Women know how expensive cosmetics can be. Even the basic drugstore brands can cost anywhere from $3.00 on up per item. If you buy department store brands, you can easily drop twenty dollars or more on just one item. Given that most women use several items (lipstick, eye shadow, eye liner, foundation, blush, mascara, and on and on), it can be a big part of a budget. It’s painful, but it’s the price for beauty. Until recently, the only choice to save big time on makeup was to go without or use very limited makeup.
Now you can have makeup permanently inked onto your skin in a procedure similar to tattooing. You can get eyeliner, lipstick, lipliner, eyeshadow, blush, and eyebrow makeup done. Most procedures run from $150 all the way up to $800 with specialist work costing more. (From what I understand, you don’t want to go with the cheapest option on this because you can get what you pay for. Cheap providers may leave you looking worse than when you started.)
Does it save money? It might. Let’s say you have your eyes lined at a cost of $200. Prior to the procedure you were buying department store eyeliner at a cost of $15 per pencil and you were buying four pencils per year. That’s $60 per year. In a little less than four years, you will have paid for your permanent makeup and every year after would be “free.” Depending on the cost of your procedure and your current makeup spending habits, permanent makeup might be a money saver.
There are drawbacks, however. The primary drawback is the permanence. If you don’t like the results, you’re stuck. As with a tattoo there is the possibility of removal, but it is likely to be painful and complicated. And there’s no experimenting with colors, changing your look from day to night, or changing your look as you age, either. You’d better love the look you get because you’re going to look that way when they put you in the ground. The procedure might also be painful since needles are involved and there is the possibility of infection or irritation. Finally, despite the permanent nature of the makeup, you may need touchups over time because, just like with a tattoo, the color may fade or change as your skin ages and stretches. You’d have to factor the cost of potential touchups into any savings you hope to gain.
In addition to saving money, there are some other benefits to permanent makeup. It saves time in the morning. You just roll out of bed already made up. The procedure is also good for those with limited mobility or hand control who have trouble applying makeup on their own. It can also be used to cover scars or help with reconstruction after an accident or surgery.
If you want to save on cosmetics, permanent makeup might be an option. However, it is not without its risks and complications. For some people it’s simply too extreme. If you decide to have it done, research providers closely and make sure they will do good work. Also make sure to choose your look carefully because you’re going to be living with it for a long time.
Jennifer Derrick is a freelance writer, novelist and children’s book author. When she’s not writing Jennifer enjoys running marathons, playing tennis, boardgames and reading pretty much everything she can get her hands on. You can learn more about Jennifer at: https://jenniferderrick.com/.
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