Semi-Permanent Eyeliner By Sherri Makeup

I’m not sure if you guys know or not, but I got my eyeliner tattooed recently!! I went to Sherri in Los Angeles, and paid $250 for the upper eyelid eyeliner (lower eyeliner is an extra $250).

My experience at Sherri Makeup was excellent.

I originally became interested in the idea of permanent makeup when my friend Jiawen told me that she wanted to get her eyebrows done (btw, Sherri does eyebrows for $300). That’s when I started doing some research and came across Sherri on Yelp.

The reason why I was drawn to Sherri (besides her almost perfect 5 star reviews), was that she highlights on natural beauty. I wanted eyeliner that was subtle, but enough to make a difference, and thats what I got!

I contacted Sherri through email to set an appointment for my consultation and eyeliner tattooing session. They get pretty busy, so you have to make an appointment.

The place was really easy to find and is located on the second floor of the building (above Mr. Pizza and Gangnam Style). There is a private parking lot where you (might) have to pay $1 after validation (if the guy is there).

The location is fairly small, and not exactly what I had envisioned. But I really liked how white the place looked, with the white curtains and light shinning in from the South side.

When you arrive for the first time, you are greeted by the ever so sweet front desk woman. I love her so much as she really really took care to our needs. Don’t be afraid to ask her if you need any tissues or even some water to drink!

The wait after you arrive has been typically about 15 minutes. Before you go in to meet Sherri, you have to fill out a waiver.

Around the room, there were different things written on the walls. I think this one below is about eyebrows? Is there anyone who can read Korean and translate? Haha, it’s probably not that important anyways…

There were also a bunch of frames around the area with different style eyebrows drawn out. It’s kind of fun to see the different types.

Here’s Jiawen, her boyfriend, and my best friend Teewa. Jiawen ended up getting eyebrows done, and Teewa got eyeliner like me!

Besides permanent makeup for eyeliner and eyebrows, Sherri also does lips, lash extensions, and skin care! There were 3 separate rooms that led to each. The room I went to is the one on the far right.

When it was my turn, I found that the consultation was totally not what I was expecting.

First you go into the room to meet Sherri. Then she has you sit down on the chair infront of this huge mirror. You sort of look at yourself and tell her what type of eyeliner you want and she takes into “consideration” what you are looking for.

Alright, so when I say “consideration,” I mean that she does hear some of your thoughts, but she will ignore most of them (which ISN’T a bad thing). Why isn’t this bad?

  1. You will have 2 sessions. During your first session, she keeps the eyeliner very simple and natural, only drawing along your lash line. She will ignore your requests to make it “thick”, but she did listen to request such as “making it thicker to thinner from outside going in”.
  2. It isn’t until your second session that you get to change your eyeliner to whatever style you want (thicker, longer, etc.). I think this is good because it IS semi-permanent and you don’t want to commit yourself to something too drastic so early on before seeing how you like it first.

What bothered me the most was that Sherri’s English speaking isn’t that great, so I wasn’t sure if she knew what I was saying. I sort of assumed that she could understand more than she could speak (since that’s usually the case).

I think it’s sort of funny because there are so many of these magazine cut outs and drawings on an easel next to you and the mirror, but none of it is ever used.

Overall my consultation didn’t feel like a real consultation as it only lasted less than 2-3 minutes (I think because she basically does the same super natural bare minimum eyeliner style on everyone for the first session, no matter what requests you give her). I didn’t bother trying too hard either because of the language barrier.

Here’s her set up. To the left of the consultation area is where she does the tattooing. I literally walked right over and just laid down and she got right to work.

