What is permanent eyeliner?

Also known as an eyeliner tattoo, permanent eyeliner is a treatment you can receive that replaces the need to wear eyeliner each day. Permanent eyeliner involves using a tattooing technique to apply ink along the lash line to create the appearance of eyeliner. (This ink is permanent, but has to be touched up every 3-5 years.) Eyeliner tattoos can be applied in a variety of styles, from extremely thin and natural-looking liner, to thicker lines, and even winged eyeliner.

The Benefits

The benefits of receiving an eyeliner tattoo range from not needing to wear eyeliner anymore (if you frequently wear it as part of your beauty routine), to enhancing your eye shape. The treatment also lasts between two and five years before you'll need a touch-up, which is fairly long-lasting as far as beauty treatments go. Finally, you don't need to have eyelashes to get this procedure, so it's a popular treatment for those with sparse lashes, hair loss, and/or alopecia to enhance the eye area.

How to Prepare For Your Eyeliner Tattoo Appointment

If permanent eyeliner is something you're considering, have a consultation with a professional technician first to weigh your options and learn more about the service. There are a few styles you can choose from and once you've decided on the eyeliner that will suit you best, you can move forward with your treatment. It's always recommended to bring in inspiration photos.

Prior to your actual treatment, stop using any sensitizing skincare products (like retinol or glycolic acid) around the eye area for a full week before your appointment to avoid irritation. You'll want to come to your appointment with clean skin that's completely free of makeup. Many artists also recommend avoiding coffee (or any caffeine for that matter) on the day of your treatment to help you relax and avoid twitching.

What to Expect During Your Appointment

The technique of eyeliner tattoo has been perfected over the years, and (despite what you may have heard) has become a comfortable treatment. The service can last anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour, and the area is numbed before application. You will feel a slight buzzing along the lashes where the needle is applying the ink—the skin is slightly broken during the first pass of the needle, but you won't experience bleeding or discomfort if you are properly numbed. Eyeliner tattoo has come such a long way from when your mother, aunt, or even grandmother got it and expressed how painful it was. When it first became a popular service, the pain was a deterrent for many people.

Eyeliner Tattoo vs. Lash Line Enhancement

If a permanent eyeliner tattoo isn't your thing but you still want the benefit of having an enhanced lash line, there's a semi-permanent treatment called lash line enhancement that you may want to consider as an alternative. Lash enhancement is just like regular permanent eyeliner but on the lash line and creates the appearance of thicker, fuller lashes.