Confidence Boosting Permanent Eye Make-Up

When we talk to people, the place we focus on the most is their eyes. We see so much out of them, but see so much when we look into them; it's why the eyes are known as the window to the soul. Given they have such an important job, is it such a bad thing to find ways to really make them sparkle and shine? Of course not. 

When we are sick our eyes are dull. When we are healthy and feeling fabulous our eyes twinkle. With that in mind, I started to think about how I could give my eyes that extra sparkle. I'm was never very good at using eyeliner or doing eye makeup so it seemed pointless wearing eye makeup - and wearing it badly. When I got invited to Natural Enhancement to get permanent eye makeup done, I considered the benefits: perfect eyes every time, in no time at all. The idea seemed appealing to me and worth exploring. 

The fear 

I will be honest the idea of having a needle scraped across my eyelids for vanity purposes made me question myself. What was I doing? However, the eyebrow tattooing I had done by Andrew Stassi the owner of Smudge Free completely changed my face and the small procedure absolutely sky rocketed my confidence. I was sure that the eye makeup would do the same. 

The treatment


Yes - it's unpleasant. I'm not going to pretend someone tattooing your eyelids and lower lash line is fun. It's OK though - I was able to manage the discomfort and get through it. 

The first lady I had it done with at Natural Enhancement didn't quite do the eyes how I expected. Now this is a real consideration with anything you get that's permanent. If you don't like it - it can have the opposite affect on your self-confidence. Unfortunately for me - I did not like the way the lower lash line was tattooed - it looked too unnatural. As  all good companies should, I was invited back to get it corrected and that is when I met the eye expert Kim Balaskas. 

Getting the perfect shape doesn't happen in one go

It's a slow step by step process

Slowly adding to the line and adjusting the shape

Filling the line to enhance the shape of my eye

And creating the perfect flick to shape the corner of the eye. 

Before the needle comes out

The numbing lotion goes on at the start of your appointment - it takes about 20 minutes for it to kick in. Then the shape is drawn on (this often takes the most time - see pics above ). 

Then the tattooing is done straight afterward whilst your eyelids are numb. 

I have a little video below of the tattooing process - apologies for the quality but this is the only one I was able to get with my eyes shut! 

Natural_Enhancement_EyeLiner_Tattooing from Roberta Style Lee on Vimeo.

The correction process

For my correction/touch up Kim put me at great ease and even put extra numbing lotion on and allowed it to stay on my eyelids for longer so I could no longer feel them. She really 

helped me and my nerves (in anticipation of the discomfort and it going wrong again). 

A technician should move fast when tattooing your eyes and she/he will keep your eyelid held very taught. This prevents all the blinking and crazy eyeball movement. If the technician is experienced she will make you feel at ease and the process should be over quite quickly. 

The result

I recommend seeing Kim. She was great for the touch up - I would have liked to have her for the original treatment.  In actual fact, it was a pain free correction/top-up. Kim worked fast and managed to balance out my eyeliner make-up - she even made it look better than I expected. 

My eyes itched and I did not look like my sparkly most fabulous self for a couple days. My eyelids were swollen and pink. The tattooing was very bright and obvious. After a week it settled and now all I can say is I love having the permanent eye makeup. 

I didn't think I was an eye makeup person until Kim showed me how amazing my eyes could look. I would have never created the shape that Kim gave me, but now I love it. Everybody always compliments me on it too (see pic at top of page - this is 1 week afterward). 

My secret weapons

• Andrew Stassi - North London (Crouch End) for my perfectly shaped eyebrows 

• Kim Balaskas - North London (Muswell Hill) for my eyeliner

I have to say thanks to both of them I now have beautiful looking eyes that frame my face (and make me feel more beautiful). I was never a fan of my eyes and used to shy away from wearing eye makeup and drawing attention to them. 

But let's be clear here ladies. - it wasn't my eyes that were the problem it was my confidence. I wouldn't have had this done to create self-confidence - only boost it. Confidence and beauty comes from within. Once I found my inner confidence I started using all these little beauty tricks to help boost my self-esteem that little bit further. 

Eyeliner tattooing = time and money well spent. 

When I look good I feel great - and when I feel great I feel empowered, I feel like I can take on the world! Watch out!

If you have any questions about the treatment (I haven't gone into detail) - feel free to ask me! Just add a comment below. 