Let’s talk about what she does during the session:

  • Clean your eyelid area of any makeup, dirt, etc. (I went in with naked eyes and no contacts)
  • She applies numbing cream
  • While your eyes are close she begins tattooing
  • Sherri likes to count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2,3 over and over again as she works on your eyes
  • It feels like she does three dash marks across both eyes and then goes back and fills them in
  • The whole process of doing both eyelids for the upper eyeliner takes less than 5 minutes
  • After she finishes both eyes, she rubs away the black ink thats all over your face and cleans up the area
  • She also cleaned my eyebrows and taught me how to take care of them properly (lol)
  • Finally when its over, you go over to the mirror together to see the results
Did it hurt? Yes it did, sort of. I think without the numbing cream, it would definitely hurt a whole lot more. But with the numbing cream, it still feels a bit strange and uncomfortable. I mean, common, any needle scraping that close to the opening of your eye is scary. Think about it! To me, I would compare the procedure to taking an exacto knife and carving back and forth, back and forth between your eyelids. The worse part is that while you are trying to keep your eyes closed the whole time, it’s hard to! So there’s that slight fear of your eyes opening and Sherri piercing your eyeball (ha!), but that honestly wouldn’t ever happen.
What happens after the first session?
You go out to the front desk, pay, and make a second appointment for about two weeks later. The second appointment is when you get to make your eyeliner thicker, longer, etc.
Eyeliner tattoo healing instructions: 
  • Ice pack that same day, and the day after to reduce swelling
  • No eye makeup for a week (I’m not sure if this is a rule, but this is what I choose to do)
  • After a few days, the eyeliner tattoo will begin to flake off (like a real tattoo), don’t pick at it
  • Don’t rinse with hot water

Permanent Eyeliner Tattoo vs. Semi-Permanent Eyeliner Tattoo

Permanent – It is what it sounds like, permanent. The problem with this however is that black permanent eyeliner eventually turns a greenish color, and no one wants that! When you are getting permanent makeup, make sure that you are going to a professional who specializes in permanent makeup. I wouldn’t recommend going to a tattoo shop or a hair salon…

Semi-Permanent – These last anywhere from 1-9 years. Eyebrow tattoos tend to last about a year, while eyeliner tattoos last on average 2-3 years before needing a touch up. What’s great about this is that you don’t have to commit yourself forever, and the color will always look great!

Alright.. That’s enough talk, lets get to the fun stuff!! The Photos!!

Below are my eyes without anything at all… pure nakedness.

Now you can see my eye right after session one. I am literally standing in the room still and Sherri took these photos for me. Ahh, look how irritated my eyes look! You know what though, different people’s eyes handle it differently. My friend Teewa came out with no problem!

I didn’t have too much swelling the rest of the day after my eyeliner tattooing, but the next morning I woke up with pretty swollen eyes. My eyes looked as if I had been crying a lot the night before. I still had some swelling two days after as well, but not as much and barely noticeable by others. My eyes were fully healed in about 5-6 days after the tattooing.

Second Session:

I wasn’t able to go to my second session until about 3 weeks later (after I got back from Hawaii). I liked my eyeliner tattoo, but it wasn’t visible enough and I wanted it thicker and longer. Sherri doesn’t like making eyeliner too thick, so she wouldn’t let me make it as thick as I pointed out to her.

She was however nice enough to get a brush and some black eyeliner and draw in on one of my eyes how thick she would make it. This really helped me agree with her visually.

After the session was over, we went over the same after care instructions. We were also told that after our eyes have been fully healed, we would have a week to call her if there were any touch ups that we noticed that we needed, and another appointment could be made free of charge!

Here is what my eyes currently look like. I love it!! I can literally go out without any eyeliner and I still feel beautiful.

What’s great is that I don’t really need to apply eyeliner anymore for a casual everyday look! All I have to do is extend my eyeliner tattoo by drawing in a wing or thickening the end a little bit. It’s way too easy now.

Then I just curl my eyelashes and add mascara and ta-da! I’m done!!!

Thanks so much to Sherri for doing a great job on my permanent eyeliner!

Again, here is the complete before (naked eyes) and after (fully healed after 2nd session).

What do you think?

Sherri Permanent Makeup Rating: ★★★★★

  • Although she was hard to understand, Sherri knows what she is doing
  • Great service and very friendly staff
  • Caring and makes sure that you get the best results
  • Quality of the eyeliner procedure is worth it for me if it can last 3 years (not sure if eyebrows are worth it if it lasts on average 1 year)
  • Dramatic before and after results that really boost my confidence
  • I save so much time in the morning not having to draw in eyeliner!!
  • Makeup is semi-permanent and not permanent, so no green eyeliner 🙂
  • Professional environment
  • Takes cash, card, and check payment
** Also just wanted to make a note, this post was in no way sponsored. I paid for everything myself!!!

