*warning* this post contains photos of me without makeup and feeling pretty gross. You have been warned.
I got my first tattoo at 50.
It’s not what or where you’d think.
I will admit I’ve never been drawn to tattoos even with all of they hype they have experienced in the last ten years. Before you were badass if you had a tattoo. Now everyone has them and really if you don’t have one you’re the one that stands out.
I’m going to let you in on a secret…tattoos HURT!
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I have a hard time wearing makeup around my eyes, especially my lash line or lashes. I am a natural blond and have lots of long straight very blond lashes. I normally get lash extensions so I don’t need to wear mascara. I used to get my lashes dyed, but that started irritating them too much.
Permanent makeup isn’t something I thought I’d ever want to do but I found myself dreading the days when I’d wear makeup around my eyes.
The gal that does my lashes also does permanent makeup and it looked darn good on her. It only took me seven years to convince myself I should give it a go.
My Experience With Permanent Eye Makeup
What you need to know about “permanent” makeup is that it isn’t permanent. It’ll last about five years before the pigment fades away.
It normally requires two sessions during which time you will need to heal completely in between. Normally people wait about a month or more between sessions.
Tattoo Tip!
If you’re going to get your first tattoo, don’t start with your lash line.
Cause that’s what I did and it was freakin’ PAINFUL!
Don’t let anyone tell you it is like having some slight “scratching”, unless they of course mean scratching by this guy…
or maybe this guy…
Another tip…it’s not just the needles that hurt.
It’s the stretching of the skin, which is stretched within an inch of its life. It is possible I have as much swelling on my upper lid as I do on the actual lash line due to the stretching and pulling of the skin around the eyes.
It felt like that whole area was bruised.
I actually felt too ill the first two days to take photos or do anything.
The first day I spent most of the day in bed icing my eyes trying to get the swelling and pain down. It was seriously painful for a good 36 hours, granted I do have fibromyalgia so my body amplifies pain but I still think others would find this quite unpleasant to say the least.
They do use Lidocaine to numb the area, but honestly it still really hurt. I found it a bit better after the needles has pierced the skin and then the Lidocaine was reapplied so it was able to absorb into the skin better. Also the Lidocaine doesn’t last long. When it came out it hurt like Hell.
I was totally delusional about the entire eye tattoo experience.
I’m not joking when it was everything I could do to stay for the second eye. If you like torture or a masochist I highly recommend this.
Did I mention it took almost two hours?
Yep…two hours of serious pain.
I had no idea that after the procedure I needed to avoid makeup, water and touching my eyes for ten days. I have to put on a salve that is very similar to Vaseline and makes my eyes feel caked in oil.
I was so delusional I thought I’d be able to go out thrifting after the appointment.
Ha ha! I was barely able to drive home and crawl into bed.
It has been three days and my eyes are finally showing signs of improvement.
The redness is still there, but the swelling is ever-so-slowly starting to go down (before I could barely open my eyes!) and the pain has receded. They are still very uncomfortable and easily tired. Computer work has been limited.
Let me say this right now…I am not signing up to get my lower lash line done any time soon.
In fact, the follow-up appointment is feeling me with dread. I’m crossing my fingers I can avoid it. Hopefully it all heals as it should and I won’t need another one.
I will let you know in another ten days if I like the final results. For the first time in my life I actually have a visible “lash line” so there is that. The line you see right now is darker and more raised than it will be.
Whatever you do, don’t look up permanent eyeliner makeup disasters online. If I had read some of those things beforehand I don’t think I would have ever done this. Eeek!
Have you ever had or considered permanent eye makeup? If you did, what was your experience like?
Linking up with Visible Monday, I Will Wear What I Like, Shoe and Tell, Turning Heads Tuesdays, My Whims Wednesday, What I Wore, Fun Fashion Fridays, Hat Attack
Oh my… You must have been REALLY motivated to take this on Suzanne.
If wearing standard eye makeup was continuing to be so tough and uncomfortable I can certainly understand your zeal to find a permanent alternative.
I sincerely hope it proves to be all you hoped it would be!!
