I’m fair, blonde and blue-eyed, but have always envied those dark-eyed, sultry beauties that wake up in the morning with perfectly arched ebony eyebrows and spidery, flirty, dark eyelashes.  I hate you…all of you.

My daily ritual always requires waxy coats of mascara and a swipe of lip color that prevents me from looking like the abominable snow[wo]man. My eyebrows, wishy-washy and pale, especially in the summer, got me thinking the other day.  If I were stuck on a deserted island and could only take three things with me, my eyebrow powder and brush would supersede basic drinking water. Hey, you gotta suffer to be beautiful.

But sometimes being unemployed can be a blessing in disguise and requires one to be more frugal about spending money on luxurious items, like the permanent eye makeup I’ve been tempted to invest in. Just when I was daydreaming about having enough money to transform myself into an Elizabeth Taylor wannabe, I was reminded how careful one has to be with the risks of dallying in beautification.

According to a vision eye program newsletter* I recently read, the benefits may not be as rewarding as the risks one must take into consideration. Yes, all of us would love to wake up with a pouty set of perfectly penciled lips, eyebrows that frame our peepers, and flirty, batting eyelashes, but consider this: the next time your child requests that untranslatable Chinese tattoo, your obligatory response will have to be, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Permanent makeup is just that − a tattoo. In a process called micro-pigmentation, a tattoo pen is used to inject permanent ink into the skin. That’s a needle, folks! (Let the fainting commence.) A local anesthetic is used to numb the area and just like any tattoo, the color will initially appear brighter or darker, so you may want to stay home a few days from work lest you be temporarily mistaken for Lady Gaga. The area will be swollen for anywhere between 2-5 days and will crust over before healing. Yummy.

Some people may be the perfect candidates for this get-up-and-go procedure, such as those who have lost hair due to chemotherapy, accidents, or botched cosmetic surgery. Some people may have an allergic reaction to traditional makeup. Some may just have difficulty applying makeup due to arthritis or other incapacities. That would probably be the only time you could justify your eyes or lips feeling like burnt microwave popcorn.

But for those who just want to get their face on, here’s a list provided in the newsletter that one should consider carefully:

• Infection. Unsterile equipment and needles can easily pass along infections such as hepatitis and staph bacteria.

• Granulomas. These are nodules that may form around material that the body perceives as foreign, including particles of tattoo pigment.

• Scarring. If you are prone to developing scars, you may be at risk of keloid formation (these are scars that form beyond normal boundaries).

• Allergic reaction. Although rare, allergic reactions to the ink used in permanent makeup can be very serious, as it's difficult to fully remove all of the pigment.

Your eyes are irreplaceable, so tread lightly.  As for me, I’m looking forward to the day when “Pale is the New Pretty.”

*VSP EnVision Newsletter

---

Catherine DeCenzo is a freelance writer living in the Broadlands. She prefers the glass-half-full, humorous side of life and has an appetite for the irreverent in her personal blog at catclause.wordpress.com and she can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .