Most permanent makeup studios will do microblading if you ask for it. High Brow Society in Southampton will not, and that single decision tells you most of what you need to know about how the studio operates.
Megan Leonard opened the studio in 2018 and works from Studio Medusa on Carlton Place, a few minutes from Southampton Central. She is an accredited master trainer, which means she teaches the techniques to other artists as well as performing them. Everything is done by machine.
Why machine work and not microblading
Microblading uses a hand-held blade to cut fine channels into the skin and deposit pigment. Machine work uses a needle cartridge oscillating rapidly, implanting pigment without a cutting action. Both can produce natural-looking brows, and plenty of excellent artists still use a blade.
The argument for machine work is about the skin rather than the finish. Because nothing is cut, there is less trauma, healing is generally quicker, and results tend to hold better on oilier skin, where bladed strokes are more likely to blur as they settle. It is also easier to control depth consistently, which matters over a treatment lasting a couple of hours.
The practical point for anyone booking is that this is a genuine specialism rather than a preference. Leonard has committed to one technique and refined it over seven years rather than offering everything to everyone. If you want microblading specifically, you need a different studio.
What it costs, and what the price includes
High Brow Society publishes its prices, which is less common in this industry than it should be:
- Brows - £310 for any style, whether ombré, powder, machine hairstrokes or combination
- Lip blush - £285
- Lash line enhancement - £225
- Removal - from £45
At £310, brows sit above the cheapest end of the Southampton market, and it is worth understanding why before you compare that figure with anything else.
Permanent makeup is created across two appointments. The first builds shape and colour; a perfecting session four to eight weeks later refines the result once the skin has healed and the pigment has settled. That second session is where a decent result becomes a good one, and at High Brow Society it is included in the price.
A number of studios quote for the first session only and charge separately for the top-up, often £80 to £150. So a £220 headline elsewhere can end up costing more than £310 here. Compare complete treatments rather than opening figures.
The price also covers aftercare cream and instructions, and consultations are free either in person or by video call. A consultation is not a prerequisite for booking, which suits people who already know what they want.
The treatment list
Six core treatments, all brow, lip or lash work. There are no nails, no lashes extensions, no facials.
- Machine hairstrokes and hyper realism - fine individual strokes for the most natural finish
- Ombré and powder brows - soft shading, closer to the look of brow makeup
- Combination brows - strokes through the front, shading through the tail
- Lip blush - a wash of colour that adds definition without reading as lipstick
- Lash line enhancement - pigment between the lashes rather than a drawn liner
- Brow correction - reworking or removing existing permanent makeup
That narrowness is deliberate and it is a reasonable signal. A studio doing six things has more repetitions in each than one doing thirty.
Correction and removal
A substantial part of the work here is fixing permanent makeup done somewhere else, using both laser and non-laser removal depending on what suits the pigment and the skin.
This is worth knowing about even if you have never had permanent makeup, because it says something about capability. Correction is harder than starting fresh. You are working around existing pigment that may have healed to an unwanted tone, in skin that has already been worked on. Studios that take on correction routinely tend to be the ones other artists send their difficult cases to.
If you are carrying brows you regret, removal starts at £45 and the sensible first step is a consultation so the existing work can be assessed in person.
What clients say
The studio holds a 5.0 average across more than 40 reviews on Google and Facebook. That is a strong score on a moderate volume; some established artists carry several hundred reviews, so treat it as a good sign rather than a large sample.
The themes are consistent. Several reviewers mention correction work after poor experiences elsewhere, particularly old microblading. Others single out shape mapping and the care taken to suit the brow to the face rather than applying a house style. One describes Leonard as a perfectionist, which in a treatment that sits on your face for years is the right thing to be. Honest advice comes up repeatedly, including being told when something would not suit.
Where it might not suit you
A few things worth weighing before you book.
It is not the cheapest option in Southampton. The two-session inclusion makes it better value than the headline suggests, but you still pay more upfront than at a budget studio, and £310 is a real amount of money.
No microblading, at all. If you have researched and specifically want a bladed technique, this is the wrong studio.
Appointment only, one artist. There is no walk-in option and no second practitioner, so availability depends on one diary. Allow up to three hours for a first session.
The deposit terms are firm. £50 secures a booking, it is non-refundable, and cancellations need 48 hours' notice. Klarna and Clearpay are offered for spreading the cost, and the studio states plainly that these are not interest-free, which is more transparent than most.
Practical details
The studio is at Studio Medusa, 15 Carlton Place, Southampton SO15 2DY, by appointment only. Enquiries go to 07899 844369 or WhatsApp, and there is online booking. Recent work is posted to Instagram at @highbrowsocietyuk.
Whichever artist you choose in Southampton, check they are registered with the council for special treatments. Tattooing and semi-permanent makeup require a licence from the local authority, and premises are inspected for hygiene. Southampton City Council holds the register. The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners is also a useful reference point for standards in the wider sector.
The verdict
High Brow Society is a specialist rather than a generalist, and that is the case for booking it. One artist, one technique, six treatments, seven years in the same city, and enough command of the craft to teach it.
It suits people who want a natural result and are willing to pay a mid-market price for a complete two-session treatment, and it suits anyone carrying permanent makeup they want corrected. It does not suit people looking for the lowest price, or set on microblading.
Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Full treatment details and prices are on the studio's own site at highbrowsociety.co.uk. If you are comparing artists across the south, our reviews of permanent makeup in Windsor and semi permanent makeup in Taunton cover studios taking different approaches to the same treatments.
Disclosure. Total Biz Review is published by Osborn Online. High Brow Society is an Osborn Online client, and links to their website are marked sponsored. Read more about how this site works.