For what it’s worth I just love your very sincere and hopeful ,makeup free face, sticking right up into the camera for all to see. Girl, you are beautiful in so many ways!
Yeah…I hated taking that photo! LOL
Getting too real here.
Honestly I think the fact that I’m a style blogger played into the desire to do this. There is pressure when taking photos of oneself all the time for others to see. I’m crossing my fingers the whole thing will be worth it in the end. No way in Hell though am I doing that lower lash line. Nope.
I originally had my eyebrows tattooed ten years ago and then retouched five years ago.
The technician did my eyeliner for free. The eyeliner bit was painful (but it didn’t make me pass out like I did when I had my lower back tattooed in my early 30s) so I declined a touch-up when I went back for my brows in 2012.
I love having eyebrows – that’s the worst thing about being naturally blonde, isn’t it, the alien eyebrow thing? In fact I was more worried about being seen by hospital visitors without eyebrows following my hip replacement than I was about the actual operation!!
I’m sorry you’ve suffered so much. xxx
I couldn’t wait to get your feedback on this Vix.
I cannot believe you passed out with your lower back tattoo. Oh wait..I TOTALLY can!
I’m lucky that I get my eyebrows dyed every time I get my hair dyed and it works out perfectly. No makeup, no pain.
The pain we are willing to endure as women all for the sake of beauty!
I don’t like anything near my eyes. Many years ago, I got my eye lashes dyed, and I didn’t even like that. So, no, I never really considered permanent eye make up. But I would love the (good) end result if I didn’t have to go through the process (which I know I couldn’t handle) as I have blond eye lashes that are invisible unless I wear mascara (which I don’t like either…).
I hope everything turns out the way you want it to!
Andrea
Andrea’s Wellness Notes
That does sound painful… You’re incredibly brave (or motivated, whatever) to have permanent tattoos so close to your eyes. I know that getting a tattoo is painful (I have a small tattoo on my shoulderblade, and that’s one of the least painful places to have a tattoo). And I had my eyes lasered a few years back, but that was literally 30 seconds, and only the first day of recovery was uncomfortable. So, I find it incredible that you went through two hours of pain. And so close to eyes! I know I keep getting back to this, but I can’t even stand mascara, and there you go subjecting your eyes to this! Wow!
I’ve considered Lasix in the past because I avoid wearing glasses as much as possible anyway…but coming from a girl who can’t put in contacts and can barely allow the eye doctor to put drops in my eyes…I decided Lasix was probably too much of a long shot as far as me being able to handle lasers cutting my eyeballs (you can’t feel anything but they don’t put you to sleep, so you are conscious). This I definitely couldn’t do.
When I was in beauty school, every single other student who didn’t have tattoos when they started school got at least one tattoo during school. I do think that at this point it’s more counter-cultural to not have any tattoos and that’s a big part of why I’m not interested in them.
Oh no! That sounds like a terrible experience! I couldn’t get a tattoo for exactly the same reason- I don’t love the thought of pain 🙁
I hope that your follow up goes better than the first time (Just keep thinking about the fact that you won’t need to apply makeup near your eyes!)
-Nicole
The Artyologist
Wow, you’re a tougher gal than me. I can’t imagine going through the pain of this. I hope it does what you wanted it to do.
I had a friend who did this…and just like you it took days to heal! So I haven’t been too interested in experiencing it. I don’t mind applying makeup, so I think I’ll just stick to the old fashioned way.
But I have always wondered if it’ll reduce wrinkles since you don’t need to apply makeup daily and thus aren’t pulling and tugging on the area?
Feel better soon, Suzanne!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Oh you poor thing, Suzanne. I do hope you will be happy with the outcome and I think you are very brave – I wouldn’t let anyone within a yard of my eyes with a needle!
Like Rachel, I can’t put in contact lenses and hate even putting drops in my eyes, so there would be no chance of getting a tattoo anywhere near my eyes. I have very sparse lashes, and I would love to get lash extensions, but again, I wouldn’t be able to stand the procedure.
Hope your healing goes well and you get the result you hoped for!
Hope you are feeling better!!!!
