Dear Cathy, I have almost no eyebrows and have to draw them on everyday, which takes me quite a while trying to get them to look somewhat even. Every day is a different look, and to be honest I am tired of drawing them on, but, permanent makeup has always scared me. What if I don’t like it or I want a different color as my hair color changes?
A friend of mine recently had permanent brows (and eyeliner) done by you and it looks really good and super natural. She keeps bragging about the extra 20 minutes she gets to sleep since it takes her less time to get ready. I am now considering it for myself. Tell me what I need to know to decide. – Undecided in Valencia
Dear Undecided, Permanent makeup is wonderful for those like yourself who don’t have much brow hair, or have bad eyesight, unsteady hands, or those who swim, exercise regularly, or are just busy. It is a time saver! Not to mention you can wake up with the same fabulous brows each morning and not have to wonder what shape they will take on that day! To help put your mind at ease, the way I work is you see it before we do it, so there is no guessing whether you will like it or not. If we are doing permanent eyebrows, for example, I numb the brow area with an effective topical numbing technique that makes any pain minimal. Then draw in to fill in your brows, measuring them and getting them looking technically as close to perfect as we can, and in the shape that flatters you and you are comfortable with. It is not until we have them just the way we want, that we move into the permanent makeup room. I go over color and use my expertise to guide you to the most complimentary color for your skin tone, hair and eye color, etc. Once we start the actual procedure it takes usually under 30 minutes, for brows or eyeliner, lips take a little longer. You will be happy to know, that we can change, lighten or darken the color of the brows, eyeliner or lips at any time, to suit your needs or desires. Permanent makeup will get softer in time. I recommend having a color boost every few years to keep it looking fresh. Do not let anyone tell you it will last forever! Permanent makeup is the perfect solution to enhance the appearance of sparse brows using hair strokes for a super natural, fabulous brow. Eyeliner to accentuate your eyes and make your lashes look fuller. I can also give color and definition to your lips, while making them look naturally fuller, sexier and more youthful! Without injections! When clients see the results they say, they wish they had done it sooner! As you may have read in my previous articles, there has been no training or licensing required to do permanent makeup, anyone who feels like it can do it, all they had to do is get some needles, pigments and hang a sign on their door. In 2013 there was finally a law that permanent makeup artists need to be registered and licensed with the Health Department. If they are not licensed by the Health Department it is illegal for them to do permanent makeup, so be sure to ask to see one. With that said, the only thing that means is that they know sanitation, there is still no training required or anyone that governs the quality of permanent makeup. That is why you see such a difference in prices and results. This is the time when the old saying “you get what you pay for” really applies. So please choose someone with a lot of experience, who is trained in and knows makeup, facial features and sanitation! Also make sure you can communicate well with the technician you elect to do your permanent makeup. Another tip in choosing a technician, which is a good clue, observe if a technician looks good in the way they wear their own makeup or is it too harsh?
For a complimentary permanent makeup consultation call Cathy Isaacs, 661-259-6117 at Cosmetic Concepts. Cathy is a licensed esthetician for over 29 years, licensed by the Health Dept and voted number one in SCV for Permanent Makeup.