If you want to enhance your lips without applying liner and lipstick daily, then the latest trend, Lip Blush, could be what you need. Editor Trudi Brewer shares a youth-boosting treatment that is the future of semi-permanent makeup.

What is it?

While there is nothing new about semi-permanent makeup or cosmetic tattooing, there is about Lip Blushing. Yes, it requires a tattoo needle, but the results are super natural-looking, and if you’re tired of lipstick bleeding into fine lines, then this skin treatment will be of interest. To quote OFF & ON - it's your lips but better. Lip Blush is almost the same principle as brow microblading. This is where fine ink strokes are etched into the skin to fill in the missing colour. While microblading uses a calligraphy-style pen, the Lip Blush treatment requires an ultra-fine tattoo needle. Before you recoil, the needle size is tiny (0.25mm), which creates a lip border and fills in the entire lip area with feather-like strokes in a long-lasting colour of your choice.

What to expect from a Lip Blush treatment?

Before the tattooing starts, my technician at OFF & On in Newmarket, Auckland, Sophie Rudd, draws the shape of a "new" lip border under my guidance - after all, you know your lips best. This is the most crucial part of the treatment because it lays down a liner to create a lip shape you like. Next is customising the colour. Again this is driven by you. With an almost endless bespoke blend of ink shades from brown to pink, coral and red, I chose a very soft blush brownish pink that would fade to be nearly the same colour as my natural lip shade. Rudd customised the colour by combining pink and brown to create a natural base shade. First, the lip border, then those feather-like strokes fill the entire lip area with colour, which takes at least 90 minutes. So to the pain? It is very bearable. It feels like vigorous exfoliation or light cat-like scratching over the lip area. The tattoo requires at least three passes over the lip area, so by the third pass of the tattoo needle, there is some discomfort, but it's not what I would not call a treatment painful.

after care

Once the treatment is complete, your lips will appear swollen - it is a tattoo, mine did resemble cocktail sausages for a few hours, but that did not last long. By the end of the next day, the swelling was gone. However, there is some home care you must stick to. First, you need to keep your lips dry for 24 hours; gently blot them with a sanitising wipe supplied by OFF & On after eating and let them air dry; this removes any fluids that have surfaced and prevents scabbing. Then after 24 hours, you can slather on Bepanthol cream (it’s so soothing), also supplied by OFF & ON, which helps with potential peeling. Over the next week, your lips will start to heal, meaning they may scab up or have a layer of peeling skin; this is normal. They feel wind burnt for a few days and feel like you're wearing ultra-matte lipstick that is drying and gritty on your lips. You must not pick at your lips while the healing process takes place. Just keep them well-moisturised and clean. Initially, the colour is bright, but don't be alarmed; the ink will fade as it beds in. Depending on your skin type, you can expect around 30 to 50 per cent fading, which is why this lip service requires a top-up treatment a month later.

Editor Trudi Brewer, Before lip blush, straight after the treatment, two days later and after two weeks

The do's and don'ts

For starters, OFF & ON has the highest hygiene standards. With hospital-grade disinfectants and the entire treatment using disposable tools, Rudd was also suited up in PPE to ensure no infection risk. You must wait a month between filler or botox treatments around the lip area. No alcohol or coffee 12 hours before the treatment. Then, post-treatment, no spicy food or active skincare, vigorous exercise, or sun exposure. While an anaesthetic is an option, it's best avoided as it can affect the final results. Also, you must not take ibuprofen or anti-inflammatory medication since these can thin the blood and cause more sensitivity. However, panadol before the treatment is okay. Finally, if you have a history of herpes, lip blush could trigger an outbreak. All this is discussed in the pre-treatment consultation.

The take home

Am I happy with the result? Yes. I love how Lip Blush has defined my cupid's bow and added the illusion of fullness to my lips. While the colour has faded, it's bang on the shade my Rudd and I discussed, very close to my natural lip colour. It’s a shade I reach for when shopping for lip gloss. You can expect Lip Blush to last 12 months; it's almost the same level of maintenance you would expect from microblading your brows. The results as promised - it's your lips but better.

See the step-by-step Lip Blush Service below

Where to book a Lip Blush

Lip Blush is available at all OFF & ON Auckland locations, which include Newmarket, Britomart, and Takapuna. The treatment costs $850, comprising a complimentary consultation and two Lip Blush sessions a month apart.