All it took was one video to create real controversy. The “guilty”? Grace Clarke, former editor-in-chief of the American magazine “Allure”, turned marketing consultant. The latter published on October 20 on TikTok, a video of her cosmetic procedure at Velvet Cosmetic Tatoo, a permanent makeup clinic located in New York. The objective of this meeting? Get a “permanent” blush tattoo on your cheekbones.
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If a few videos on the “blush tattoo” had emerged for the first time in 2023, the video of the American trying it put this technique back in the spotlight. We see her having large pink circles tattooed on her cheekbones, in a rather crude manner, while saying she is proud and impressed by this treatment. His tattoo, which cost him a whopping $400, quickly sparked a lot of criticism in the comments. Some Internet users described the treatment as “shocking” and the price as exorbitant. Others questioned its value, noting that their rosacea or high blood pressure allowed them to achieve the look “for free.” “My rosacea and I are confused” or “I don’t understand this trend, me trying to get rid of my redness”, are some of the comments that can be read under the video of the American consultant.
@gracegclarke Trust no one but @Velvet original sound – Grace Clarke
A truly essential beauty trend?
Seven days after this publication, Grace Clarke published a new video (3 minutes) in order to answer questions and criticisms from Internet users. She shows her face and the result of her cheekbone tattoo, rather natural and subtle. Nonetheless, a clear demarcation between blush and her natural skin still persists. Asked by “Vogue US” about the criticism, Grace Clarke tried to put out the fire: “It’s the price you pay when you publish on social networks. I am very open about my life. I had facials that hurt a lot more than that,” she told the American magazine. I have never been guided by trends and my approach to beauty. I just want my face to look as beautiful as possible, and trends don’t play a big role in that for me.” According to her, her experience at the beauty salon was very positive.
@gracegclarke Replying to @Stephanie Marie Adames Blush tattoo update. Thank you for being patient #blushtattoo #blushtattooresults #blushtattootrend #semipermanentmakeup #permanentmakeup original sound – Grace Clarke
The practitioner’s focus
Considering its price and the result on the skin, beautistas still have doubts about the real benefit of semi-permanent blush, especially since many disadvantages accompany this treatment. It is impossible to change the color of your blush over a period of three years (until the tattoo fades). This is a service that only works on fair skin and is not recommended for sensitive faces suffering from rosacea or eczema. Allergic reactions are possible, and sometimes, the result of the tattoo is very light, or even almost non-existent on some. In addition, the use of retinol or exfoliants such as BHAs or AHAs on the tattooed area is prohibited, as is skin laser.
Nevertheless, the practitioner at the origin of this aesthetic treatment was keen to make a clarification, still in the columns of Vogue US: “For a traditional tattoo, the color is pushed into the skin using a needle . For cosmetic tattoos, I maintain very light pressure. Rather, it involves dragging color across the top layers of the skin to create a watercolor finish. The pressure is very gentle, there are never any hard lines.”
If this protocol is all the rage at the moment in South Korea, temple of beauty, we still wonder about its real usefulness. Invented solely for aesthetic purposes (unlike the techniques used for eyebrow reconstruction, for example), it allows you to have blush permanently on the cheekbones, 24/7. Wouldn’t it be better to just apply your favorite makeup product to achieve the same effect?
