Olivia Legg took first place in the ombre/powder eyebrow tattooing pro-division category at the 2025 New Zealand Lash and Brow Symposium in Napier last month.
The competition, which was open to beauty specialists worldwide, required entrants to submit unedited before and after photos of their models, along with a detailed description of the techniques and products used.
The 26-year-old said she had struggled in the past to find the confidence to enter such competitions, and admitted she was not the best at taking praise.
"I really didn't think I was going to win, especially when they announced that it was an international thing as well.
"So, I built up the courage and I just thought, ‘You know what, I'm going to do it'."
She was "completely shocked" when named as the winner of the category, receiving a trophy and pack of cosmetic supplies.
Ombre and powder brows were both styles of semi-permanent cosmetic tattooing which created a "softly filled-in makeup look", Ms Legg said.
Both healed to a natural finish and were ideal for people who did not want to fill in their brows with makeup each day.
The styles required an eye for detail, symmetry and caution when using the tattoo machine.
"It's not just as simple as you can erase it off.
"You definitely have to have a high level of concentration."
She had been perfecting her "signature technique" for some time.
The market for cosmetic tattooing was not as "oversaturated" in Dunedin as it was in the North Island, Ms Legg said.
"I kind of sensed a bit of a need for it down here.
"Whether or not clients had been through health conditions like radiation or chemotherapy, and they had no eyebrows, I was able to help."
She also offered lip tattooing, lash extensions and lifts, brow laminations, tinting, waxing and more.
Her business, 'Enhanced by Liv', had been all the better for the win, Ms Legg said.
She launched the business about three years ago in a small studio above her father’s workplace, having worked in retail for a few years after leaving school.
"I thought to myself, ‘I love doing these types of treatments when I'm having a bad day, so why can't I do it for other women or other people?’
"Like I say to people, ‘You know when you love your job when it's Sunday and you're looking forward to work on Monday'."
