Narrator: Lip blushing is a semipermanent, cosmetic tattoo
that uses water-based inks to achieve a tinted,
natural-looking lip color.
It creates an illusion of fuller,
plumper lips by overlining in strategic areas
and shading the mouth an even color.
Christine Hwang, the owner and artist
of New Face by Christine,
is one of the go-to people
in New York City for this service.
We follow one of Christine's clients, Amanda,
to see why people like her
are loving lip blushing over fillers.
Amanda: Well I've always been intrigued by permanent makeup,
but anyone that I'd met in person that had had it done,
I was never really a fan of it.
It looked really harsh and severe.
And when I saw Christine's page on Instagram,
I knew instantly,
as soon as I saw those pictures that she posted,
that I wanted to get this done.
Narrator: Lip blushing is valued for being less invasive
and lower maintenance than traditional lip fillers.
The final result can last from three to five years,
depending on the desired pigmentation.
Lip fillers, on the other hand,
require refills every three to 12 months,
depending on the type of injection.
Amanda: I would definitely like more definition,
especially the upper lip.
I would like a really defined Cupid's bow.
Narrator: After sterilizing her hands
and the client's lips,
Christine uses two lip liners to map the shape.
The red one marks where she plans to place the outline,
and the white one emphasizes that shape
so it's easy for everyone to see.
Once the client is happy with the lip shape,
Christine tattoos the border outline.
She prefers to do this before numbing,
since the lidocaine can distort the skin.
The discomfort for this part is minimal.
After the outline is complete,
a generous amount of numbing cream is applied to the area.
Finally, she begins layering the color,
using brushing strokes.
Christine: With lip blushing
there's a lot more layering involved,
compared to other tattoos on the face.
Immediately afterwards, the lips look
a lot bolder and brighter,
and then the pigment does fade 30% to 50%
for the desired outcome.
Narrator: After a few layers of color,
a gel anesthetic can be applied for five minutes
to numb the lips even more.
Then, Christine continues to layer the color
to achieve the desired pigmentation.
After an hour, the treatment is complete.
Christine: For most people, it takes about a week and a half
to two weeks to fully heal.
I would say peeling, and that stage takes about five days,
but it varies depending on the individual.
Narrator: A few weeks later,
Amanda came in for a standard touch-up session.
Amanda: OK, so I've had the lip blush done,
one treatment so far,
so I'm in for my touch-up here with Christine.
I'm already super happy with the results.
The healing process was probably about a week.
I followed Christine's instructions for the aftercare,
applying Vaseline two to three times a day,
but it wasn't bad at all.
There was flaking, which is normal, totally normal,
but painless, really low maintenance,
and so far I'm thrilled with the results,
so I can't wait to see what will happen after the touch-up.
Before, my lips almost would blend into my face.
There was really no definition either
in the Cupid's bow on the top, which really bothered me,
so that was one of the main points that I addressed
and that Christine took care of
in my treatment, and I love it.
She did it perfectly, so I'm really happy with that.