Countless times, we have been asked how to prevent bluing as
black eyeliner fades.
I’d like to explain that there are many reasons for this
blue residual that appears at various times, from weeks to years.
One’s complexion plays a huge role in how black stays black.
The best metaphor I can give you is to watch a professional basketball game for
just five minutes. You will see many races, nationalities and complexions on
the court, and many of these players have tattoos. In their tattoos, you will
notice several shades of blacks and blues. This is due to their skin
undertones. So, you see, we must place some responsibility on our clients for
how black their eyeliner will remain. We can use the same black pigment on half
a dozen women with different ethnic backgrounds and achieve six different
results. Skin is a live organ and when we are working in it, we are working
with someone’s DNA. These characteristics play a huge part in how color will
heal in the skin.
On a basketball court, you will see fair men with very blue
tattoos that were meant to be black. You will see some black men with blue
tattoos and others that are still black. This could be due to the age of the
tattoo or the ink used. Now, look at an in-between complexion and you will see
various shades of blacks and blues. This is a great metaphor to give to your
client that is insisting she wants her eyeliner to remain black forever and not
like her friend’s that turned blue. I explain to my client there are no
guarantees on what their complexion will do with it and how black it will heal
in their skin. I know it’s going to be very black if I use Black Noir with 2
drops of Carbon. But it is a great reality to give your client.
You may question why we see black tribal tattoos on people
that seem to remain black but our eyeliner procedures do not. We cannot – and I
repeat we CANNOT – use these black
inks on the face, especially around the eyes. This would be dangerous on many
levels, with migration being the highest level of danger and allergic reactions
coming in a close second. These inks come with the tremendous risk and high
probability to river into the surrounding area of the eyes and cheeks. You must
also know that they, too, will eventually turn bluish since blue will always be
dominant in black, regardless of whether you’re working with ink or pigment,
and the base of these tribal inks is blue.
There are many black pigments to choose from in our
permanent makeup world. Face Inks has developed five blacks and they each
achieve a different result—which basically means more or less blue and more or
less intensity.
Almost Black: Almost
Black is a favorite among many practitioners and is a soft black that tends to
have the eventuality of a gray fade as opposed to blue. It is great for women
that are not quite committed to the black liquid eyeliner look but need a dark
liner. It also slips into the skin, very nicely.
Onyx: Plain Onyx
is quite blue. I tend to use this on my fair women with blue eyes. It is dark
but if they are natural blondes or redheads, it will achieve a blue cast much
quicker. I like to place the Onyx C (Carbon) between the top lashes and use the
plain Onyx on the lid. This provides a deep frame and softer eyeliner. It’s
quite beautiful.
Onyx CI (half
Carbon and half Iron Oxide): Onyx CI is a great black when you want to achieve
dark black eyeliner that generally pulls more grayish tones over the years.
However, remember that your client’s complexion plays a tremendous role in how
black will fade out.
Black Noir: Black
Noir, our most popular black, has a warm base. It is our blackest black on most
complexions. The base of the black has a significant effect on how long black
pigment will remain black. If there is a bit of warmth added to the black to
alter the base, you can achieve a longer lasting black.
Onyx C: Onyx C is
Face Inks straight carbon. This can be used straight between top lashes ONLY!
However, I do darken Black Noir
by adding 1-2 drops of Onyx C to a half cup of Face Inks Black Noir. I find I
can achieve the blackest black with this formula. I never use a needle smaller
than a 3-Outliner when I am adding Carbon. Carbon is ink and has no particle
size. This can increase your risk of migration, especially with the use of smaller
needles.
It’s important to know that any eyeliner color can migrate
if placed too deeply. Use caution when performing this procedure.
