Permanently Beautiful

People call it the “Country Club” ear scar; those pale white scars visible in front of, under and behind the ears that shout, “I’VE HAD PLASTIC SURGERY!” Ear scars are particularly noticeable at country clubs and tennis clubs where women put their hair up into ponytails before hitting the courts or laying around the pool. People who have facelifts certainly don’t want to shout it to the world, yet those telltale ear scars are a dead giveaway. Some embarrassed women stop wearing ponytails on the tennis courts or updos when they attend elegant social affairs.

Ear scarring occurs when plastic surgeons stretch facial skin toward the ears to make it taut, suturing it into place. While the fastest, most common facelift technique, it leaves obvious scarring around the ear. New plastic surgery facelift techniques repair facial muscles instead of stretching the skin. Not only does muscle repair result in a longer-lasting more effective facelift, it doesn’t leave ear scars; instead, incisions are made under the chin where they won’t be visible after recovery. 

Fortunately, there is a cure for embarrassing “Country Club” ear scars. Paramedical tattooing performed by an expert permanent makeup artist can camouflage unsightly ear scars caused by plastic surgery. Using micropigmentation techniques, permanent makeup artists can color scar tissue so that it blends perfectly with surrounding facial skin tones, effectively making scars “disappear.” With permanent makeup, women and men who have had facelifts can enjoy their new-found youthful good looks with confidence.

Cats-eye Eye Makeup

Cat eyes glittering, Hollywood’s most gorgeous felines stalked the red carpet at Sunday’s Emmy Awards. Gowns were sleekly formfitting, sparkling with sequins and Swarovski crystals or cascading in multi-tiered ruffles flowing into sensually flared mermaid tails. This year’s biggest trends on the red carpet were the curvaceous mermaid silhouette, lots of sparkle, soft up-dos that were pouffy rather than head-hugging, sculpted bronze cheek bones, glossy natural lips and alluring cats-eye eye makeup.

Makeup artists used elongated eye liner and eye shadow combined with ultra-long lashes to create a mysterious cat-like eye. Glee star Lea Michele did a smoky-eyed take on the retro look. She elongated her eyes with dark, thick, black eye liner brought to a bold, swept-up point beyond the outer corner of each eye. Layers of thick, long, clumpy lashes were added to create a dark, dramatic eye.

Tron star Olivia Wilde took a lighter, more elegant, but no less dramatic, approach to achieve the feline look. Olivia lined her eyes with a bold stroke of dark eye liner, then added a pointed swoop of eye shadow, extending it from the outer half of her upper lid to a soft point at the tip of her eyebrow. However, Olivia’s eye makeup did little to detract attention from her barely-there lace gown.

You don’t need a Hollywood makeup artist to look good when you wear permanent makeup. Permanent makeup provides a perfect base for stand-alone natural beauty or for layering on the latest makeup style – the best of both worlds!

The ever-growing popularity of permanent makeup is attracting a host of newcomers to the marketplace. Some spas and beauty salons, plastic surgeons and dermatologists, even a few tattoo parlors have started advertising permanent cosmetics services. With so many new players in the field, how do you choose a permanent makeup artist?

Artist is the key word. Many technicians have the technical skill to tattoo eyebrows or lips; but unless that technical skill is artistically applied, the results can be more Frankenstein than Angelina Jolie. Permanent makeup, a specialized form of cosmetic tattooing, is as much an art form as it is a paramedical procedure. Artistically applied by an experienced and knowledgeable permanent cosmetics artist, permanent makeup can enhance your natural features and correct minor flaws, making you appear more beautiful. Skill can be taught, but artistry comes from within. Anyone can paint a picture; there are few Rembrandts in the world.

The discovery of a Rembrandt is a precious gem that transcends the layman-like brush work of most painters, elevating art from ordinary to magnificent. In the world of permanent makeup, Melany Whitney is a Rembrandt, using the face as her canvas and carefully blended pigments as her paint. One of the nation’s most respected permanent makeup artists, Melany is a highly sought teacher of the profession. A professional artist and former makeup artist, Melany brings years of well-honed experience, extraordinary technique, intimate knowledge of facial features and a rare and unique artistry to her permanent makeup clients.

