Permanent Makeup

I haven't done it, but I'm thinking about it. My mother-in-law did her eyebrows, eyeliner and lip liner. It worked beautifully for her. I don't have anyone local though, she lives in southern CA.

My mom had it done and looks great! They tattoo each line to look like hair, so it looks pretty real. I believe she went slightly lighter so it wouldn't look to severe. She also chose a gently shape that was natural. She had it done in FL, so I can't give you a referral. But look up a salon in your area. They should have a book or photos that they have done.

Dear A.,
This sounds like such an awesome idea in theory.
My mother and I have both discussed wanting to have it done, but the key is getting someone who really knows what they are doing. We have seen people who didn't turn out looking so great and there is no washing it off like pencil, etc. In fact, I don't know how many times I've asked my mom how she's doing and she'll say she's having a bad eyebrow day. We're Swedish, so great, visible eyebrows are not something we were blessed with.
I'm just terrified of looking permanently worse than we already do.
I hope you find what works for you.
Definitely let us know!
Happy Easter!

A.,

I would caution you to really think the permanent (tattooed) makeup though. As we begin to age the way in which we wear make-up as well as the colors we wear will change to accommodate the aging process. It is quite possible that you may not like the shape or color when you're 50 and guess what? You can't change it!!!!

I, like you, have very thin eyebrows. To fix this flaw I use a bit of eyeshadow and a contoured brush to fill in the thin spots and like one of the other moms indicated I put a bit of translucent powder over to set. Most can't tell it's shadow. While I have no personal experience with the tattooed make-up I do have friends that had it done and as we approach our mid 50's they wish they hadn't as the tattooing makes them look their age. As another mom stated prior to making your decision you need to check out the facility and technician performing the application to ensure your safety. Whatever you decide please make certain you are well informed and have considered all aspects of the procedure; now and future results.

Best of luck to you...
CM

I have had permanent makeup on my eyebrows since 2003. Just a couple months ago I went and had the same person retouch them. I had them done by a nurse who works out of a dermatologist's office. This was important to me because I wanted to ensure the office & equipment were sterile and that if any complication arose, a doctor would be involved. I would highly recommend Wendy and the work that she does.

Here is her contact info:
Wendy Holmes, RN
http://____@____.com

Don't do it, you will regret it in the future...

Hi A.,
being a makeup artist, there are a few tricks you can do to help hide your bare spot in your brow before going to permanent makeup.
Of course you can use the brow pencils, I prefer taking a little bit of (powered) eye shadow in a soft brown if you are dark and a taupe if you are blonde with a small brush and work it into the brows to give you a softer more natural look. Then apply a translucent loose powder over the top to set your product, it will stay all day.
Other options Chanel has a eyebrow duo $45... It has 2 colors to blend to get your perfect color. Also Smash Box has an eyebrow wax that is great! Under $25.00
Good Luck!

I had my lips tattooed, (still need another session), to give them natural color. As we age, the color tends to leave our lips (among a million other things). I saw a client of the woman who did my lips, and she had had lips and eyes done, but I don't think eyebrows. She was forty-something, and was wearing no makeup, but looked like she was. I don't think her brows were done, however.

Can't recommend anyone in your area, so look for someone online, or in the phone book. Then check them out carefully. Maybe see some before and afters, or see someone whose brows they have done. As with any cosmetic procedure, you want it to be done by an "artist," so you don't end up looking goofy.

But yeah, it works, go for it.

Hey -- I didn't need to write this - Victoria told you everything.

Instead of suffering all that pain, try Sephora's brow serum :

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P173000&am...

It will be your own eyebrows!

Hi A.!

I wouldn't do it based upon what my friend's eyebrows look like. She had them done many years ago and now the tatoo looks grey (she is only 35). She really regrets it because now it forces her to cover up the grey with color every day and she would have rather just had her light eyebrows instead of this.

Think about it this way... when you are 65 are you really going to do the touch up?

Good luck!!

