Arcana Tattoo — Attraction in Rutherford

Over the last ten years, I have had four different artists apply permanent makeup on me, and it was only this last time, with Paula at Arcana Tattoo in Rutherford, that I had an experience that makes me want to write about it.

I’ve had my brows and eyeliner done, then eyebrows redone, then my lips done. Every time was disappointing for different reasons: Cruella DeVille eyeliner, brows too low, a shaky and prominent lip liner around one corner of my mouth. And it ALWAYS HURT! The first time around, I almost got out of the chair with only one eye lined. They always told me they were using top of the line numbing cream, but every single time was brutal.

So when someone recommended Paula to me to fix up the botched lips, I decided to bite the bullet, face the pain, and get the job done right.

What I found in Paula is a remarkable artist, committed to perfection, and NO PAIN! No, really! Even on my eyeliner. Imagine a toothpick lightly scratching your skin. She uses a magic potion to numb the areas, waits the full amount of time for it to work, applies more throughout the procedure, and never dismisses your concerns.

Her studio is beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean, with candles, potted plants, incense, tea and water, and great music. She threw a weighted blanket over me in the chair to make me even more comfortable.

She is also just an amazingly lovely person. Funny, smart, kind, and down-to-earth.

But the most important aspect is her skill. She is actually an instructor and a true artist at permanent makeup, using mathematical skill to design the brow and lip shapes, and mixing and blending colors to get things just right. A signed thank you note from a VERY FAMOUS PERSON hangs on her wall, just in case you were wondering about her stature beyond New Jersey.

It took me almost ten years to work up the courage to endure the agony of eyeliner again; I can’t tell you how much I wish I’d started this process with Paula!

I get up in the morning, wash my face, apply tinted moisturizer, a little blush, and some mascara. My brows, eyeliner, and lips are already beautifully done.

I can’t recommend Paula and Arcana Tattoo enough. You...

I have always been a low maintenance girl. With 2 little kids now, it’s less about preference now and more of a necessity. Doing my brows was the most time consuming part of my get ready routine. Decided to finally get my brows micro bladed. All options I was finding in Jersey mostly did shading, I was looking for more refined and detailed work.

A saw a friend had gotten hers done and they were fluffy and incredible. She got them done in the East Village, and I was dreading the nightmare of commuting there but then she told me one of the artists opened a studio in Rutherford. So happy I discovered Arcana.

Outside of getting city quality work, Paula who owns the studio and did my brows is one of those people who have the innate ability of making you feel immediately at ease. Her studio is adorable and the service is top notch (the weighted blanket while I got my brows done was everything)

In terms of my brows, I couldn’t be more pleased. She first maps out your ideal brow shape based on your facial structure and then she gives you a preview to get your input before she does the actual micro blading.

Yes it’s pricey. But again all the other options I found in Jersey, it’s more shading and a lot less skill. And you need to touch up every 6 months, opposed to the 2-3 years with Arcana/Paula.

First photo are my before naked brows. Second photo is my brows right after my service. Third is a few days after. And the last photo is most recent. After 10 days you wash them and they lighten before color blooms, and even at this stage of the process I’m still happy and not having apply any makeup.

I go back in a month for final touch up, this is included in the price along with the care packet so you have everything you need as...

Paula is a MASTER in her craft, I consider myself so very lucky for having met her. A few years ago, I stumbled upon Paula's talent (prior to her opening the wildly beautiful, cozy, and chic Arcana Tattoo Studio). Over the last 2+ years I've trusted her with my eyebrows, and most recently at Arcana, a brow touch-up, my lashline and lip 'blush'. I often get compliments on my "beautiful natural" brows (and absolute shock when I share it's not all natural!) - and after the lash-line and lips, several friends have commented on how i'm "looking good!" but can't pinpoint why :) As someone who rarely wears makeup, I love that Paula applied a very fine, almost hard to see line along my top lashes to help define and highlight my eyes but not distract or look like makeup (like a 'regular' eyeliner might). I was really hesitant to do my lips as I usually only wear chapstick or gloss, but Paula whipped up a custom color that made for the perfect pinkish nude shade (addressing any natural inconsistencies in my lip pigmentation). Paula enhanced my natural features without making it looking like 'permanent makeup' - and i feel like it turned back the clock a bit, between my seemingly thick eyelashes, blushed lips, and full brows. And the best part is Paula is just the most incredible woman. She's passionate about what she does, she's a perfectionist and sets a high bar for herself/her work, she enjoys life and her family, and she's just a joy to hang out with for a few hours. We need to find...