Knowing what color to choose for good long term healed results is crucial when choosing a color for permanent makeup.
With our skin acting as a film, the color presented once the skin has fully healed, is the color appearing through that film. When the color is initially applied, it appears differently on the surface than when sitting below surface after fully healed. Take into consideration skin undertone + color applied = healed result.
Brown paint on a white surface appears neutral. Brown paint on a white surface with a blue or red film placed over, appears warm brown or cool brown. In order to achieve a neutral brown working with skin undertones, the opposite color on the color wheel is used to counter unwanted hues. Many newer pigment lines come with colors already pre modified.
Cold colors contain green. Neutral colors are balanced, and warm colors contain red.
In general, most people heal on the cooler side as our blood is red, but our veins are blue or green. We rarely modify colors to be cooler. True redheads are always warm and require a cooled toned color to neutralize. Using a red based color on a redhead will result in orange looking brows.
The 3 skin undertone categories include:
To determine an undertone look at the darkest most obvious vein. If it is blue, you are cool. If it is green, you are warm. Eye color also helps to determine undertones. Those with brown or hazel eyes are usually warm toned, and blue or greyish eyes are usually cool toned.
Watch the video to fully understand skin undertones.
Why do colors fade to red and blue?
In 1975, dermatologist, Thomas B. Fitzpatrick created a classification system to predict sensitivity to UV light. The scale ranges from 1 -6 from the fairest to the darkest. The fairer the skin, the more sensitivity to UV rays, and the more melanin in the skin the less sensitive to UV rays.
Most permanent makeup artists use a combination of organic and inorganic pigments. In food, when we say organic, we are referring to zero pesticides. In chemistry when we say organic, we are referring to the material coming from organic matter versus developed in a lab.
Carbon-based pigments are considered organic.
Iron Oxide pigments are considered inorganic.
Hybrid Pigments
Titanium dioxide is an inorganic compound, meaning synthetically made in a lab, and used as a bonding agent in many pigments.
Two types of black ink can be used for eyeliner tattoos. Carbon based or iron oxide based. Carbon based is only recommended for more experienced artists. The color looks darker and bolder yet there is a greater risk of color migration due to smaller molecule size. Iron oxide tends to sit on the surface more and has less risk of migration but will fade faster.
To ensure that black stays true to color without turning blue under the skin, the color is pre-modified with orange to counter one's cool undertones. Our skin is like a filter. What we see on top is not what we see once it sits below. Just like our blood is red but our veins appear blue or green. The color applied will be seen in combination with the skin's undertone once fully healed, therefore must be pre modified to stay true to color.
Light colors will not show up well on darker lips. Dark lips are lightened using a contrasting color. For example, lips with purple tones can be neutralized with an orange-peachy color. Darker lips require more color applications than lighter lips.
Neutralization process
Dark toned lips often look darker before looking lighter. This is because as the pigment travels and settles into the skin, the darker tones show up. Once the color settles it neutralizes again.
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