Frequently Asked Questions
Lip blush tattoo lasts 2-3 years on average (before needing a touch up) depending on skin type, aftercare, lifestyle, and other factors. Annual color refreshes are available to keep your lip blush vibrant.
It's important to remember that this is a tattoo and, in most cases, color will not fully disappear. You can expect the ink to fade but not completely go away after several years.
Your initial lip blush appointment will be 3 hours. We start with a consult, discuss the whole process, and talk about what you’re hoping to achieve with the tattoo. We then map out your shape, numb with topical lidocaine, and tattoo your lips.
Your touch up appointment should be 6-12 weeks later and is an hour and a half long. This process involves making any necessary adjustments, numbing with lidocaine and then tattooing. Touch ups are $100.
The first week of the healing process can feel like a bit of a roller coaster as far as color goes. They will start off feeling dark and bold, then becoming dry and chapped, which leads to your color feeling very light at the end of that first week. Your color will start to settle around 2 weeks and be fully healed at the 4 week mark. Your touch up is included and will be done about 6 weeks after your first appointment.
No need to take any time off work! Any swelling typically is gone within 24 hours and your lips will appear normal to the average person.
The pain level for this service is described as a 1-4 on a scale of 10 and varies per person. Topical lidocaine is applied before the tattooing process and a secondary numbing gel is used throughout the procedure to keep clients as comfortable as possible.
If you are prone to or have ever had cold sores, please talk to your doctor and ask for an antiviral prescription to take 3 days before your appointment and 3 days after to reduce the risk of a breakout. If you get a cold sore prior to your appointment, please reschedule to a later date after it has healed.
What happens if you get a cold sore after your appointment? No need to panic. Keep using the antivirals as directed. You may also apply a topical medication. Your color shouldn’t be affected too much and we can always make corrections at your touch up. Take the antivirals again for your touch up appointment.
Yes! We call this lip neutralization. First, we lighten the lips with a color that basically cancels out the dark tones. Then, a target color is tattooed to give you your desired lip color. This may take multiple sessions depending on the color of your natural lips and what you want your end result to be. Please be aware that each additional session is an additional cost and not included in the initial service.
There are lots of ways to choose your lip blush color! Bring in your favorite lip product to match, save photos from my instagram that you like, or I can help you decide at your appointment if you aren’t sure what you like.
I will custom mix every color to suit each client’s skin tone and natural lip color. I do not provide ink swatches as that is not an accurate representation of how that color will heal in the skin.
Keep in mind I cannot tattoo any colors that appear to be too nude or have a lot of brown in them. There needs to be more contrast between your skin tone and the lip blush color.
One touch up is needed after your initial service within 6-12 weeks to perfect your shape and color. Annual color refreshes are available to keep your color vibrant and defined. How often you need this depends on how quickly your color fades and how saturated you like your color to be.
Permanent makeup is not implanted as deeply into the skin as a regular body tattoo. If we tattoo too deeply on the face, it will cause discoloration of the ink over time.
Following the proper aftercare and keeping your lips protected from the sun will help to prolong your results.
Yes! Once your lip blush tattoo is healed you can continue to wear your favorite lipstick, liner, or gloss. Your new lip color may affect the tone of your lip products, but there is no reason you can't wear something over it.
Absolutely! Lip blush and filler pair very well together since filler can make the lips appear cool toned over time and lose definition around the borders. It is recommended that you wait at least 3 weeks after getting lip filler to get your lips tattooed in order to allow enough time to heal.
Yes! Some people get lip blush to enhance their shape but realize that they still want more volume. This is not an issue and should not affect the shape of your lip blush since both lip blush and filler are done within the borders of your lips. You just might end up needing a lip blush touch up after the filler since it may cause the color to appear lighter.
Yes to all of these! Lip blush can help create the illusion of a more symmetrical lip shape. The tattoo cannot be done outside of the lip line so balance is created within the natural lip border.
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Small scars, such as cold sore scars, can usually be covered with lip blush. If you have more severe scarring that you're hoping to have covered, please send photos to your artist or come in for a consult before scheduling your appointment.
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Lip blushing makes your color appear more even and balanced! Discoloration caused by things such as scarring, sun damage, or even fordyce spots (oil glands in the lips) can generally be camouflaged with lip blush.

Kourtenie was SO amazing! She guided me through my nerves for my first EVER tattoo (lip blush). She made the whole experience very relaxing and made sure I was comfortable throughout. She is skilled at color matching and theory and explained her processes entirely which made me feel at ease.
Melanie