A few weeks ago (before social-distancing was a thing), I was invited by the owner of Huemon Beauty, Deyonne, to come to her studio to try out lip blushing.
"What's lip blushing?", you ask. Well, lip blushing is a form of permanent makeup. Basically, it's a tattoo for your lips. It can help with symmetry, the illusion of fullness, and help correct discoloration or even change the color of your lips. I was mainly interested in the first two benefits.
Deyonne and I spoke a couple times over the phone before meeting and as you can imagine I had a lot of questions about the process. She provided me with pre-procedure instructions as well as some expectations I should have about the process along with post-procedure instructions. She made sure all my questions were answered and that I felt comfortable about the process.
The day of, I drove out to the Huemon Beauty studio. It is in Kensington, MD and was still undergoing renovations when I went in for my procedure, but I can tell it's going to look great once finished.
Once again, Deyonne made sure to go through the steps of the procedure and confirmed what recovery instructions I needed to follow. She also made to sure to show me that all the utensils and products she used were new, sanitized, and clean.
Then we got started. Deyonne began by choosing a color. I was pretty clear about wanting a very natural look. I didn't want the color of my lips to really change; I was interested in making them appear fuller and more symmetric. She opted to mix a few colors to get the look I was going for. She then began outlining my lips with a lip liner. After that, the numbing process began. This took about 20-30 minutes and didn't hurt at all. It was a topical numbing cream and just made my lips have an odd sensation.
The the tattooing process began. To be completely honest, this was very uncomfortable. The numbing cream was tingly and would wear off and I could feel the needle. It stung and was pretty painful. Deyonne did stop to reapply the numbing cream and ask if I was okay all throughout this step in the process, but again, it was uncomfortable. This process lasted over an hour.
Once the tattooing was complete, I could barely feel my lips..which was a good thing. They were (for the most part) numb and I felt like I had a little lisp. At first glance, I was shocked. These were not the natural looking lips I had asked for. They were swollen and a very deep, bright shade of what we had discussed. To be blunt, I was shocked and upset. I left feeling scared that my lips were going to look this way forever (the tattoo is semi-permanent - I was being dramatic) and that it was my fault for not being more vocal about my wants.
All in all, the process took about three hours.
Overall, this was such a unique experience for me. I wasn't sure what to expect and I wasn't sure how I would feel, but I am happy with the final product. As someone who never wears lip products, I probably wouldn't pay for the service knowing how painful it was(*disclaimer: I was gifted this service*)..but I can definitely see this being worthwhile for someone who colors their lips every day. The cost alone would probably break-even after about a year if you never had to apply lipstick!
If you have any questions about the process or about permanent make-up in general, feel free to reach out to Deyonne at Huemon Beauty and she would love to talk to you. She was so professional and knowledgeable and I can definitely see going back to her studio for other beauty procedures.
Thanks so much to Huemon Beauty for having me in for lip blushing!