Well, I hope you enjoy the heck out of these eyeliner tattoos over the next five years! The pain divided over all those days will probably be the equivalent of a teensy pin prick each day. That’s no so bad. But ouch, ouch, OUCH!!! It’ll be great waking up each day and looking movie-star ready though. I always wish they made tape or something I could put on and then just pull off, ow! Maybe not. I hope your eyes get back to normal soon, an enhanced normal.
wish you get better as soon as posible!
Everytime I see a beautiful tatoo, Mr.A. tell me ‘but they hurt’ and that’s enough for me!, so I can’t even imagine doing something so painful!. I think the worst part is the healing time!
take care of your beautiful eyes, dear lady!
besos
I know several ladies here in Sun City that have done it, along with brows too. EVERY ONE OF THEM said how painful it was…
Kudos to you for giving it a go!
At least I’m not alone thinking it hurt.
Oh my! I have done my under lines years ago and I wasn t Happy with it. One eye was done good and the other one was slightly different. I can always see when things are one milimeter different. And the hurt!!!!! Wow, it was awfull and my pain barrière, it s not the correct word I know, is quite high. But I havn t got any other tattoos!!
I forwarded this to my good friend who just had her eyebrows tatted and she is not happy. She doesn’t have a problem with tattoos, she has several small ones. She describes them as man-brows, prison-tats. She is not going for her follow up. She hates them. I have to admit she had me on the floor laughing with her angst about them. Not because I thought she deserved it but because she did such a good job explaining them to me, as did you. 🙂
Oh my! Prison tats doesn’t sound very inviting! Hopefully they fade…
Oh my word, dear Suzanne, I am very sorry for all this pain! And the thing is, when you had one eye done, you had to bear the 2nd too, or else you would have one tattooed eye, one not. But I would consider the bottom lash line, though, of course, you know what you should do. I agree that before who had tattoos was seen like “eccentric”, “criminal” and now whoever doesn’t have it is the freak. I have considered permanent or 5 year-lasting makeup, but a friend had it and told me that because I need contact lenses, maybe better not, cause I would need some days to rest my eyes. And now after your pain description, I have even less desire to go under that! Friends tell me it hurts, so, on an arm maybe (and I don’t think so), but eyes, I admire you! Hope you have a great week! Bisous!
DenisesPlanet.com
Wishing you well, Suzanne, sorry to read you went through so much pain. xx
I got my eyebrows tatooed – they used numbing cream it stung a little bit towards the end of the appointment ’cause the numbing cream started to wear off. Three years later I am still thrilled with the results. She raised my arch a teeny tiny bit and I look years younger! I going to make another appointment soon.
I can believe it, Ouch! I, too have considered this, but will not do it trauma ti mr face, where cartilage is is terrible for my disease. how terrible you ask, well, it could lead to the bridge go my nose collapsing, troy, and that would be permanent.
so i do eyelashes extensions sometimes, and fill out my brow with make up.
I love the idea , one or two hours and your done, no make up to do, but not for me.
I am so sorry you are dealing with this + fibro pain, no way to start a holiday!
When you heal you may be very happy though, Oh I hope!
What women do..
xx, Elle
http://www.theellediaries.com/blog/
I think I’m too much of a wimp! I hope you’re feeling better and that you’ll be very happy with the results in the end. BTW, you look gorgeous, with or without makeup!
Knowing you a bit, it highly surprised me that you did this. But I get it, when daily make-up is causing you suffering, why not suffer big a few days and be done with it. I think it looks really good already. And no I am not shocked over your bare face haha. You look fine (not flattering you, honestly).
I hope the pain and swelling will go away even more and that the result will be great.
And no I never considered it because I was afraid the line (or brows) might not be straight. And I knew it would hurt like hell. And I can apply make-up easily.
Greetje
I responded to this last week when it was posted but just saw your tweet today and a new thought crossed my mind… One thing that worries me about “permanent” acts is future change. For example, what happens if, in few years, you decide you want to change gender? Won’t the other guys down at the gym make fun of you for having eyeliner on? What will you do then? 🙂
Ha! I never thought of that : ) Now that it has healed the line is very subtle. As in, ” Can you even see it?” LOL.