Beau Inks Apricot Crème(https://beauinstitute.com/shop/apricot-creme/) is a staple in my repertoire. I reach for it especially for my clients with warm complexions, from blondes to brunettes. Often, maturing lips take on a purple cast and Apricot Crème will neutralize the purple. Deeper cool shades can be very aging on a mature woman and Apricot Crème gives their entire face a lift. Apricot Crème can be made more neutral by adding Vintage Rose. This combo of warm and cool creates a beautiful, neutral shade.
When I use it straight, I will mostly do a full lip color. Natural lips are normally cool or too pale to do an ombre effect. Full lip color appears much more beautiful. For a soft, neutral look, I add from a few drops to half of Vintage Rose. When I want to brighten Apricot Creme, I add a few drops of New Pumpkin. It’s a big Wow! For a deeper, earthier look, especially for my clients that are a Fitzpatrick 2-3; I add a few drops of Peach or Cayenne. When deepening Apricot Crème to an earthy shade, an ombre effect works beautifully. I will tattoo a liner and blend it into the natural lip. All of these shades look beautiful and just need a little clear or tinted gloss, and they are ready to go.
Depending on how dramatic or subtle my client’s want their lips to appear, I choose accordingly. If they need a new lip shape defined, I will select a 3-liner to create this definition. If they want a softer look, I will line with a 5 or 7 round. These larger needles will prevent any definition of a lip line appearing, once healed. For a full lip, I will fill with a 5-Slope or a 4-Flat. If my client has a strong degree of bluish-purple, I will use a 9 Magnum to fill to reduce the risk of additional bluing. My goal is always to create an airbrushed effect on lip procedures. I don’t want to see any delineation from my line to my fill. A soft airbrushed look that blends perfectly into the natural lip color is my goal.
Presently, we pre-numb with LMX for 15 minutes. While my client is numbing, I have my entire table set, mix the color, remove the LMX and draw the lip shape. I then tattoo both the top and bottom lips, then apply my ½ and ½ mix of Duration Ultra and Magic, followed by a coat of Super Trio and finally a coat of Vaseline. The Vaseline heats up the topicals and activates them. Then, wipe and proceed to build my line. I go over my line approximately 3-times before widening it with ovals. Occasionally, I may have a client that is still sensitive, so I will add Numpot Gold to my topical selection. I am always looking for the combination of topical anesthetics that work best for that particular client. Once my line has been widened, I will change my needle and proceed to the fill.
For those of you that have never used one of our lip guards, I strongly suggest you try a couple of these. They really do so much of the stretching for you, especially on the bottom lip, where it’s most needed. This lip guard will make your procedure go faster and more effectively. I have also found the lip guard design that we carry to be the most comfortable for your clients.