Everything You Need to Know About Permanent Cosmetics

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Nikki Foy is a cosmetic tattoo artist at Love Life Tattoo & Art Studio in Warwick, N.Y. We invited Foy to educate Inked readers on the ins and outs of permanent cosmetics in the following article and gallery.

Permanent cosmetics have been around for years, but despite that they seem to have a negative stigma surrounding them. Often those who know anything about permanent cosmetics are those who have a grandmother or crazy aunt who got their eyeliner tattooed 40 years ago—their work has since turned blue and they had stories of getting blazed across their eyelids with a coil machine without numbing cream. If this is all you know of cosmetic tattoos of course you would cringe and not want to hear more.

In recent years there has been progress, innovation, and regulation which have made permanent cosmetics increasingly more comfortable, successful, and safer. I grew up in the 90s when “Heroin Chic” was the look and super thin eyebrows reigned supreme. 15 years later, due to over plucking in my earlier years to achieve “the look”, my eyebrows grew in spotty and eventually my laterals (eyebrow tails) stopped growing completely. I turned to permanent cosmetics to help me with my aesthetics because I couldn’t stand drawing on my eyebrows everyday. I actually recall crying the first time I got out of the shower because there were still eyebrows on my face. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting out of the pool and still having perfect makeup. Endangered are the days of raccoon eyes and eyeliner application during rush-hour!

Learn more about what permanent cosmetics are, the process required to obtain them and more in the gallery below.