Your lips do have a lot of nerve endings in them, so they can be a little bit sensitive
to get tattooed.
Luckily, with the numbing cream we use though, you're just going to feel a little bitty sharp
sting and that's about it.
I'm AnnaRose Kern and today I'm getting the lip blush tattoo procedure.
I want to get the lip blush tattoo procedure because I naturally have a really pale lip color.
I have had some permanent makeup done before.
I have my eyebrows microbladed.
That was my first time getting permanent
makeup and I love it.
It totally changed my life.
It made me feel so much more confident.
As a makeup artist, I've heard a lot of people be really nervous about permanent makeup because
they're scared that it's going to heal and look really bad.
And I know that, now on the market, the pigments that they have are, you know, so much better
than what was around even five years ago.
I love my lips.
I'm lucky to have very nice lips, naturally, but they are really pale.
And I feel like sometimes if I don't have lipstick on, I kind of look
a little bit washed out.
I feel like this procedure will make me really confident. I feel like I'll look a little bit
more vibrant.
I think lip blush tattooing is kind of a newer approach to traditional lip tattooing.
It's made to be a little bit softer, a little more sheer,
and it really ages well with you, as well.
I'm Nora Grace and I'm a cosmetic tattoo artist and partner at Fiction Cosmetic Tattooing
in Echo Park.
I've been doing cosmetic tattooing for about four years now.
Callie and I started Fiction Cosmetic Tattooing just to create this really warm and welcoming
space where people feel comfortable to come and get tattooed.
We know getting cosmetic tattooing can kind of be a nerve wracking thing.
So coming to this really nice, beautiful environment really helps soothe people.
And we try to offer a wide range of services for all different types of people so that
whatever you want, we can provide it for you.
I personally have a lip blush tattoo.
I think lip blush tattooing is really popular right now because it just gives you that no-makeup
makeup look.
It's not like old school lip tattoos where it's really harsh
and looks like lip liner or lipstick.
It more so just looks like your lip color, but better.
The pigments that we use in lip blush tattooing are really kind of based on the existing undertones
and the client's natural lips and then based off of their target color.
I show AnnaRose a lot of different color options that she can choose from.
I'll custom mix the color based on your skin tone and the undertones existing in your lip.
But I like to know kind of the target color that you're looking for.
I think this one and this one look the most like that lip liner that I love.
Totally.
Perfect.
I love that.
I am a little nervous about having a needle near my lips.
I've never had them injected or anything, so I don't actually know what that feels like.
Bring on the numbing cream, extra numbing cream for me.
First, I lay down Anna and start drawing the shape of her lips.
I stay inside of her natural lip border and just really define the edges, so I know exactly
where and where not to tattoo.
After I perfect AnnaRose's shape, I carefully apply numbing cream to the lips, cover it
with plastic, and then she gets to numb for about 20 to 30 minutes.
After AnnaRose numbs, I begin to etch in an outline.
This just helps me really lock in the shape of her lips
so that I don't lose it while I'm tattooing.
While performing the procedure, I will numb AnnaRose again after each pass of shading,
just to make sure that she stays really nice and comfortable.
The shading process is pretty slow as I'm slowly building up the saturation of color
in AnnaRose's lips.
I use a really quiet and gentle machine so it's not rattly and scary like your traditional
tattoo machine, but
there is a little bit of a sound and a little bit of vibration.
After a few passes of shading with my first needle, I then switch over to a different
type of needle that I really like to use.
Just kind of helps me even everything out.
After I have reached the desired amount of saturation, I like to put a little bit of
a moisturizer on AnnaRose's lips and just let it sit for a couple minutes
so they can get really nice and plump.
Next, I just clean up her lips, sit AnnaRose up and have her
take a look at her fresh lip tattoo.
Okay AnnaRose, are you ready to see your new lips?
Yes, I'm ready.
Go ahead and take a look.
Oh my god.
Oh, they look so good.
The swelling is natural.
It'll go down in just a couple hours.
Oh my god.
I can't get over the color.
It's perfect.
Yay!
Lips are usually peeled in about a week, but they're not fully healed and ready for a
touch-up for two months.
Your skin kind of goes through a couple of stages of regenerating itself and rebuilding.
So we really want to wait those two months to truly assess the full healed color before
you come back for another session.
A lot of times if they just need a little bit more definition in their border or if
they want to bump up the color a little bit, we'll have them
come back in for a second session.
Otherwise, they're good for about two to five years till they need to
come back for an annual refresh.
The actual procedure on my lips initially felt a little bit like somebody was writing
on me with a really sharp pen.
At first it was a little bit uncomfortable, but then she added more numbing, and by the
end of the procedure I couldn't feel anything at all.
The healing process...
I feel like Nora was super honest with me about what it was going to be.
The first day the color was really bright and I was a little bit scared.
But every day the color got more and more natural and my lips...
They just peeled a little bit on the third day.
The pigment just kind of oxidizes in your skin and makes it look really bright and bold.
But luckily, they heal really quickly.
So usually by day three or four, they've already started to peel and reveal this really soft
color underneath.
Working with AnnaRose was such a pleasure.
She was a total dream client.
Working with Nora is amazing.
She was so attuned to the discomfort levels and made sure that I knew what was going on
every step of the process.
She's checked in on me ever since then and
she's just a dream to work with.
I would definitely go and see Nora again for a touch up.
I'm actually going to see her again for a different procedure a little bit later today.
I think I'm hooked.
When I first looked in the mirror, my initial thought was, I can't believe how she got the
shape of my lips so perfect.
Everybody has certain features on their own face that they're really comfortable with
and they like a certain way.
And for me, that's my lips.
And she really nailed it.
So I was thrilled.
I used to carry this bag in my purse that has I think five or six different
lip liners and five or six different colors of lipstick.
And now I really don't even need this anymore, because all I carry with me
is just a clear gloss.
If you're afraid of needles, but you really want this procedure, I promise
it's not that bad.
You really can't see the needle.
It's over before you know it.
And the results last for a really long time.
So I would say go for it.
Thank you for watching Refinery29.
To watch more videos, click here, and to subscribe, click here.