Brows, Eye Liner and Full Lips - Love It! This Doesn't Require a Dr., It Requires an Artist

After many years of wanting to have this done, researching it THOUROGHLY online for years and knowing other women who've had it (even scheduling an appointment a few years ago but "chickening out" at the last minute). I finally took the plunge and had all 3 procedures done the day before I left town for a week of vacation. Good thing I left town too! I was swollen up (big fat lips, eyes swollen, some oozing and crusting in my eyes as well) and at first, the makeup was VERY DARK AND BRIGHT! To be fair, we were on a sailboat and so I could not ice the swollen areas and so had to live with it until the swelling went down and the color "calmed down" a bit. I'll tell you, the first 2-4 days were a nail biter for me; wondering if I was going to have to quit my job and become a hermit for the rest of my life, I looked like a [RS bleep]! lol! Fortunately on day 5, I woke up, looked in the mirror and saw my new "permanent" face for the 1st time. I loved it! Every day, I wake up feeling and looking pretty. I put a little foundation, blush, eye shadow and SPF 30 clear lip balm on and I am DONE! I can even skip all of those for more casual days except the SPF 30 lip balm and SPF 15 moisturizer to protect my skin from the sun - everyone should at least wear a good sunscreen on their face AND LIPS. I have very short eyelashes and so mascara has always been a waste of time for me so I depended on eyeliner. As someone with allergies and sensitive eyes that water easily I can't tell you how frustrating it was to me to carefully put on my eyeliner every morning only to sneeze it off or "water" it off by noontime. By the last month before my appointment I was literally counting down the days until I would be free of it. Each morning as I put on my eyeliner I found myself sighing with relief that soon I'd never have to do it again - and I don't! It has been a little over 3 weeks and I have a free touch up included with the price I paid. This will be in another month because I wanted to be sure to get a Friday appointment after work where I will have a full weekend to recover without having to go out in public too much. I hear alot of people thinking they have to go to a Dr. or a Nurse to get this done which is silly. There's nothing "medical" about the procedure as long as your practitioner is licensed and insured. Trust me, they follow strict safety and hygiene practices enforced by most states in this area. What you REALLY want to look for is someone who is artistic and who's previous work matches your own personal style, not necessarily something you'll find just because someone also has medical credentials. If you want a natural look (which I did, and got) be sure your practitioner understands what this means to you. Avoid someone who wants to drastically change your look or suggests something trendy which may not be in style next year. Don't go to someone who will not spend time meeting with you over the phone or in person to answer all of your questions before you have them start working on you. The difference between permanent cosmetics and tattooing is that tattoos are meant to be the focus themselves whereas permanent cosmetics should draw attention to the prettiness of your own face and therefore blend in so as to be virtually invisible. With a Tattoo, you want people to say "what a nice tattoo". With permanent cosmetics you want people to say "you look great! Did you do something to your hair? What's different about you?". With a good permanent cosmetics job, they should never be able to tell you've had it done unless you tell them. Look at the person's before and after pictures; get references.