Two main issues seem to be driving the trend toward permanent makeup. The fast pace of modern life and the desire to carve a few free moments out of every hectic day prods many busy women to seek the freedom permanent makeup offers. Permanent makeup means no more long minutes in front of the mirror with brushes and pencils before you rush out the door every morning, no time out for touch-ups during the day, and no need to redo your makeup before you go out in the evening. With permanent makeup you cleanse, moisturize and you’re out the door. And (big bonus!) your makeup looks fresh and perfect every minute of even the longest, toughest days.

The need to look young, attractive and employable in a highly competitive job market or to maintain a youthful look of vitality and energy in the cut-throat corporate world is driving both women and men to seek the artistic services of permanent makeup artists like Melany Whitney. Permanent makeup can camouflage plastic surgery scars, accentuate your natural features, add youthful color to aging faces, make lips appear fuller and bolder, and reshape and darken pale or too thin eyebrows.

When performed by an artistic professional like Melany, permanent makeup for men can make eyebrows bolder and more commanding, hide unattractive bald spots in men’s beards and mustaches and camouflage scarring from hair transplants.

Permanent makeup gives women and men the best of both worlds: a competitive edge in the business world and more leisure time to enjoy.

Actress Julia Roberts

Whoever said women lose their looks as they age obviously hasn’t seen actress Julia Roberts in the recently released film Eat Pray Love. Two years past her 40th birthday, Roberts looks radiantly beautiful on screen. If you’ve ever glanced through a fanzine, you know Roberts’ beauty doesn’t come from a makeup bag. Paparazzi photos of Julia sans makeup while playing with her twins may accent a few laugh lines, but the actress still looks as fresh and lovely off-stage as on.

Audiences have been captivated for years by Julia’s signature full-lipped, high-wattage smile. But when you catch Julia in a more pensive mood, it is her dark, well-shaped eyebrows that attract attention and draw you into her aura.

Julia has most certainly been blessed with the beauty gene, but those of us who are not quite so fortunate can use permanent makeup to trick Mother Nature. Artistically applied permanent makeup can darken and reshape your brows, allowing them to frame your face more elegantly. An expert permanent makeup artist like Melany Whitney can restructure your natural lip line, making your lips appear naturally fuller. Permanent makeup can also correct flaws in lip symmetry and add color to pale lips to make them appear more youthful. Having your eyes lined with permanent eye liner will focus attention on your eyes 24/7.

When you highlight and beautify your natural features with permanent makeup, it’s easy to slam the door on Mother Nature!

When popular British actress Sally Whitaker felt she was losing herself during her battle with breast cancer, permanent makeup came to her rescue and restored her sense of personal beauty. 

Fantasy became all too harsh reality when British actress Sally Whitaker was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time that her character in the hit primetime British soap opera Coronation Street was also battling the disease. In fact, Sally credits the experiences of her onstage persona with prompting her to do the self-exam that discovered the lump in her breast. As her on-screen character moved from initial cancer discovery into treatment, Sally was motivated to monitor her own health. Finding a lump in her breast and discovering that it was cancerous created an eerie feeling of deja vu as her real life experiences began to mirror those of her on-screen character. Sally’s personal battle with cancer gave tragic poignancy to her character’s on-screen fight with the disease.

During chemotherapy, Sally lost all of her hair, including her eyebrows. While she could cover her bald head with cute caps and scarves, the loss of her eyebrows made her feel extremely uncomfortable about her appearance. Without eyebrows she felt her face looked robotic and unattractive and she began to feel her self-confidence eroding. Permanent eyebrows applied by a skilled permanent makeup artist rescued Sally’s self-esteem and made her feel attractive and feminine again.

Natural gray-haired beauty.

The pursuit of youth is what usually drives American beauty trends. Women and men want to look younger, more attractive, more vital. Cosmetics and permanent makeup are sought out to wipe away the years. Americans spend millions of dollars each year trying to banish the lines, creases and wrinkles that come with aging. Our quest for youth makes the hottest new trend in hair color more than a little surprising. Gray is the hot new hair color. Celebrities from singer Pink and TV personality Jay Manuel to celeb Kelly Osbourne and singing sensation Lady Gaga have gone gray. For women and men in their 20s and 30s, going gray is a way to stand out and enhance individuality. But it’s also part power trip. Those who are indulging the trend say gray locks instantly convey an aura of intelligence and wisdom.