There is a lady in SF Chinatown that does it and has been doing it out of the same salon for 20+ years. I went to her in 1998 for my eyebrows. Back then, for $110 I got the initial tattoo and 2 touch ups within 12 months. I loved it right away. I did do the touch ups exactly at 6 mnths and 12 month anniversary. I have never needed a touch up since and it is 11 years later. I took my sister, mom and a few other ladies. Everyone was super happy with the results.

The last time I took a referal a few years back, the price changed to $120, with only 1 touch up. It may be a little higher now.

This place is right by the Clay Cable Car turn station/Museum. I believe it is on Jackson. If you are interested, shoot me a note and I can get you the Salon's exact name and phone number (I keep it in a fire proof safe at home! lol).

They are very clean/sanitary and do massage and facials in addition to the permenant makeup. Only women are allowed beyond the locked door, and you have to ring the door bell to be allowed in. I also believe it is cash only.

It is well worth it. When I tell people I got it done, everyone's initial reaction is disbelief because it looks so natural. I swear if I were to go back in time and faced with the decision to ever do it, I would do it again with this salon, this woman.

This sounds basically like a tattoo. I think the idea of anything "permanent" when it comes to design and your body is bad. Remember that styles and looks change over time. I don't know how "permanent" it is. But what if you want a different shape of eyebrow two years from now? It's not like dying your hair - which will just grow out in a few months. If this never comes off - you're stuck. I know that places do brow tints - which are designed to last longer than just 1 day make up. You might look into that.

Hi A.,
I get my brows done at "Flying Beautician" in Mill Valley by Junko. She is great. It's really important to get someone who has a good eye for shaping your eyebrows - unless you can do it yourself. It fades over time it's not as permanent as you may think. I had it done for the first time many years ago and didn't get annual touch ups. I would say it lasted about 3-4 years without the touch-ups. I am sure it will last much longer with the touchups.

I used to manage a medical spa in Redding and had permanent makeup services there. I didn't have eyebrows done, but did do eyeliner and lip color. There are several critical things to consider when making this decision:

Training and experience of the technician: Are they a qualified color analyst? It's amazing the number of practitioners who don't even understand what determines whether the client's skin tone is warm or cool. This determines the blend of pigments to consider. Also, permanent cosmetics technicians are not state certified, so you want to be sure that they were trained at a reputable school or at the knee of a highly skilled professional. And the only way someone gets really good at this is practice, practice, practice! Ask for referrals to satisfied customers!

Pigment selection and pigment manufacturer: Permanent cosmetics pigments have different metals in their base compounds that can affect their long-term wearability. Some are known to turn orange and others purple after about a year. I don't have the specific companies at hands, but understand that the most unstable pigments come from China. Premier Pigments, a US firm, supplies excellent, stable pigments. They did have a contamination problem in 2001-2002 that resulted in a recall and some substantial settlement payouts, but they have stepped up to the plates and now offer some of the best pigments in a wide range of colors including correctors and stabilizers that are not offered by many manufacturers. Have your technician swipe colors and recommend a custom blend for you. Be sure to look at the outer edge of the swab (they should swab the color on white paper with a Q-tip for comparison) to understand the undertones -- orangy? yellow? brown? gray? blue? This is the tone that needs to work with your skin tone. Have you ever had your colors done by a qualified professional color consultant? If so, you should know whether you have warm skin tone (spring or autumn) or cool skin tone (summer or winter).

Artistic ability: The permanent cosmetics technician is an artist. They are permanently drawing on your features ... would you want to look like a Picasso or a Monet? Think about it! I've seen some horrendous mistakes that cause emotional and physical trauma. Even though some correction can be done, the tissue will always show some evidence of the trauma (and removal is painful ... I know from personal experience!) Look at photos of their previous work and MAKE CERTAIN that it's really their work and not pictures off the internet! If you are looking for a correction that will bring balance to asymmentrical features (eyebrows are notorious for needing correction) then have them take a photo of your face and draw their proposed finished look on the photo. Talk with them about your natural brows and the long-term maintenance that will be required to maintain your look.

