FRESH ink

THANKS TO BETTER PIGMENTS AND ARTFUL TECHNIQUES, NEXT-GEN PERMANENT MAKEUP IS CREATING AN OPTICAL ILLUSION

- Wing Sze Tang

GETTING INKED FOR BEAUTY’S SAKE HAS LONG BEEN TRENDY. In the early 1900s, British society ladies who were tired of rouging were already going under the needle so they could have dainty-pink cheeks forever. Today, permanent makeup is more sophisticated, but the goal is the same: stealthy enhancements that look like the real deal. We take a look at what’s new and next in cosmetic tattooing.

LIP blushing

Consider this the antithesis of the plumped-up Kylie pout; lip blushing is all about subtlety. The idea isn’t to mimic makeup but rather to restore a youthful tint. “We add a healthy tone because lips become naturally pale over time,” says brow guru and all-round beauty expert Amy Jean. Models and celebrities flock to her eponymous salons in Australia and her pop-ups overseas, where lip revitalisation is among several coveted procedures. For realistic results, she uses her signature technique, which she describes as “like an airbrushed wash of colour rather than solid lines”.