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Thanks for reading!
xoxo Sarah 

27 Replies to “Semi-Permanent Eyeliner By Sherri Makeup”

  1. I admire your bravery for doing this! It’s some serious commitment but it turned out really well for you. My mom had her eyeliner tattooed when she was younger and I thought it was the craziest thing ever but now it seems to make so much sense.

    I wear eyeliner everyday anyways so it seems so much better on the eye to tattoo than put products on it. Unfortunately, I’d be too scared. XD So happy for you that it turned out great though. 😀

    1. its only commitment for a few years 😉
      but yea, i thought the same thing as you when i was younger towards tattooing eyeliner.. it sounds crazy and kinda dumb
      after learning more about semi-permanent tattoo however, and also since i now wear eyeliner every single day.. it made sense!!

  2. So brave!! Omg just the thought of having a needle near my eyes scares me already >< But it looks really nice and neat 🙂 Eyeliners are pretty essential to makeup haha, definitely useful to have it tattooed

    1. i think eyeliner is probably the most important makeup tool you can have for sureeee 🙂
      and its not THAT bad having a needle near your eye. just don’t think about it, lol!

  3. You brave soul *_* It’s funny because I have a tattoo too, but I’m still deathly scared of them. I think maybe I was just scarred from getting my first tattoo that I don’t think I could ever do it again. Dragging an exacto knife is exactly what I think it feels like! Ahhhhh, pain.. You look so great after though! Your eyes look awake and cute!

    1. awww what tattoo do you have? lol i’m always very interested in what people get and where.
      and yes, my eyes look so much more awake! i loveeee it 😀

  4. Oh wow Sarah! I feel both amazed and worried after reading this post. It looks beautiful and all you need to do is extend the liner a bit which is really neat but the photos with irritation and tears kinda make me aww 🙁 haha though I’m glad it turns out all good in the end 🙂 I feel like experiencing it myself while reading your post. Thank you for sharing ^^

    1. haha im happy to hear that you felt like you were experiencing it all with me thru the post 🙂
      it wasn’t as bad as it looked too!! i guess i just didnt have as good of a reaction as most other people?
      my friends didn’t swell as much as me~

  5. Saaraaaahhh you daredevil! First of all, I
    truly admire your bravery, you really have
    a David in you c; I think Sherri did an
    amazing job 😮 I thought it would look really
    harsh but the fact it looks pretty natural!
    Very subtle as well. Argh I can’t imagine
    the pain really 😛 a needle torturing your
    eyelid. (I can’t wait for your baby spring
    onions to grow really!) XX

    1. haha i like that “you really have a David in you”
      i’ve never heard that one used before.. imma take it! (if i ever remember)
      hehehe but yes i like that it looks natural :3
      ahhh and my spring onions are growing already!!! so fast!

  6. The result of both sessions is great.
    I like the fact that the first session lasts less than 1 min
    Honestly the end result is great.
    However I’m not sure I would do something like this.
    You are very brave because I would not do this.
    I have very sensitive eyes and I do not bear the irritation.

    1. im sure your eye wouldn’t react any worse than mine did!
      anyways i really like the results after the second session much more 🙂

  7. Wow, the results look great! The finished result looks perfect. I really wanted to do semi-permanent tatooing for my eyebrows, but I’m not sure if I could handle the pain. How did Jiawen’s brows turn out? Awesome and informative entry though, it’s great to know the step-by-step process in detail, still not sure if I could muster up the courage though hahaha ><

    1. i feel like eyebrows arent as bad because its not your eyes! hahaha. but i’ve also heard that eyebrows hurt more than eyelids for some people? Jiawen’s eyebrows look great!! they are super natural and you can’t tell whats hair and whats not.