Equipment & method: There are different methods and tools for applying permanent cosmetics. Softap is a manual application that draws on the techniques of Pacific Islanders. The technician selects from an assortment of needle tips for the work to be done. These needle patterns will likely change throughout the course of the procedure as the shape is tapered and finished. The pigment is applied and the technician places the needle-tipped implement over the skin. Using a delicate tool the technician taps on the needle-tipped tool to push the pigment into the skin. I've been told that it's mildly uncomfortable and takes quite awhile. The finished effect is fairly one-note, meaning that it is unlikely that you'll end up with the "hair strokes" made possible by electric tattooing equipment. There are a number of different electric machines on the market and each with its own distinctive needle patterns. Ask for information on their experience with imparting "hairstrokes" to get an idea of how satisfied you might be with the finished product. Someone who really does hairstrokes will be glad to explain the process and even draw it for you ... if they don't do hairstrokes you will likely end up with a solid fill that looks drawn on.

Remember that whenever you have permanent cosmetics done the initial results will be shocking! The pigments are quite dark and unnatural looking, but will fade with healing and exfoliation. They should send you home with a Heal-Quick stick or a baggie of Q-tips and Aquapor or another STERILE petroleum-based product and detailed instructions on keeping your tattoo moist during the healing process. If you allow it to dry out and scab up the scab will remove some of the pigment from your newly finished work. As the tatoo exfoliates you'll lose beads of crust that carry pigment with them. Don't worry about those ... you're just trying to prevent large scabs from forming. This healing process usually takes about a week, then the healing continues to progress and the color soften over the next several weeks.

You'll need to repeat the process in about 6-8 weeks to perfect the lines and drive the color a bit deeper into the tissue. If your technician does not recommend a follow-up, then ask what they'll do if your work is uneven or the color isn't intense enough after the initial treatment. Out of the hundreds of clients we had there was only one who did not want or require a follow-up to her initial procedure.

Payment: Sometimes full payment for the initial treatment and follow-up procedure are required up-front. This ensures the technician will be fully paid regardless of whether the client returns or not ... but the client is likely to return if they have already paid for the service. This is an important step for the technician as the client who follows though on the complete treatment is likely to have a much better result and be happier with their investment.

Touch-up: Most technicians recommend the procedure be repeated in 2-5 years to keep the work from fading completely. Since the pigments are only infused into the upper dermis layers, they are susceptible to fading over time from cosmetic lotions, exfoliants and sunlight. For this reason you'll need to repeat the procedure every few years to keep your permanent cosmetics looking their best.

If you have any further questions about the procedure, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com luck!

I have friends who have done the eye liner and my Mom had the eye brows done and as long as you get someone good to do it it looks great!

There will be touch up over the years, but I think it is well worth it.

R.

I have many friends who have done this and are really pleased. I had eyeliner done a few years back but it hurt so bad that when they told me I would need to come back in a few weeks for a reapply I chose not to. I don't think it would hurt as bad on eyebrows though.

When I lived in Texas, I knew this gal who had her eyebrows done and it looked great and having no eyebrows I can call my own, I have thought about having this procedure done. As I read through what the mamas had to say, it reminded me that 28 years ago I got a tattoo and it is faded out and this is, no doubt, what would happen to my eyebrows.

And recently, I have thought about the permanent makeup for the eyebrows so very glad that this question was posted.

I do know there is a gal that does it over by Katerina's Treasures on Madison Avenue... I do not know how good she is. Also, one time I was at the spa in Birdcage getting my eyebrows cleaned up and the gal told me of someone who does this procedure. She gave me her brochure but I proceeded to lose it. Here in California, I do not personally know anyone who has had the procedure.

Happy Easter!

Hi,
My friend, Connie Libby did my eye liner about a year ago, and I love it!!! It was $250. Let me know if you would like her contact info. She is in Turlock.
Cynthia

Not a good idea at all. Later when the skin sags you will have an ugly mess. Instead try Bare Essentials brow kit. The bare minerals go on natural looking and stay on all day.

L.