"“Doing the most and the least at the very same time,” as actress and comedian Heather McMahan would say, is, IMO, what we are all striving to achieve. We want to succeed in our careers but not work ourselves into burnout, we want to achieve optimal health and wellness but not overwhelm ourselves with routines and rituals, and we want to look put together but not spend hours doing it. Most of those things are easier said than done, except for one: looking put together in no time. The ultimate time-saving hack that is saving the day is permanent makeup. That’s right—we don’t have to spend hours perfecting our eyeliner if we don’t want to, and that is music to my lazy-girl ears.
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You might be familiar with micro-blading as a permanent makeup option, but there are more services available that can help you achieve more than just perfect eyebrows. Artists at Studio Sashiko create, enhance, and replicate hyper-realistic features via permanent makeup every day on different parts of the face and body, so we talked to them to learn the nitty-gritty details of each permanent makeup service.
What You Need to Know Before Getting Any Permanent Makeup Service
Just like you would with any service (especially tattoos), it’s in your best interest to do your research, understand the risks (infections, allergic reactions, etc.), shop around, meet different artists, and book with someone who sees your vision and who you trust. Co-owner and lead artist at Studio Sashiko, Shaughnessy Otsuji, recommends asking to see photos of artists’ healed work before deciding who you will choose. “It is a good idea to see if they have worked on clients with similar features or skin type/skin tone as yourself. If you do not see anyone resembling you, simply ask,” she added. As Studio Sashiko artist Roxy Gonzalez would say: “It is crucial to choose an artist whose artistry is in line with what you love.”
Once you choose an artist, talk to them about how to properly prepare and heal from your service to make sure you get the most out of it and what you should expect as far as the tattoo’s upkeep as well as the cost of returning for touch-ups. With that said, the cost of services varies depending on where you live, the studio you go to, the experience and demand of the artist, and what you want to be done.
While the hope is that you always love the style and color you receive, Otsuji says that “most pigments used in cosmetic tattooing are designed to gently fade over time,” but if you really do want to remove your cosmetic tattoo, “laser tattoo removal is a highly effective option for removing or lightening unwanted pigment,” Otsuji added.
7 Permanent Makeup Options For Brows, Eyes, Lips, & Face
Whether you wear makeup daily and want to shorten your routine or you want a little more definition to enhance your natural beauty without putting in any effort, here’s everything you need to know about the permanent makeup options that are available to you.
Eyebrows
Before deciding on which type of eyebrow tattooing is best for you, you should have a thorough consultation with your artist. Studio Sashiko artist Grace Kang says “all factors such as clients’ face features/shape, preferences, existing brow hair, skin type, lifestyle, [and] makeup style are fully considered when designing the brows.” This will help ensure that the brow technique that you chose is the one that makes the most sense for you, so take this step seriously, because, you know, it’s a tattoo.
Costs vary for these services (more on that later!), but microblading is typically the most affordable option. When you are considering these services, take into consideration how much money you spend on brow products and services throughout the year as well as how much time it takes you to do your brows. Comparing the costs in addition to your time can help you make the best decision for you and your lifestyle. Since all of these services will naturally need to be touched up every 1-2 years, consider the ongoing costs as well, which we have outlined below in more detail!
Micro-blading
The most popular eyebrow option (and the one we hear about the most) is microblading. Using a manual device, pigment is implanted underneath the skin in scratch-like openings to create hair-like strokes. Microblading is considered one of the more invasive permanent eyebrow options although the needle is not as invasive as a tattoo needle. According to Kang, “you can expect a pain level around 1-3” (on a scale of 10) with any brow service. She noted that with the help of numbing cream, clients feel relaxed and sometimes even fall asleep.
Microblading is great for anyone who has experienced partial or complete hair loss from circumstances such as alopecia, chemotherapy, or other auto-immune disorders. However, microblading is not the best option if you have oily skin or an oily t-zone. Since the oil on your skin can break up the pigment and blur your brows, it is recommended that another brow option (more on those later!) is chosen instead.
As mentioned, the cost of services varies, but you can expect your first session of microblading to start at $450 and your second session to cost around $150, making it the most affordable permanent brow option. To maintain shape, color, and detail, refreshers are recommended every 1-2 years and those typically cost around $300.
Nano Brows
The technique of nano brows is similar to microblading in that pigment is implanted underneath the skin to create hair-like strokes, however, the tool for nano brows is used to create single strokes at a time, as opposed to multiple with a microblading tool. Artists are able to “create more complex and various types of hair strokes (crisp or shaded strokes),” says Kang. This results in a more natural-looking set of brows, since there is more control over where the strokes are placed and in what style. A lot of people choose this option over microblading because of those results. Nano brows are recommended for those with oily skin or anyone who needs to cover up a not-so-great brow tattoo job from a previous experience.
The first session of nano brows starts at around $650, the second session costs an additional $150, and refreshers typically cost around $300.
Powder Brows
Also called ombre brows, “this technique can provide both a soft or defined look depending on clients’ preference and is designed to mimic a ‘filled in with makeup’ look,” says Kang. “When clients are looking for more of a bold look and fill in their eyebrows with makeup daily, they may benefit from choosing powder or combo brows as they provide the most coverage,” she added. To achieve this look, tiny dots are punctured into the skin (either manually or with a machine), as opposed to drawing hair-like strokes.
