Daria Chuprys on Balancing It All

For many artists, permanent makeup is a family business in every sense of the word. Daria Chuprys shares with us how she balances it all, from children, permanent makeup, to marriage. The most impressive thing is that she manages to do it across countries in both Los Angeles and Athens, Greece. Read on to find out!

Tell us about yourself! Your background, history & the nitty gritty of all things you!

I’ve been doing permanent makeup for 12 years, starting with lash extensions. I’m originally from Belarus, Russia. I went to visit my family and my friends were wearing lashes. I’d never seen this service in Greece. My husband told me we need to find some business where you can be your own boss. So I liked the idea of the lash extensions. I found one company in Europe, trained, then became their trainer and distributor. 

I went to makeup school for one year. Then we went to Italy for COSMOPROF, a big fair. I saw a booth with live microblading. I was impressed with the result. Back then, the strokes were big and bulky. I got excited and went to Poland, where I learned microblading. I was a distributor there for a while. Slowly, I left my lash business and started doing PMU full time. 

How did you start your academy in Beverly Hills?

I started my career in Athens, Greece, where my first studio is. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law are doing PMU and lashes there. We moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago. My husband told me we should go there and check it out. We tried all different ways, paperwork and legal; we went to so many lawyers. We were trying to find different solutions. 

The only way was to win the lottery for a green card. You can apply for the lottery once per year. My husband won it. That’s how we were able to move legally to the U.S. and go back and forth to Greece. I feel it was the best timing also. My career as a PMU artist started to build before I moved here. 

How did you build your following?

7 or 8 years ago, I was sharing my work in Facebook groups. There was no microblading then, so I had to build a following from this group. When I moved, there were already people waiting for me to train. Nobody was teaching it when we opened our first academy. 

Are there days where you feel guilty or like you’re not doing a good job in one area (something I have!)? How do you get through them?

We’re lucky we have a nanny when we’re traveling or working. Overall, I try to have a nice harmony. I’ll manage to have a few days off as a family. I’ll take Saturday or Sunday off. There were times when I was working hard and not having such harmony or balance, but I’m doing well now. Respect yourself, and you can manage everything. 

What is your advice for someone who just feels overwhelmed with trying to do all the things for all the people?

If you’re unhappy in your relationship, that’s something you’ll project. If you’re a wife and you’re happy, that reflects in your children.  Put yourself as a priority. That’s what I’ve been doing the past couple years. If you feel good, everyone around you will feel it. 

Follow Daria @goldenbrows on instagram!