By about 3:00 AM, as he walked me to my flat, he asked if he could see me again. I replied that I was leaving for Seville in the morning and wouldn’t be back for some time, but that I was certainly wrong for him because I had tattoos. He stopped in his tracks and looked me in the eye. “Where?” he asked with disbelief.

“You’ve been looking at four of them all evening,” I said with a laugh.

He found it rather humorous to discover my only tattoos consisted of permanent make up, but I found it comforting to know that my choice to have cosmetic tattooing was not so obvious so as to scream FAKE at first glance. And the tattoo situation didn’t hinder me returning to Barcelona, falling love, and having a wonderful man chase me around the world until we finally married a year later in Hong Kong (where I had my eyeliner tattoo refreshed).

Me and my permanent eye make up

My husband has often commented on is the speed at which I can be ready to go out. He is a rather spontaneous man and many times in the past 3 years he has entered the house and announced, “You have 7 minutes to be gorgeous and ready to leave!” To date, I have been ready on time!

I know that there are risks in telling other women of how fabulous permanent eyebrow tattoos and eyeliner can be because it isn’t always true. I also know that many of the ladies who will read this are from western countries where the idea of permanent make-up is relatively new and still perhaps classified as faddish. Yet it’s not a new concept at all. It’s an ancient art that has been used by ladies of style and class, by courtesans and by princesses for centuries. In India it is such a common practice to have eyebrow tattoos and permanent eyeliner etched around eyes that there is a tattoo shop or ladies beauty parlor that offers permanent cosmetic tattooing every few blocks.

In China and Japan almost all the mature, elegant ladies have some form of cosmetic tattooing that is quite obvious (and not very natural) since the applications from 30 or 40 years ago were much more dramatic than what is stylish today. But young women also indulge in having an eyebrow tattoo or eyeliner or lip liners tattooed because the techniques used today can be subtle and naturally blend with hair and skin tones.

Permanent make up may not actually change your life, but it certainly can give a little more freedom to a woman who values being feminine without having to arrive fashionably late.

It’s obvious you want to know all you can about the techniques involved, what the procedure will be like, will it be painful, what about health concerns, what clinic or tattoo shop will be best for you and the cost of such cosmetic tattoos. But one very effective way to know if eyebrow tattoos are for you is to look at eyebrow tattoo pictures, of what other women looked like before and how the tattoo changed their appearance for good or for bad.

Where to find Eyebrow Tattoo Pictures

There are many internet sites that offer eyebrow tattoo pictures, but even better is to make an appointment for a preliminary consultation with a cosmetic tattooing clinic or beauty salon in your area and look through the portfolio of actual clients. There you will be able to see what colors worked on women with your similar complexion and hair color.

You may also be able to see what to avoid in terms of brow shape and what not to do based on what others have done wrong.

Also you should look at tattooed brow pictures and eyebrows in general to find what you like and use as a model to show your aesthetician or tattoo professional. Many of the lovely natural looking brows of celebrities have been enhanced by permanent eyebrow tattooing, and there is no reason you shouldn’t look as good as the stars.

Cut out your favorite brows and place them on yourself and look in the mirror, or draw them on with your eyebrow pencil, and play with styles until you have the exact shape that suits you. You can’t expect a tattoo artist to give you perfect eyebrows if you don’t know what you want or what will suit you best.

Not just the Pretty ones

Don’t just look at the pretty tattoo eyebrows pictures that tout perfection, have a look at the horror story pictures also; not to scare yourself, but to know how the problems with cosmetic tattooing have arisen and to ask yourself if you are a good candidate for a cosmetic make-up procedure of this nature.

Ask yourself: how well do I heal when I get a cut? Do I bleed more than most people? Will any health condition I have be a contraindication for getting permanent eyebrow tattoos? How do I react to pain? How important is looking good versus the possible side effects I might experience?

Go Ahead and Get those Eyebrows Tattooed

If after looking at before and after pictures and doing your research you decide to go ahead and have your brows tattooed, then ask yourself one final question: When is the best day to have it done? Remember it will take several weeks for the tattooed area to heal.

When you’re all healed, don’t forget to get someone to snap a picture of your new brows to give to your eyebrow tattoo shop or clinic so they will have a record to pass on to other women that shows what eyebrow tattooing is all about!

If it is only implanted in the top layer it is considered semi-permanent, if it goes into the second layer it is permanent just like any other type of tattoo. This procedure must be done by a qualified and reputable technician and under hygienic conditions. Since it is a tattoo on your face, in a most delicate area, it can be painful, and requires a local or topical anesthetic to be applied or administered.

Why have your eyebrows tattooed?

The wonderful thing about eyebrow tattooing is that it can correct flawed eyebrows, shape brows that are not to your liking, make absent or hairless brow areas appear to have hair, and accentuate the eyes and face, and with little effort an eyebrow tattoo puts an end to having to draw on eyebrows each day. It’s also possible to sleep and work and swim and awaken or come out of the water with perfect eyebrows.

Reasons not to get eyebrow tattoos

Some concerns about the cosmetic tattooing or permanent make up procedures is that it is relatively expensive, it may not turn out exactly as you hoped and the color fades over time requiring eyebrow tattoos to be retouched every few years. You can develop infection, though very rare, and may have scares if you do not go to a good technician or doctor.

You may end up with a shape that is unnatural or a color that is so dark you can’t hide them with makeup. You simply may not like your new brows and the only way to wipe them off is with laser surgery. Although most women, about 70% who have had the procedure, are very happy with the results, you must consider that 30% of them were not happy at all.

Additional Eyebrow Tattoo Considerations

When selecting a cosmetician, aesthetician, doctor, nurse or artist to do your delicate eyebrow tattoos consider if they will have the expertise to make your brow look natural by using a feathering technique and the correct color pigments that will match your own hair and skin tones.

It is important for you to understand the eyebrow tattoo procedure. It is not a quick eyebrow fix for a special occasion. It will take weeks for your brows to heal and for you to have the necessary touchups until they are exactly as you want them. They may fade and/or be too dark or too thick or too thin and may need to be fixed over a period of a month or two.

So do not plan on having your brows tattooed a week before summer vacation because you want to go swimming and not worry about make-up. And do not do it just before an important meeting or an event like your wedding.

It is important for you to select your technician or beauty specialist or doctor with care because the affects of permanent eyebrow tattoos are exactly that – permanent!