The first session of nano brows starts at around $650, the second session costs an additional $150, and refreshers typically cost around $300.
Combo Brows
Also called hybrid brows, combo brows are created using a combination of the techniques used for nano brows and powder shading. If you have more sparse brows or you like the structure of nano brows but want a little more fullness, fluff, and body, this is a great option for you. Since they are created using both techniques, they last a little longer than microblading or nano brows, especially if you have oily skin.
The first session of nano brows starts at around $650, the second session costs an additional $150, and refreshers typically cost around $300.
Lip Blush & Neutralization
Lipstick on the rim? Not here, Molly Sims. Lip blush or neutralization is done to enhance the color and shape of the lips. Studio Sashiko artist Miranda Cyre explained that it can bring “more ‘life’ to the lips, can make them appear more full, symmetrical, and balanced, can improve scarring, and be beneficial for clients that were born with cleft lips or cleft palates by giving them the appearance of a more defined lip line.”
Colored ink is added to the lips and around the lip line to create definition, dimension, and fullness. While any color can be added, it is widely recommended to choose a shade that gives your look a “natural but better” appearance. Cyre recommends bringing in a lipstick shade that you wear often to base your pigment on, and if you don’t have a favorite, the best option for color is always a shade that is the most similar to the color of the lip tissue at the center of your lips.
While lip blush and neutralization offer a lot of the same benefits, it’s important to know the difference between the two. “Lip blush is best described as a service for women looking to enhance the natural tone to their lips by using pink, blush, or natural tones. Neutralization is a service for individuals looking to improve overall uniformity in their lips, improve overall brightness, and target darker colors in the lips such as brown or purple,” explains Cyre.
On a scale of 1-10, Cyre says that the pain/sensitivity level is a 6. She noted that “some clients describe it as the feeling of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ at the same time.” The process takes about 4 hours from start to finish—consultation, mapping, numbing, and tattooing.
The cost of lip blush and lip neutralization starts at around $500, and refreshers are recommended every 1-2 years—just like eyebrow services. The cost of your refresher will vary depending on how your pigment is faded, but keep in mind that if you wait longer than 1-2 years for a refresher, a new service will likely be required at full price. If you’ve ever been embarrassed by having lipstick on your teeth, this is worth paying for over and over IMO.
Eyelash Enhancement
Uneven eyeliner application or frustratingly fragile and thin lashes will send anyone looking for solutions, and eyelash enhancement liner might be the best solution yet. Totally customizable and available on both the bottom and top lashline (although Gonzalez only recommends the bottom), this is a tattoo that can enhance the lashline and define the eye.
In about 2 hours time, an artist can tattoo eyeliner to your lash line that is undetectable when your eyes are closed—which is why it is also called “invisible eyeliner”. This tattoo gives “depth to the lashes without the appearance of eyeliner,” says Gonzalez, and is perfect for anyone who has little to no lashes or doesn’t like leaving the house without mascara (she feels the same!). Lashes look instantly fuller with the addition of naturally colored pigment tattooed along the lash line.
As far as pain goes, Gonzalez says “everyone’s pain tolerance is different, along with their receptiveness to numbing and sensitivity to the area,” so the pain level depends on the individual. She noted from personal experience that the application is more annoying than painful since it’s not a normal feeling to have someone touching your eye.
Costs vary greatly for eyelash enhancements, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $400-800 depending on the location you go to and the demand and experience of the artist you choose. Since the tattoo lasts between 3-5 years without annual refreshers, we consider this a pretty reasonable price—especially since some eyeliners cost upward of $40! If you keep up with annual refreshers, your eyeliner can last forever, but keep in mind that the cost for the refreshers is around $200 each time.
Freckle Tattooing
If your faux freckles have ever embarrassingly smeared like mascara in the rain, this option is for you. Instead of spotting on faux freckles daily with freckle paint or an eyeliner pen, you can get a cosmetic tattoo that mimics the look of natural freckles or beauty marks on your face, shoulders, and more. Since the color and placement of the freckles are personalized to everyone, they look like they were there all along.
When you are deciding how many freckles you want and where, consider what your skin looks like in both the summer (when you might naturally have more) and in the winter. Remeber that you can always go back to get more freckles, but you can’t take them away as easily, so spend time with your artist mapping them out to make sure they will appear natural and not overdone. With that said, they do fade over time due to the natural process of pigment fading if you decide you don’t love them.
The whole process only takes about two hours from consultation through tattooing, and you are numbed so the pain is minor which is great news if you’re not a fan of needles. Plus, the healing process is fairly quick since the tattooed dots are so small. Short-term sacrifice for long-term gain, right?
Freckle tattooing usually starts at $250, but this is dependent on the number of freckles you want. Most people end up needing touch-ups after one year since the pigment fades, just like with any other tattoo, but this is highly dependent on your skin type and lifestyle (exposure to sunlight, exfoliating products used on a regular basis, etc.).