Permanent Makeup - Chicago,IL

M.,

I'm sorry all the answers I've read below are from those who haven't had any personal experience with permanent make up. I have permanent make upon my eyes (eyeliner) and just had my lips permanently lined back in November '08. I LOVE IT!!! My eyes were done over 8 years ago and they still look great. Permanent eyeline fades to blue if the color was not properly mixed. I.e., if no brown is put into the mix, black liner will begin to look a little blue.

Every morning and throughout the day my eyes look good whether I've cried, laughed or rubbed my eyes.

Sorry, ladies, but I'm all for it. Especially if you don't like going out of the house without eyeliner on. I've often told someone coming over for an early morning visit that I won't have makeup on yet and when they get here they've said (more than once) that I thought you said you weren't putting make up....You look great.

My friend had her eyes done in November because she wants to wear eyeliner all the time. (She goes nowhere without it). She had a great summer swimming and always looking her best, she has told me. Some permanent make up will need a touch up just after the first application so that it looks the way you want it to look. That's not a downside.
I'm going next week to get my lips filled in so that I always have lipstick on. That's the way I prefer to look. It's really more a personal decision but I couldn't recommend it more. It's the best thing I've done for myself.

If you would like to talk more to me about this, feel free to email me. Good luck.

If it's done with a gun, STAY AWAY! It's extremely painful. I had my lower eye lids done twice with a gun. It never took and was very, very painful. I then found a lady in Downers Grove who uses the soft technique. My eyes didn't even tear up. I would rate a tattoo gun at a level 10 (out of 1 -10) and the soft technique a level 2.

The lady I went to is thru Permanently Pretty. Her name is Lynn and her number is ###-###-####. She's wonderful!

Due to hair loss, I had my eyebrows tatooed twice, about 3 years apart, by Jeffrey Lyle Segal, the owner of www.bestpermanentmakeup.com. He was dedicated to doing a good job.

Hi M.!

It is nice to see you on here again. I am glad everything went well for you last year. I don't know if you still have my pictures, but I was certified in micro-pigmentation back in 2001 and did my eyebrows around that time. Most of the people on here are right -- it will fade over time and you will have to get it touched up. I have redone my eyebrows twice.

Although I haven't done any other tattooing on myself, I learned to do eyeliner and lips as well, but I wouldn't recommend the lips. I was told by my instructor that women that carry the herpes (cold sore) virus, but never had outbreaks may start to develop them (especially if it is not done right!) and she often referred her clients to their doctors for Zovirax cream after the procedure as a precaution.

As for the eyeliner, my mother had it done and I honestly recommend only doing the top if it is something you are really considering. If you still have my e-mail (isoraya01), feel free to keep in touch. I would live to know more about your other procedure.

Take care.

my mother in law did the eyeliner tattoo...looked great for evenings but a bit too much for casual daytime things sometimes.

My MIL has it (eyeliner) and has had it redone (I guess it doesn't last or has to be retouched or something.) it looks just like she puts in on in the AM. You would never know if she didn't tell ya. She doesn't really wear any other make-up. This isn't really first hand stuff, but all I could think of is it is permanent and if the person doing it doesn't do it exactly how you like it, you have to look at it everyday forever. Plus, a tat so close to my eyeball, I don't know that I could hold still for that;it has to hurt!

Sorry it took me a while to FINALLY respond.

So I have had my lips lined with permanent make-up for about 8-9 years now and I am just now about ready for a touch-up. I have full lips but do not have the heart shape on my upper lips which was the main reason I decided to get the permanent make-up done. I went to a lady out of a full service spa like salon and now for my touch-up I plan on going to another lady where my friend has taken me to check-out. I am a dental hygienist so I am always looking around checking out the facility and the cleanliness of the clinician and the products they use, etc.
There are absolutely no regrets on my end. I love it b/c even if I am in a rush I just use a tinted lipgloss and run out the door and it looks great. That is as long as you don't pick to drastic of a color.
After you get it done, it's gonna look scary for a couple days as it can scab up just like a cut and it will even look unpleasantly dark so if you can avoid people for a day or two do it. But after the scab falls off the result are great. Good luck!

I wish I had experience or a story to share with you to help you decide. But it seems permanent makeup is such a permanent solution for a temporary problem. I'd hate for you to get it and it either A) not turn out very well, B) you not be happy with how it looks even if done very well, or C) you regret your decision in 15 years if you decide to adopt a "natural" look :( All of those scenarios would be unfortunate and there would be nothing you could do to change them. Maybe instead of permanent makeup, you could change your routine to save time? Consulting a makeup artist for tips might help you to have a great look in less steps. I hope everything works out for you!

I don't have it, but I'm not sure that it's a good idea, as makeup styles change over the years. Also, what looks good on us changes as we age. If you have pale brows or lashes, I can highly recommend getting them dyed as a time saver. I do that myself about every six weeks and love it.

