Making Up

Tired of mascara that smudges, eye pencils that poke you, or lipstick that ends up everywhere but your lips? Have no fear, permanent makeup—applied by using traditional tattoo needles and ink—is here. “Permanent makeup has been around for a long time,” says makeup artist Gloria Brennan, who works out of a clinic in her Owings Mills home. “But we’ve been working at refining it and making it better. Eyebrows, for example, used to look like they were stamped on. Now, we can make them feathery to make the eyebrow look more like natural hair.” From replacing hair after cancer treatments to filling in overly waxed areas, or for those who just want a boost to their morning makeup routine, permanent makeup—most commonly used in the eye and lip areas, has many applications. “I had one client who had a fire in her retirement community,” says artist Susan Davis, owner of Columbia-based Permanent Cosmetics of Maryland (which counts former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter as a client), “and she refused to leave the building until her brows were drawn on. Some people won’t snorkel or swim because their makeup runs. I get people saying, ‘This has given me my life back.’”