly 20 miles north), and clients consistently indicate that the experience is worth the drive. Many specifically mention the consultation process — unhurried, thorough, and anchored in a genuine understanding of what different brow shapes do to different face structures.

Services and Academy

Prettyology’s service menu covers the full range of contemporary PMU techniques alongside complementary beauty services:

  • Microblading — precise, natural hair-stroke brow work
  • Powder & Ombré Brows — soft, filled finishes
  • Lip Blush Tattooing — subtle lip color and definition
  • Permanent Eyeliner — from lash enhancement to defined liner
  • Brow Shaping — expert manual shaping
  • Lash Conditioning Treatments — nourishing lash care
  • Makeup Applications — event and editorial makeup
  • Professional PMU Academy — training programs at multiple levels

The academy has produced dozens of working Boston-area artists, making Prettyology’s influence on the regional market difficult to overstate.

A Legacy of Standards

One of the quieter contributions studios like Prettyology make is simply demonstrating what the long game looks like in permanent makeup. At a time when many artists enter the field with a few weeks of training and immediately begin offering services, Julie’s 27-year trajectory — the continuous learning, the adjustment to new techniques, the building of a genuine professional community — provides a model worth noticing.

Her clients, many of whom have followed her across decades and different locations, represent a kind of trust that only accumulates through consistently delivered results.

Visit Prettyology

Prettyology Mills58, Building C, 4th Floor, Suite C4-7 58 Pulaski Street, Peabody, MA 01960

→ prettyology.com → Instagram: @prettyology

Appointments book out in advance, particularly for first-time microblading and combination brow services. New clients are encouraged to review the studio’s consultation process and come prepared with reference photos — Julie’s team works best when they understand the specific outcome a client is imagining.