There’s a lot to unpack before you commit to this semi-permanent your-lips-but-better look.
The seemingly effortless no-makeup makeup look is anything but—it can take quite a bit of work to achieve an “I woke up like this” face. From finding the foundation that perfectly matches your skin tone to mastering the subtle art of contouring with blush and bronzer, there are skills that you need to master. But now there’s one way to make the process a touch simpler: lip blushing.
Like microblading, this semi-permanent pigment-depositing treatment is meant to give the wearer a perfectly natural-looking result. It’s a far cry from the overdone tattooed-on makeup of years past. Lip blushing is meant to impart a hint of pretty color to your lips and enhance their overall shape, so you don’t have to use lip stains, tints, glosses, or even lipstick if you don’t want to.
What else is there to know? Plenty. That’s why we talked to the experts—makeup artists, dermatologists, aestheticians—to get you all the essential info on this trending treatment.
Semi-permanent lip blushing infuses lips with tiny dots of pigment (essentially, organic or inorganic natural pigments or cosmetic tattoo ink) for natural-looking color that never smudges or budges. By implanting the right color into the correct layer of the lip tissue, the lips emerge more beautiful and more symmetrical, with better color and shape, explains cosmetic, reconstructive, and permanent makeup artist Mojgan Azimi. “It’s an effortless way to give the lips depth, definition, and dimension without touching them up with product throughout the day,” says Azimi. “We can also contour and color correct for the appearance of volume.” While lip blushing doesn't necessarily replace the need for lipstick, you can wear it (or any lip product) over blushed lips. “By building consistent, soft color across the lips’ natural shape, they appear fuller, plumper, and more polished,” says Melissa Pruett, owner and founder of Melt by Melissa.
Many women also use filler in their lips to give them a plumper appearance—and you can do both, explains Dendy Engelman MD, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City. Of course, not everyone needs both, and only a doctor can truly assess each patient’s needs on a case-by-case basis. If you opt for lip blushing and filler, always do the blushing first to determine if the additional volume is necessary.
You shouldn't trust your lips to just anyone, and lip blushing should only be done by a permanent-makeup artist or expert cosmetic-tattoo artist. Do your research—and lots of it—to find an experienced artist whose examples of lip tones and shapes are on par with your expectations. “Look at plenty of before and after pictures of their work, ask questions, and make sure you feel comfortable with them before committing to any procedure,” says Engelman. Some dermatologists and plastic surgeons offer lip blushing within their med-spas. (Azimi works within the office of Los Angeles plastic surgeon Norman Leaf, MD.)
Before you lie down on the table and commit to color, have a consultation with the artist performing your lip blushing so that you’re on the same page about every little detail. Bring a photo of your favorite lipstick or lip liner and the product itself to get as close of a match as possible to the exact shade you want your lips to be, which should complement your skin tone. “This is important because the skin’s natural undertones directly affect the final result,” nano-color infusion specialist Dominque Bossavy says. A mix of pigments often achieves that just-right shade, like mixing paint colors.
For example, lips with more natural brown, purple, or gray tones may need to counterbalance their darkness with a special technique known as lip neutralization. It uses warm pigments to lighten innately dark hues in the skin and requires the skill of an advanced artist.
Next comes the shaping, also known as mapping. Your technician will draw an outline of the lips and the area to be blushed with a white or nude lip pencil. “The process varies from person to person because all lips are different shapes, and some people need more correction for a more balanced appearance,” Bossavy explains. “Although we can enhance the shape of the lips by creating the illusion of more fullness or correct slight asymmetries, we can’t draw the shape too far outside of the natural border—it’s not about exaggerating the lips.” The shape is then sealed and made waterproof.
Not really—topical numbing cream is applied all over the lips for comfort and to control bleeding and swelling. Then the artist gently implants the pigment into the first layer of the skin with a digital device and a single-use sterile nanoneedle. “The ‘tattooing’ process is known as ‘pixelating,’ which consists of thousands of microdots of pigment placed across the skin to create a layer of coverage and color,” explains Pruett. “This step is where we spend most of the time, as it is a very intricate, repetitive, and tedious process. The more layers we add and the tighter the pixels, the deeper and more saturated the color becomes.” Once the color deposit is complete, which can take about an hour, your artist will clean the lips and apply a thin coat of a healing balm.
One appointment usually creates the desired color in most cases, but if you need, you can do a second session six to 10 weeks later to touch up the color. Immediately following the treatment, the lips will be swollen, dry, and feel tight, and the color will be at its brightest. It's essential to keep the lips well hydrated with Vaseline for the next two weeks. By the end of the first week, the lips will scab, and the scabs will fall off. (Whatever you do, don’t pick or peel them.) Then, the newly colored lips will emerge.
Like microblading, it will take about a full month to see the final results and for the lips to fully heal. If you don’t like your new lips, Engelman recommends consulting with a dermatologist to see if laser removal is the way to go. “Most tattoo removal lasers are too aggressive for the lips and could leave the skin darker,” she adds. Since lip blushing is a semi-permanent treatment, the effects will fade with time.
Everyone’s skin is different, so the results vary, but you can expect your newly colored lips to last one to three years. Of course, the darker the lip blushing color, the longer it lasts. “Color retention depends on your health, lifestyle, and proper aftercare, which entails exfoliating, moisturizing, and protecting the lips from the sun,” says Bossavy. Lip balm with sunscreen provides ample protection without drying out the lips.
Pruett says most of her clients return around the 18-month mark for a refresh to restore the original shade and shape. “While there may still be implanted color for up to three years, the pigments naturally fade over time, gradually becoming lighter,” she says.
Lip blushing works across the board for all ages, lip colors, thickness, and shapes, especially asymmetrical ones. Azimi adds that the treatment is great for lips that have lost their natural pigment. But as with all beauty treatments, there are some exceptions to the rule and a few things to consider. Some medical issues, like precancerous lesions or spots, may force you to stick with lipstick and gloss. Also, if you experience cold sores or oral herpes, lip blushing can instigate an episode, so get a prescription beforehand for an antiviral medication like Valtrex to help mitigate the occurrence of an outbreak as the lips heal. Finally, Engleman urges prospective clients to find out beforehand if they have any allergies to any ingredients or tools that will be penetrating the skin.
Pricing for lip blushing varies depending on your city and the level of your artist’s expertise. Every provider charges differently for lip blushing, but you can expect to spend at least $500 and $1,500 on the high end. Even though it can be pricey, many women who do lip blushing speak volumes of the results—and say their perfectly pigmented and shaped lips are worth every penny.
And there you have it: From our lips to your ears, everything there is to know about lip blushing.
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