WHAT ARE DARK LIPS?
Your dark lips are beautiful, but maybe you would like to have more red or pink present in them? Melanin-rich lips tend to be black, brown, and even have purple, dark areas, or cool undertones, which can create a dull appearance. If you are constantly putting on pinks, reds, and oranges to warm your dark or cool lips, and you want to simplify your life and have that fresh lipstick look all the time, then this is for you!
WHAT IS NEUTRALIZATION, AND HOW IS IT TATTOOED?
Lip neutralization is a color correction of the skin. This tattoo process is best done by a skilled cosmetic tattoo artist. Natural inks are topically tattooed into the dermal tissue level, depositing coverage of color deep enough to last for 2-3 years.
The color is carefully chosen when working on dark skin to neutralize and brighten the skin.
WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?
Session 1: During the first neutralizing appointment, your cosmetic tattoo artist will identify your undertones and choose the opposite color on the color wheel to correct your color. Session 1 lightens and brightens. Heavy saturation of tattoo ink is required to ensure brightening. For example, yellow-orange cancels out purple. The color in the ink cap will appear golden, but once in the lip tissue, it will be more orange-pink. That orange will heal, leaving a warm pink, eliminating the original purple or brown tones. Your first appointment is just the first step, so you should be prepared for a bit of a color journey.
Session 2: The next appointment may be another neutralization session or, depending on healed results, it could be a colorizing session to make the lips darker pink or red. Typically, at your second appointment, more pinks and red can be applied once the base layer is brightened and lightened, but there is no way to truly know how many sessions you will need until the lips have healed from the first session. The darker the lips or skin, the more sessions this may require. This also may require an annual appointment vs. 2-3 years due to the dark undertones of the lips.
WHAT IS THE HEALING PROCESS?
Immediately after your appointment, your lips will appear very bold and bright, neon orange or coral toned. This colorization will only last a day or two, and then your lips will darken. On day three, your lips will become chapped and will peel. Peeling will last two days, revealing a soft natural pink underneath around day seven. Color will take four to six weeks to fully heal and balance. Your second session will take place in six to eight weeks to allow the color processing to complete.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT ARTIST?
Beginning cosmetic tattoo artists will not have the color skill required to neutralize skin tones. Instead, this level of expertise comes from experience and a firm grasp of color implementation. You will want to find someone who has experience with black and brown skin and knows how to properly neutralize the tissue. You may want to ask your cosmetic tattoo artist to provide some pictures of before and after work that they have done.
Daela Cosmetic Tattoo is proud to service all skin types and tones, and our artists have master education.
When choosing a cosmetic tattoo artist for any procedure, make sure they have a large gallery of many different skin tones, great reviews, and proper licensing. Daela Cosmetic Tattoo proudly offers in-person and online lip blush training, including neutralization techniques. Sign up for a class, or get in touch for more information.