I guess you've never watched What Not to Wear. There was a woman who did her eyes with permanent liner. It was maybe five years ago and of course since that time what's the norm and attractive has changed. She's stuck with that look from here on out and they had to show her how to 'cover it up' to make it look more appealing in this era of fashion. I say don't do it.

Find other ways to save time, like maybe an easy to handle hair style. That will only stay with you six weeks...not the rest of your life~

Hi M.- I used to work at a salon during college and I know that Rosie Wells (Milwaukee) had done great work. From what I remember, she left the salon to work for a plastic surgeon.

http://www.permanentmakeup1.com/testimonials.html

I did not have anything done, but a co-worker had it all (eyeliner, blush, lips etc) and loved it.

This may sound weird, but you might want to ask whether it affects certain medical procedures. Someone I know (a male) was asked recently if he had his eyelids tattooed I believe before he had an MRI. He didn't so it wasn't an issue, but I wonder why they would ask that if it didn't pose some sort of problem.

A previous co-worker of mine had this done, and to be honest, it didn't look quite right. I think the black eyeliner faded, and took on a weird bluish-grey kind of color (look at a newly-done tatoo vs. an older one... you'll see the difference). Plus, what if your taste in make-up styles/colors changes? As tempting and easy as it sounds to have done, I would really think twice... once it's done, that's how you'll look for the rest of your life!

M.,
Look at the pros and cons before you make permanent changes to your skin. I have thought about it in the past, but I feel I am just as beautiful with or without it. Also, it depends on what you'd like to permanently change.

Blessings,
D.

My friend in St. Louis got her eyelids tatooed (looks like eyeliner, but permanent) for her 50th birthday for herself. She is a blue eyed brunette and it looks GREAT!!!! She doesn't wear much other eye makeup.
It has faded a little over 2 years, and she is thinking about getting it retouched.
She didn't go very heavy the first time because she was timid. But it really looks very natural and she is crazy about it!!

I knew someone who had this done and every day they had to "touch it up". Although it may take less time, you're still putting make up on.

i dont have any experience with this, but do you really want anything permanent on your face?

Whenever I think about getting any tattoo, I stop and think am I still wearing clothes from 5 years ago. I couldn't imagine having the same eyeliner I wore 5-10 years ago. Even lining your lips. What color would you choose. Remember raisin lipstick. Loved it back in the day but couldn't imagine it today.
I like the idea of dying your brows or lashes. Good luck

I had it done twice and here are my thoughts.

1. it's not permanent, per se. It wears off after awhile. The lips wear off faster than the eyelids. It would take a real artist to do a good job on eyebrows. I have not had that done.
2. it hurts some. If you have a dentist willing to give you novicaine and then get the procedure, then great. Otherwise, my artist put topical anesthetic on, started the procedure and when there were some holes, added a different kind that would last longer/go deeper. You will swell - get it done on a friday so you have the weekend to recover.
3. a good artist will offer you a free follow up visit and use that to make small corrections for you.
4. if you really really hate it, you can have skin tone tattooed over the make up.
5. I have had a mri after having this done without any problems.
6. if you are pregnant, you probably want to wait until afterwards.
7. it will be expensive.
8. my first time, I picked a neutral color and had only a small amount added; the second time I was a little bolder. Get references and trust your artist.
9. I was worried about a needle around my eyes. When I mentioned this, she said 'try to open your eye' - and I couldn't. She has control of what she is doing. She also counts while doing it so you know when she will stop.
10. My tattoo artist had a thriving business in california before moving here to get married and start a family. I would highly recommend her. Contact me if you want more info. Besides doing makeup, she also does scar coverage and procedures like adding aerola's (sp?) to plastic surgery patients.

hth! Sorry so long!

My aunt had her brows done and they looked good (natural color). A receptionist at a salon I use to go to had her lips and brows done, and they looked way too painted in, the lips esp. I'm not sure what you consider your problem areas...but since you can only do so much with perm makeup then I assume you have good skin? If so, you don't need a lot to look ready in the morning. If you go to Bobbi Brown they will show you a quick natural look. Or Laura Mercier.

My SIL had her lower and upper eyelids tatooed and she loved it,I think it looks great.

I have been in the spa/beauty/makeup business for 7 years and I started off as a makeup artist. I will tell you that I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly as far as permanent makeup goes. I do know of a gal who used to do it. I haven't spoken to her in some time because I've been out of that loop for a while but she was by far the very best perm artist I've met. She's also been a traditional makeup artist for well over 10 years and extremely skilled. In this one company I worked for, she was one of the best in the entire company, if that tells you anything. She used to perm makeup out of Simply Beautiful spa/salon in Lombard. You can call and ask for her to see. Her name is Dana but she may also go by Madison (her salon name that most people know her by). You can get the salon info here:
http://www.simplybeautifuldayspa.com/