What we’ve noticed is that the gray hair fad is being adopted only by the young. Those gray locks frame youthful faces that are as yet unlined and unwrinkled. Men and women who come by their gray strands naturally know that wisdom comes not from a Clairol box but from years of hard-earned experience. These warriors of the corporate trenches have also learned that while a touch of gray may connote wisdom, the look of youthful vitality achieved from permanent makeup is a far greater asset in the workplace.

Beauty gives you a competitive edge in the workplace. It’s something most of us have long suspected but hated to admit — that attractive men and women rise faster and earn more in the business world. Known as “beauty bias,” it’s the reason the pretty girl gets the job and the cute guy gets the promotion. Fortunately, artistically-applied permanent makeup can level the playing field and make “beauty bias” work for you.

Consider these facts from an article published on Newsweek online:

• Attractive men earn 5% more and attractive women, 4% more than their average-looking coworkers.
• A handsome guy will earn $250,000 more over his lifetime than an ugly Joe.
• To compete more effectively at work, 13% of women and 10% of men would undergo cosmetic surgery.
• 57% of hiring managers admitted that unattractive people have a harder time landing a job than their more attractive counterparts, even if they have better qualifications.
• Hiring managers recommend job applicants spend as much time and money on their appearance as on their resume.
• In a ranking of desirable employee attributes, appearance ranked third behind experience and confidence, beating education which came in fourth.
• 84% of hiring managers said visibly older job candidates, particularly women, are usually passed over in favor of younger, more vigorous looking applicants.

Make the “beauty bias” work for you. Find out about permanent makeup today.

It turns out there’s more than a smattering of truth to the perception that beautiful people get more than their fair share of the good things in life. Beauty pays, particularly at the office. Called the “Beauty Premium” by economists, pretty women and handsome men do, in fact, have an easier time getting a job, earn more money and rise higher and faster up the corporate ladder than their less attractive coworkers. 

Beauty may be only skin deep, but it confers measurable advantages that affect every aspect of a person’s life. Studies have shown that beautiful people receive more attention than those who are less attractive. The bias begins early in life. Scientists have found that babies stare longer at people with attractive faces and that pretty children receive more attention from parents, teachers and friends. The beauty bias extends throughout life to bosses, mentors and potential mates. In the workplace, handsome men earn 5% more and beautiful women, 4% more than their average-looking coworkers. Hard work and merit have their benefits, but in the business world pretty people are more apt to reel in that big account, get that plum assignment or be awarded that kick-ass promotion.

Savvy businessmen and women are turning to permanent cosmetics to enhance their natural beauty, correct facial flaws and improve their competitive edge at work.

More about the beauty bias on Thursday

Permanent Makeup for Men

As competition heats up on the job market, more men are turning to permanent makeup to keep their competitive edge and maintain their grip on the corporate ladder. A few facial lines or a touch of gray may connote desirable experience, but looking old won’t earn you any votes in the board room. Corporations want their executives to look commanding, energetic and virile. Permanent makeup for men can enhance your most attractive features and make weak features more commanding, allowing you to maintain your competitive edge.

Permanent makeup is a type of cosmetic tattooing known medically as micropigmentation. The application of permanent makeup involves the tattooing of iron oxide cosmetic pigments into the dermal layer of the skin. A highly skilled permanent makeup artist like Melany Whitney can use permanent makeup to:

• Camouflage facial scars and scars from injuries, facelifts or hair transplants.
• Redraw uneven lip lines so they appear more symmetrical.
• Redefine the color and definition of facial areas affected by cleft palate surgery so they look more pleasing and natural. 
• Fill in unsightly bald patches and hair loss caused by male pattern baldness.
• Thicken and redefine eyebrows using Melany’s unique, natural-looking, feather-stroke technique.
• Enhance eyelashes to rejuvenate and highlight the eyes.

Permanent cosmetics for men can rejuvenate your appearance and help you recapture your competitive edge.