  8. Looks cool :3 I would go for it for sure 🙂 x

    1. yea you should do it!!! i save so much time in the morning 😀

  9. It seems really interesting but gyaaaah I’m scared of such! It hurts for sure! OMG! But it’s so pretty dear! Looks like a pro! Nice eyeliner and perfect line everyday hehe 🙂

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    1. its pretty sweet not having to draw in eyeliner every morning. actually what i found thats even more convient is when i wear fake eyelashes.. i dont have to fill in the gap between my eyelashes, fake eyelashes, etc with eyeliner.. its already completely black!

  10. thanks so much for the info!
    I am- waaaay older–probably than your mom, but constantly have problems with one of my eyes tearing or getting eye makeup in my eyes–usually when I’m driving, so it’s a real problem–have considered this–
    sort of– for a long time–your detailed info was extremely helpful–thanks!

    1. haha, so happy that you found my post to be helpful!! it took a long time to document and write up 🙂 i hope i’ve helped you decide on whether or not you’d want to try out semi-permanent eyeliner. let me know if you have any questions!

  11. […] Ok I’ve had brow tattoos before young women nowadays even got into it, when the non-angry-Asian-lady-blue-eyebrow was newly imported technology from Asia. I’ve had brow tattoos for 10 years! But I’ve added eyeliner as well. For a better blog post about this, refer to https://xlicious.com/2013/05/semi-permanent-eyeliner-by-sherri-makeup/ […]

  12. Hi! Thanks so much for your informative post! I’m looking into getting this done. I’m wondering if the eyliner is still there or has some rubbed off a few years later? Have you/will you gonin again for a touch up? Do you still recommend Sherri? I’m so scared, but I want to do this to save time. You’ve given me courage- thank you! 🙂

    1. Hey Lisa! Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you. I just saw your comment, went over to the bathroom, took off all my eye makeup and checked in the mirror very closely. To my surprise, much of the eyeliner is still there! Here’s what I noticed:

      – the eyeliner is visible between my lashes, under the lashes (tear-line), and still extends out a little past my lash line as I requested when I got it done
      – the liner is less visible above my lashes (the eyelid area), probably due to years of eye makeup removal
      – but with the above two notes said, the liner as a whole is still noticeable and makes a difference
      – the color of the eyeliner isn’t as black in comparison to my photos from the post, but if I didn’t compare, I’d say it still looks black
      – there is a little spotting that I’m noticing under the lashes (tear-line), probably since that’s where the meibomian glands are
      – other notes: I still wear eye makeup almost daily, which means I also have to remove it daily. IMO, the permanent eyeliner has really survived quite remarkably

      I would go back for a touch up, but I’m honestly waiting for it to fade more. I’d still recommend Sherri, though I haven’t seen her in years so I don’t know if anythings changed. My advice for whether or not to do it is… Do you tend to like natural eyeliner makeup? If yes, by all means do it. If no, consider if it’s worth it since you’ll probably just add more eyeliner on top of it. For me it was worth it even though I like to add on more eyeliner, because it gave me confidence to be in front of others with no eye makeup on.

      Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have other questions.

  13. Your eyeliner is gorgeous! Just FYI: permanent cosmetics and semi-permanent cosmetics is the same thing. On the face the tattoo doesn’t last long because of … well many factors. And in the past when you see people with the “green” hue to theirs it’s because of the “black” pigmentation that was used. There are better pigments for the face that are used now; not the typical “black” inks used for body art. Permanent/semi-permanent cosmetics will last depending on skin type, products used, and sun exposure. I like to perform eyeliner along the lash-line for a natural look (or also called “lash enhancement”). I will go above it if the person really insists on it. And I really tell clients not to do the “winged” as that style may go out of style. Eyeliner is always more irritating as the skin is more sensitive. Brows are mostly no big deal (as far as pain goes…the lips—owie!) But all in all, if people remember, it is a tattoo and there is some discomfort. I’ve had people fall asleep during the procedure! Best wishes to you! 🙂 Koko

    1. you’re right, they are both forms of tattoos, but it’s not permanent! it only lasts for a few years 🙂

  14. 1 word I can say. wooooow. I love that semi permanent make up eyeliner so much.
    what do you think about semi permanent powder brows?
    Im thinking about getting one.
    xoxo
    franziska

  15. I get my first permanent brows next week. Thank you for sharing. Takes my fear a little bit 🙂
    Kiss
    Tina

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