Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Yetzer.
Hi Kelly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey into cosmetic and paramedical tattooing wasn’t exactly a straight line. I’ve had several different careers throughout my life, but when I discovered permanent makeup, something clicked. I loved that it combined artistry, technical skill, and the opportunity to help someone feel more confident in their own skin.
After my initial training, I quickly realized how much there was to learn beyond the basics. That realization really shaped the direction of my career. Over the past seven-plus years, I’ve continually invested in advanced education in cosmetic and paramedical tattooing, skin, pigment theory, scar restoration, and restorative techniques.
As my career evolved, I became especially drawn to paramedical tattooing, including scar restoration and 3D areola tattooing following breast cancer surgery and reconstruction. In 2025, I traveled to Canada for intensive one-on-one advanced training in restorative areola and scar tattooing. That experience reinforced something I had already begun to feel very strongly—this work can be about so much more than beauty. It can help someone feel comfortable, confident, and like herself again.
Today, BeYOUtiful Ink – An Elite Beauty Atelier is a boutique cosmetic and paramedical tattoo studio in Little Falls, Minnesota. My approach is centered around natural, conservative results, exceptional education, and creating an experience where every person feels genuinely cared for.
I’m also moving into education and training other artists. I want new artists to have the kind of strong foundation I wish I had when I entered the industry—not just in technique, but in skin, safety, healing, decision-making, and creating beautiful work that ages well.
What began as an interest in permanent makeup has grown into a career with much more purpose than I ever anticipated, and I’m very excited about what comes next.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not, but I think some of the hardest seasons have shaped both the artist and business owner I am today.
One of my earliest challenges was realizing after my initial permanent makeup training how much I still didn’t know. This industry carries an enormous responsibility. We are tattooing people’s faces and bodies, and our work can remain with them for years. I knew I wanted a much deeper understanding of skin, pigments, healing, technique, safety, and how our work ages over time. That led to years of continuing education and advanced training, and it’s a big part of why I’m so passionate about educating other artists today.
I’ve also had to learn what so many small business owners learn along the way—how to be the artist, business owner, marketer, administrator, and everything in between. There have been plenty of moments of questioning myself, changing direction, and figuring things out as I went.
The most difficult season came in December 2023, when my father was killed in an accident involving a semi just before Christmas. Along with grieving his loss, I was handling many of the responsibilities surrounding his estate while still trying to run my business. I stepped away from social media and became much quieter publicly for quite some time, although I continued working, learning, and training behind the scenes.
That season changed my perspective. It made me think deeply about what I wanted my business—and my life—to stand for. I became much more intentional about where I wanted to take BeYOUtiful Ink and the kind of impact I wanted my work to have.
Today, I’m building my business around the things that matter most to me: exceptional education, safe and natural cosmetic tattooing, restorative work that can make a meaningful difference in someone’s life, and treating every person who walks through my doors with genuine care and integrity.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road, but those experiences have given me a much clearer sense of purpose and of the kind of artist, educator, and business owner I want to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about BeYOUtiful Ink ?
BeYOUtiful Ink – An Elite Beauty Atelier is a boutique cosmetic and paramedical tattoo studio in Little Falls, Minnesota. My work really has two sides—enhancing what is already there and restoring what may have been changed or lost.
On the cosmetic side, I specialize in natural-looking permanent makeup, particularly nano brows and lip blush, along with eyeliner. My philosophy has always been that permanent makeup should enhance someone rather than change the way she looks. I want my clients to look refreshed and polished while still looking like themselves.
The paramedical and restorative side of my business has become especially meaningful to me. I provide 3D areola restoration following mastectomy and breast reconstruction, scar restoration and camouflage, stretch mark revision, and other restorative tattooing services. I also provide complimentary areola restoration opportunities for qualifying breast cancer patients because I strongly believe finances shouldn’t be the reason someone has to leave that final part of her reconstruction unfinished.
That belief has also led me to begin developing the RenewYOU Project, an initiative centered around expanding access to restorative areola tattooing for women following breast cancer surgery, regardless of their financial circumstances. My hope is to eventually grow that mission beyond what I can provide within the walls of my own studio and help make restorative tattooing more accessible to women throughout Minnesota.
Sometimes my work is about helping a busy woman spend less time getting ready every morning, and sometimes it’s about helping a woman recognize herself again after breast cancer. Both are meaningful to me for very different reasons.
What I believe sets BeYOUtiful Ink apart is the level of intention behind the work. I’m not interested in simply following whatever technique happens to be trending. I look at the individual in front of me—her skin, lifestyle, goals, medical history when relevant, and how the work is likely to heal and age. Sometimes being a responsible artist also means telling someone that a particular procedure or technique isn’t right for her.
Education is also becoming an important part of the next chapter of BeYOUtiful Ink. As I begin training other artists, I want to emphasize not only beautiful technique, but also safety, sound decision-making, integrity, and the responsibility that comes with permanently altering someone’s face or body.
Ultimately, I want BeYOUtiful Ink to be known as a place where artistry, restoration, education, and genuine care come together. Whether someone walks through my doors for brows, lip blush, scar restoration, or an areola tattoo after breast cancer, I want her to leave feeling heard, cared for, and more confident in herself.
How do you define success?
My definition of success has changed a lot over the years. I used to think success was mostly about reaching the next goal, growing the business, or staying busy. Today, I look at it very differently.
Success to me is being able to build a career doing work that has purpose while still staying true to who I am and how I believe people should be treated. It’s having a client look in the mirror and feel more confident. It’s helping a woman simplify her mornings with permanent makeup, or being part of someone’s healing journey after breast cancer. It’s knowing that I did the right thing for a client, even when the right thing was telling her no.
Success is also being able to take what I’ve learned and pass it on. If I can help another artist enter this industry better educated, more confident, and better prepared to safely care for her clients, that means something to me.
And on a personal level, success is having a business that supports my life rather than becoming my entire life. Losing my father changed my perspective on time and what really matters. I want to continue growing BeYOUtiful Ink and accomplish some very big goals, but not at the expense of the people I love or the life happening around me.
At this point in my life, I don’t think success is one destination. It’s being proud of how I got there, who I helped along the way, and still recognizing myself when I arrive.
Pricing:
- Complimentary 3D areola restoration opportunities are available for qualifying breast cancer patients through BeYOUtiful Ink’s restorative program.
- Cosmetic and paramedical tattoo services vary in price depending on the procedure and individual needs. Current pricing and consultation information can be found through BeYOUtiful Ink.
- I am also developing the RenewYOU Project with the long-term goal of expanding access to restorative areola tattooing for women following breast cancer surgery, regardless of financial circumstances.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://beyoutiful.ink
- Instagram: @beyoutifulinkmn
- Facebook: @beyoutifulinkmn
- Twitter: @bbd_lf
- Youtube: @beyoutifulinkmn
