Tired of Eyeliner Smudges? Permanent Cosmetics May be the Answer

Posted by: Rhonda Shrum

Ever since I was an awkward 7th grader with big hair, I’ve been an eyeliner fanatic. For over 20 years, I have diligently smudged black, brown, or gray liner onto my small eyelids, hoping to brighten them up. And every day, I’ve been crabby when it inevitably migrated onto my hands, clothing, pillow, or some unsuspecting man’s white dress shirt. I’ve tried pencil, I’ve tried liquid; I’ve tried the drug store brands, I’ve tried the high-dollar stuff. It all, in the end, gave me raccoon eyes. I’d heard stories of people getting their eyes “tattooed,” but the thought freaked me out. A needle that close to my eye? And what if it looks horrible?

Although my concerns are normal, they turned out to be unfounded. I have been closely watching Janice Lewis, our Permanent Cosmetics Artist, perform utter magic on patients since I started here in September. Week after week I was amazed at how great these women looked after receiving permanent eyeliner, eyebrows, or lip color. I knew, once I got over my needle-fear, that I had to have this done. Her talent completely wiped away any fear I had of looking fake or tacky.

On the day of my procedure, I was slightly nervous. Before starting, Janice applied numbing cream to my eyes and allowed that to work for 15 minutes. As the numbness set in, I was covered in a blanket and left to cat nap and relax. The whole process was calming and helped ease my nerves.

Once the actual tattooing began to take place, I realized it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had envisioned. Permanent eyeliner is achieved by implanting pigments in the lash line, so it feels a bit like someone is scraping at your eyelid with a teeny, tiny prickly instrument. The process was generally more tiring and irritating than painful, and since top and lower eyeliner only takes an hour, it’s completely bearable because each eye gets a break while the other is being worked on.

I am beyond pleased with the results. I was slightly swollen and red for a couple of days afterwards, and now, three days out, I am experiencing teeny-tiny flakes as the tattoo heals but otherwise no ill effects. The stark color is fading a bit so it’s not so harsh, and it’s completely freeing to wake up in the morning and not have to do the whole eyeliner routine. Here are my before and right-after photos:

Permanent cosmetics begin at $500. Visit our website at www.stlmedspa.com or call 636-530-9020 for more details.