Memoir Ink Studio makes its mark in Sheboygan

Chris Rugowski

Contributor

May 19, 2025

SHEBOYGAN – Pa Chia Ly (pronounced “Lee”) – owner of the newly opened Memoir Ink Studio, LLC – said her entrepreneurial journey started about six years ago.

With a drive and will to succeed, Ly said she took a chance and opened the studio – and, so far, it’s paid off.

Located at 501 N. 8th St., Memoir Ink Studio, LLC offers permanent makeup services.

Why semi-permanent makeup?

Ly said she has always had very light eyebrows and often felt embarrassed by them.

Over time, she said she began getting frustrated by how much time it took to put her brow makeup on each day.

After learning about microblading – a semi-permanent makeup procedure for eyebrows that creates realistic hair-like strokes by depositing pigment into the skin – Ly said she sought out an artist in Milwaukee for the service.

That first procedure, she said, inspired a new part-time path for her.

“When I got it done, I felt better and more confident,” she said. “It also made my days easier because I didn’t have to fill (my eyebrows) in every day.”

After she got them done, Ly said she took a class on permanent makeup and learned the ins and outs that go with mapping the brows and tattooing them on.

Though she said being a business owner was always something she was inspired to do, timing was not always on her side.

When she finished the microblading class, Ly said it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, of course, put a wrench in her practicing the technique on people.

However, she said she did her best to think outside of the box – downloaded the Procreate app on her iPad.

“I would upload an image of a girl or a guy with no brows, and I’d act like they were my client,” she said. “I’d map the brows, and I kept mapping until I perfected it.”

Once she was able to, Ly said she got her certification and license and started working with her friends and family to map brows on a real face – eventually moving onto the permanent aspect of the technique.

She said she did that for the last five years at home.

Ly said she took the leap to open Memoir Ink Studio earlier this year – recently commemorating it with an official ribbon cutting with the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce.

Is it a tattoo?

In short, Ly said “yes,” the procedure is tattooing brows.

However, she said permanent makeup is semi-permanent, with a lifespan of one to three years based on a client’s skin type, after which the ink will start to fade.

The difference between the traditional tattoo and semi-permanent, Ly said, is how deep the needle goes into the skin.

Ly said she prefers to create a natural ombre look.

“I always tell my clients you don’t want pitch black eyebrows – it doesn’t look real,” she said. “When you first get them done, it will look darker, but after one to two weeks of healing and peeling, it starts to look more natural – just like traditional tattoos.”

Ly said the look also comes down to skin type.

Dry skin, she said, generally takes the ink better and doesn’t need more than one touch-up. Those with oily skin, Ly said, may need two or three touch-ups.

Creating confidence

Struggling with eyebrow challenges herself, Ly said it was important to her to focus the business on helping create and build confidence for her clients.

When someone comes to her, those first conversations are centered around mapping.

With each client, Ly said she goes through a list of brow shapes with them, including long tail, short tail, high arch and so on.

From there, she said she will map out the appearance, show the client how it looks and if everything is approved, that’s when the inking process starts.

“Everybody gets nervous about this, because it’s a big thing,” she said. “You’re getting ink into your skin, so I like to show them what they’re getting done and what it will look like (before moving forward).”

Ly said this especially comes in handy when she is explaining what type of brow makeup techniques there are.

The procedure, she said, isn’t just for those with little to no brows.

“I have some clients who have a full brow, but they lack a shape, so I create the shape for them,” she said. “This also helps give a nice shape to their face. A lot of people don’t know they can get ombre powder brows done, too, even if they have a full brow.”

From a procedure standpoint, she said there are quite a few, but the major ones include microblading, microthreading, ombre powder brows and brow tinting.

Ly said Memoir Ink Studio’s focus is on ombre brows but plans to add nanoblading at some point in the future.

Currently, she said she offers three services – ombre powder brows, touch-up sessions and brow tinting. 

Ly said she is considering adding other services to her list in the future as well, such as eyeliner and lip blush.

Looking forward

Ly said the microblading industry is highly competitive, with other studios offering similar services located relatively close to Memoir Ink Studio.

In the beginning, she said she would compare herself to others in the business, but quickly realized she needed to shift that mindset.

“I realized I wanted to focus on my work and my clients,” she said. “If people like my work, they’ll come to me and they’ll find me. I don’t have to worry about other people. Even though it’s competitive, I love and enjoy doing brows.”

Ly said she credits her positive, can-do attitude as the driving force for keeping her going, even when the pandemic temporarily put a wrench in her plans.

“My goal is to make this (a) full-time job,” she said. “I want to be one of the best makeup artists and help build people’s confidence in a way that works for them.”

Learn more, find Memoir Ink Studio on Facebook.