Stay fabulous ladies - and remember it's always about beauty on the inside first, beauty on the outside second. 

Roberta x 

You can see more over on the website at www.robertastylelee.co.uk and other #RSLRecommended products and services all reviewed and tested by moi.

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Confidence Boosting Eyebrows By Andrew Stassi

Eyebrows, it would seem, you either have them or you don't. I belong to the latter camp. Every time I see a teen, a twenty-something, or Cara Delevingne, my brow twitches with envy. How I wish that tweezers in the early 1990s were abolished, or at least made illegal for minors to yield and pluck away their facial expression. As a teenager growing up in the 1990s, I fell victim to the skinny brow trend. Regret isn't a word I use often - but in the case of eyebrows, it's a word that is quite fitting for me.

Time travel or tattoos 
So until Richard Branson's creates Virgin Time Travel, I guess us mere mortals (that plucked away at our distinctive face framing features in the early 90s) have one other option: tattooing.
Eyebrow tattooing isn't new - but it is certainly gaining popularity. I had my first encounter with eyebrow enhancement about 8 years ago. When I moved to London, I was given the chance to be a model for a semi-permanent makeup company. Back then, I really had no clue, so I said yes and they ruined them. I stayed in and hid for weeks, I was so self-conscious. I told a few people I was staying in to hide and they insensitively broadcasted it to all of our friends. I was mortified beyond belief. Back then, this type of enhancement wasn't mainstream and I certainly didn't want to draw attention to my bodged brows that I couldn't do anything about.

Do your research 
I researched a few semi-permanent make-up experts in London and found Smudge-Free. I had a consultation with the well-respected Andrew Stassi. I wanted to see if he could get my eyebrows corrected. He was disappointed with the poor placement of pigmentation from the previous bodge, but he said he could make them better. He did add the disclaimer that he could make them better than they were, but they wouldn't be exactly how he would have done them, as he wasn't working on a blank canvas. Fair enough.

Go back until they get them perfect 
I've been back now to see Andrew 3 or 4 times. He never disappoints. I always need my top-ups and a little bit more depth to my brows, otherwise, they look too skinny. Andrew always welcomes me back to get them looking perfect. It's part of the process - the first pass at the eyebrows normally sets the shape, but the pigment can be rejected or fade so the top-up is always essential for me. Different people have different experiences and for some just one pass can be enough.

My recent brow enhancement 
I wanted thicker eyebrows this time, and I insisted that he made them thicker - but Andrew insisted in return that I kept a modest pair of brows due to the features on my face (and especially after having the bad experience last time with another popular semi-permanent specialist in London).
Andrew set to work doing the usual, penciling my brows on to get the shape and thickness. Then he stepped back and examined his work. He checked in with me all the time and I got to see every step of the process and agree on the colour and shape and weight of the new brows.
No stenciling marks were drawn or measurements are ever drawn onto my face for this treatment - not with Andrew, he works free-hand (as do most technicians now - be wary of anyone who stencils your brows on!) and is very particular about his work. Stepping back and reviewing them, adding a bit more here and there - and being very conscious about how the brows can change your expression. 

Andrew Stassi - Eyebrow King!!! 
I have been seeing Andrew for the last few years - and I really don't think I would ever trust anyone else with my face. He is the man for my eyebrows. They way he works fills me with confidence. We've also spoken about baby botox... I'm a bit scared about the taboo around botox and of course the Lesley Ash lip disaster - but Andrew assures me it's perfectly safe and he has shown me his handy work on other clients and my word! The man can take 20 years of your face and restore balance, plumpness... I mean... amazing. 
Mr. Stassi was born to do this stuff.

My advice
NEVER act as a model for semi-permanent make-up; it's not worth it. Spend the money - it's a tattoo on your face. If you do model, speak up if you are not happy. Ultimately, a professional business will want good reviews and happy customers - they should always correct anything you are not happy with. But that's the risk you run for not paying for these procedures. You do get what you pay or not pay for.
Stay fit, stay fab - and remember there is always a solution out there to help us regain our confidence again!
Roberta x



So when a gal loses her brows, what is she to do? Pencil them in? Yes, that's an option - but dodgy pencil work can be just as bad. Anyone remember Gwen Stefani's brows circa 2007?

You can see more over on the website at www.robertastylelee.co.uk 

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