They say, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” – but so are a good set of brows.
Meet area native Maddy Ryan – wife, mother, daughter, friend, permanent make-up artist, boss and new business owner of Symmetry – The Aesthetics Studio, located in Suite D at 2154 Carter Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky. Though Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree and has experience in other areas, she says she has always had a love for makeup.
“I have always done makeup for myself and my friends,” she said. “In the beginning I was a nanny, going to school, and doing makeup on the weekends.”
Ryan started from her basement and began posting make-up jobs on social media. In a short time, Ryan’s fanbase grew, and she began receiving PR packages from big-name makeup retail companies.
“This took my career to the next step,” Ryan said. “I was now more than just a girl doing makeup in my basement. I was becoming a business!” she said.
By 2018, Ryan had taken several make-up trainings and had officially become a permanent make-up artist. Her first studio was located on 16th Street inside of Heather Lynn Photography, after which she moved to Shear Elegance Salon located on 29th Street.
At the time, most of Ryan’s specialties included permanent make-up on brows, eyes and lip brushing, but as Ryan’s circle expanded and her clientele list grew, she began taking steps to specialize in a new segment of clients – those living with scars from a variety of tragedies.
Ryan was trained at the Sauler Institute, located in New Jersey, on areola restoration, scar camouflaging and microblading, all of which are used to help disguise the visible signs of prior surgeries, accidents and self-harm.
“Most scars I treat are from battles with breast cancer, car accidents, self-harm and chicken-pox.”
To date, she has completed at least 100 areola restorations and scar camouflages.
This past year, Ryan was accepted into the non-profit organization Sharsheret, which covers the cost of areola restoration, scar camouflaging, and microblading for qualifying applicants. For anyone with a cancer diagnosis, all services are covered.
“While I was going through this process, I had to submit photos of my work. Based on the skill I displayed, I was chosen as a selected artist,” Ryan explained.” To date, Ryan is the only artist from Kentucky enrolled in the program and was chosen as their top artist this year. “I’ve taken several classes already, but it’s a continual learning process,” she said.
Fast-forwarding to now, Ryan’s new business, SymmetryThe Aesthetics Studio, is now open and receiving new clients.
“I reached a place in my work prior where I had lots of clients asking me to do Botox, fillers and facials. I entertained the idea of going into nursing so I could add this to my list of personal services, but after talking extensively with my husband, we concluded it would be better to hire nurses.”
Ryan says she wanted to expand her business while also giving herself more free time. Thus, Symmetry was born.
“I want Symmetry to be a place where people are comfortable and can receive whatever service they choose in a comfortable, peaceful and private environment.”
“I looked and looked for places and could never seem to find the right fit until I stumbled upon the space we are in now,” she said. “It was laid out exactly the way I wanted and had the correct number of rooms I wanted.” The new building is conveniently located at 2154 Carter Avenue in Suite D. Inside, there’s a mixture of five employees and five independent businesses, all offering services tailored specifically to client needs.
Services currently offered are medial grade facials, I.V. hydration, medical skincare, natural esthetician services, lash artistry, spray tanning, inhouse catering and charcutier boards, and more. Ryan says she still offers make-up services as normal, but her focus will remain mostly on permanent make-up.
