Permanently Beautiful

Well-cared-for skin is the foundation of a beautiful face. Whether you enhance your natural beauty with permanent cosmetics or the jumbled contents of a makeup bag, developing an effective daily cleansing and moisturizing routine is essential. Beautiful skin doesn’t have to be time-consuming. A few quick tips from skin care experts will keep your skin looking lovely and feeling wonderful!

• Put aside those gel cleaners and start using cream cleansers at night. Creams contain oils which quickly dissolve dirt, sunscreen, makeup, lipstick and eye makeup. Because they moisturize as they clean, creams leave your skin feeling silky soft.   
• To streamline your skin care regimen, look for all-in-one skin care products that combine moisturizer, sunscreen, anti-oxidants and foundation. One dab takes care of everything! If you can’t bear to give up your favorite products, mix individual products in the palm of your hand and apply as one — much faster than applying each layer individually.
• Look for dual-duty eye treatments too. Many cosmetic manufacturers offer eye-care products that depuff while erasing dark circles.
• Less is more with skin creams. Don’t slather; it takes longer for thick applications to soak in. Dot a dime-sized dollop of skin cream onto forehead, nose, cheeks and chin and blend gently to create a thin, light coat.
• To keep skin looking luminous, slough off dead skin cells three times a week (less frequently if your skin is dry). Massage a gentle, granular scrub into your skin and rinse thoroughly.

Just because summer is officially over, don’t think you can put away the sunscreen. The sun’s rays threaten to damage tender human skin year round, particularly if you wear permanent cosmetics. Even in the middle of winter, sun can damage your skin. To be sure, it takes longer for sun exposure to occur during the winter months than it does in the summer due to differing angles in the sun’s rays; but damage can and does occur. The fact that the air doesn’t feel warm does not diminish the impact of the sun’s rays. A bright sunny day after a snowfall can even cause serious sunburn, as many skiers will attest. Snow reflects sunlight onto faces and exposed skin, accelerating damage to unprotected flesh.

Women and men who wear permanent cosmetics need to be particularly wary of potential sun damage. Skin that has been enhanced with permanent cosmetics is somewhat more sensitive to the sun’s rays which can also contribute to fading over time. Permanent cosmetics can fade over the years and require periodic refreshing, but people who wear permanent makeup can prolong the life of their cosmetic tattoos by practicing smart preventative skin care.

Recommended skin care for permanent cosmetics wearers includes cleansing with a mild face wash, moisturizing and wearing sunscreen year round. Many permanent makeup wearers simplify their lives by using a moisturizer that contains sunscreen.

Packing for a holiday trip? Think of all the items women typically pack in their cosmetics bag: moisturizer, concealer, foundation, powder, blush, eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, eyebrow pencil, lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss — and that’s just the basics! Many women use additional makeup products (bronzer, shading, corrective skin coloring products, etc.). Many more women will pack multiples of many products so they’ll have a selection of colors while they’re visiting. Of course, you also have to pack everything you need to take the whole smear off at the end of the day: makeup remover, cleanser,  nighttime moisturizer, lip moisturizer and more. Then there are all the products you need to repair skin damage caused by wearing all that makeup all day long: skin rejuvenators, blemish control ointments, skin repair creams and more. No wonder the luggage industry makes special makeup cases. By the time you pack up your makeup, there’s hardly room for anything else in your suitcase!

Now compare the contents of a normal makeup case with the contents of a cosmetics bag owned by a woman smart enough to have permanent makeup. A woman with a full face cosmetic enhancement only needs to pack a mild facial cleanser, a good quality moisturizer and a moisturizing lip gloss. Permanent makeup wearers who need to pack light can get by with cleanser and sunscreen, using the sunscreen to moisturize face and lips. When you have permanent makeup, life — and packing — are simple.

Thanksgiving is the biggest travel weekend of the year. Whether they travel by air, rail or auto, Thanksgiving sees more people going home to be with family than any other holiday. Maybe it’s those four fabulous days or the lure of roasting turkey that draws us home. Whatever your reason for returning to the nest, you want to make an impression on your family and show them that this bird has spread her wings in style!

Unfortunately, long hours traveling take a toll on skin and makeup. If you don’t take a few precautions, you’ll arrive home more bedraggled than magnificent. Oprah gal pal and cosmetics expert Paula Begoun offers makeup and skin care tips for holiday travelers. The hit author’s best recommendation: travel sans makeup! Paula says recirculated air, particularly in airplanes, is horribly drying to your face. Wearing makeup in such dry conditions can damage skin and cause even quality makeup to give your face that flakey undead look.

Best bet? Apply a good moisturizer or moisturizing toner at the start of your trip. Reapply as necessary during long trips. When you reach your destination, slip into the ladies room, wash up, remoisturize and apply your makeup. You’ll be fresh and fabulous when you greet your family. Of course, if you have permanent makeup, you look fabulous every hour of the day without makeup. Just moisturize to refresh your skin. The bonus? You still look hot when you say “hi” to the hunky guy in the next seat!

Even the most artfully applied permanent cosmetics require an occasional touch-up to keep you looking your best. The degree of “permanency” of permanent cosmetics varies with each individual. Although we call cosmetic tattooing “permanent”, it is really classified as “extended wear” makeup.

All good things have a life and permanent cosmetics are no different from any other product. Colors of the permanent cosmetic pigments can fade over time due to many factors, including over-exposure to the sun, a person’s own body chemistry, and the degree of care taken to maintain your new “permanent look”. Any process involving the skin such as facials, peels, or certain medications such as synthroid and cortico steroids can adversely effect permanent cosmetic pigment color integrity over time.

To maintain your permanent cosmetics, you should be wearing an SPF lotion or cream of at least 15 on your face. When exposed to strong sun, it’s best to use an SPF 30 lotion on your face and brows. Here’s our secret tip: as a quick way to get sun cover-up, try gliding on a quick thin coat of Chapstick Ultra 30+ or Banana Boat stick at SPF 30 on your lips and eyebrows for fast no-mess sun protection.

Many makeup foundation products will contain a degree of sun protection, but when you have “permanent” or as we call them “extended wear” cosmetics you should be even more careful about sun exposure to help your permanent look last the longest it can.

When It’s Time to Renew and Refresh Your Permanent Look

Typically, it may be three to eight years before you begin to notice any fading of your permanent makeup. The permanent cosmetic pigment colors may soften, the lines become less distinct, or the colors may simply fade. The length of time between necessary refreshes is unique to each individual and dependent upon skin condition, sun exposure and body chemistry. Refreshes are usually applied in a single visit and charged at 50% of the total cost of your original two-layer application.

It’s easy to give yourself an instant “face lift” and appear more youthful or to enhance your own natural beauty and achieve facial symmetry by adding to your permanent cosmetics while you’re in for a quick refresh. Our most requested addition is eyeliner and lip liner. Get more personal freedom by adding to your permanent look today!

Contact us today to schedule your refresh and we’ll schedule any new procedures you desire the same day as your refresh. Remember with permanent cosmetics, there is virtually no down time so you can look beautiful and refreshed 24/7 immediately!