by Jan Deelstra

Created on: February 19, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2009

Recently, I won a "free permanent cosmetic service" of my choice. I am elated! Well, at least I was elated until I took time to contemplate the reality: Will it hurt?
Will the color be right if I change my hair color?
Will it look real?
Will it hurt?
How much time does it take?
What's the down time?

Will it hurt? I'm not nuts for pain. In fact, I really don't like pain. Or needles. Anyway, I made the appointment before I had time to even think about changing my mind. Then I began to obsess.... A day later, with unfettered trepidation, I called and talked to the artist. He is a wonderful artist; I saw his portfolio, and he is very talented. I saw pictures of his past work: his mother's brows, liner, and lip contours were perfectly done. His girl friend was there when I won my free service, too. She had one brow done (they ran out of time) but was very happy with the one. Her hair, as is the artist's mother's, is quite dark. Will he use blue-black ink, I fret?

It turns out that this artist also teaches portrait drawing, and he teaches classes on the art of tattoo and permanent cosmetics. He's very busy earning money with his God given artistic talents. I re-booked the appointment for next week.

Then I went to work to find the model of the perfect brow to emulate. I got my hands on every women's publication I could think of and began the search for a clear photograph of my future eyebrows. I've looked through several Victoria's Secret catalogs, scanned current issues of Vogue, O, and even TV Guide. Now I'm online searching the web, even watching television shows for a sign of the perfect brow-role-model. There is an early morning news anchor on a cable station that might be the right fit. She is gorgeous! If my brows can look like her brows, I'll endure the pain of the needle! On second scrutiny, her hair color is delicious too! Maybe I can send an email and find out what her stylist uses; it can't be her own shade! Focus, focus on that shade then run over to the salon and tell them just what you want. "Make mine look like hers," I'll say!

Some are thin, and some are thick. Some are fluffy and others are fine lines. Some of the faces I'm examining have obviously brushed their brows straight up and lacquered them into place, where others still, have cut the individual hairs short, curt. One thing is certain, there's a lot of brow grooming going one. Plucking and waxing and shaping and trimming, and taming, and penciling, and dying, and tattooing and upkeep. Oh, my gosh! What of the upkeep? What does it take to keep permanent cosmetics looking up to date, never too trendy, and classically beautiful? Do I have to shave the hair off before the ink goes on or in? "Permanent" is a daunting word now. What if he slips? Even a hair is too much when you're talking about "permanent" placement of ink on a body; make that permanent on a face! My face! Do people really do this? Am I alone in my stressing over the prospect of handing my face over to a man that could maim me if I blink at the wrong time? Shouldn't I be tranquilized or sedated or something? But no! If I were to take a relaxant, my face might droop and the brow might end up where my lower lid currently exists. No, there will be no tranquility for me! I'll face up to the task and will trust in the perfection of the universe as I boldly go where millions of other women have gone before.

But should I? I still have a week.

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