What It's Really Like to Get Permanent Makeup

Are you thinking of enhancing your features with the help of permanent makeup? Or perhaps you are looking at minimising your morning beauty routine? Whatever your reason, permanent makeup can achieve fantastic results. Hear about my experience and results from feather touch brow tattoo and lip tattoo.

LIP TATTOO

Lip injections are slowly getting phased out and lip tattoos are on the rise to achieve a more subtle, long lasting, defined lip. I have been interested in this trend for the last 12 months after seeing amazing results from news articles and beauty bloggers. This procedure has evolved and is far more subtle and natural than when it first took off in the 90s.

THE PROCESS

Lip tattoos are meant to enhance lips, not create actual fullness. The beauty consultant shades, adds colour and lines the border of your lips, giving a more fuller appearance. The lips also receive shading and blending for a seamless colour all around. The best part about the process is you can pick your desired lip colour.

During my consultation with Eye Designs Sydney the consultant lined my lips with lip liner to achieve the desired shape. White liner was also used to make the shape even more defined so no mistakes are made! Then, we worked on colour by mixing various shades of pigment. It’s possible to get a colour that’s close to your natural lip colour for a subtle look— but that means it won’t last as long.

The actual procedure took around 45 minutes. The consultant went over the border of my lips to begin with, then shaded them in.

Finally, yes – it’s painful. Lips are extremely sensitive but thankfully, anesthetic cream is used to block most of the pain. I did have to ask for a bit more half way through the session so if it’s unbearable, at least there’s always option for more!

Touch ups can be anywhere from once a year to once every two-three years depending on your skin and chosen pigment colour. The procedure is no longer like a traditional tattoo. Previously, regular tattoo ink was used for these treatments, hence why it looked so unnatural. Now, pigment is used which is a thicker consistency and gives a more natural powdery finish. Pigment does exfoliate out of your skin after about 12-18 months so it’s not as permanent as ink.

Left: Before the procedure. Right: Immediately after the procedure.

HEALING

For lip tattoos, the healing process takes about 10 days. For me this came in many dramatic sequences. First of all my lips looked completely unnatural, swollen and the wrong colour. I’m not going to lie, I freaked out. In a complete change of events, after a few hours this was no longer the case. While my lips still looked slightly swollen, the colour changed to a lovely peach-toned shade which is what I was after. For the next 10 days I applied Vaseline to treat my chapped lips. They peeled on and off for about 5 days and just generally felt a little tight. It was definitely manageable and no one asked any questions or noticed I had anything done. Finally, if you’re prone to cold sores, make sure you’re taking medication to prevent an outbreak.

COST

Lip tattoos last longer than temporary lip fillers but cost more. Lip fillers cost anywhere from $369 to $950, and they last for six to nine months. Eye Designs Sydney charges $895 for the full lip-tattoo procedure. For yearly touch-ups, it’s $350.

FEATHER TOUCH EYEBROW TATTOO

Another great alternative to having semi-permanent makeup is the feather touch brow tattoo. I got this procedure at NBI Brows and Beauty in Canberra and haven’t looked back! It’s been over a year and my brows still look fantastic, however I probably will require a touch up soon. You can read more about my full experience here.

RESULTS

So, what it worth it? I personally love the results. Previously, I felt that my lips had a cool, blueish tinge which I did not like. I love warm tones and feel that it suits my skin tone and hair much more. I used to always have to wear lipstick and could rarely get away with just wearing a sheer lipgloss. Following a lip tattoo, I can happily say that I am so obsessed with the colour of my lips! For the last few weeks I barely touched a lipstick and simply had a clear gloss or a light pigment gloss for some extra glamour. They will fade over time but for now I am loving my peachy, pink lips.