Poet, artist and philosopher Kahlil Gibran wrote in his book The Prophet ?Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are the life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.? In these words he speaks of an age-old human struggle we have all faced, the struggle to see our own inherent beauty. Part of the Universal human experience is to learn how to love, appreciate and enjoy the way we look; our faces and our bodies are often judged by others when it is only our own opinion that truly matters. Loving the way you look can be a spiritual and healing experience, it can change the way you move and speak. It transforms the energy you project to others.
The Vanity Myth
There are many misconceptions when it comes to the practice of permanent makeup or cosmetic tattooing. It is the same myth that pervades the medical field of cosmetic and plastic surgery. There is a belief in America that if a person engages in procedures such as permanent eyeliner, permanent lipstick or other cosmetic changes that they are driven by vanity or are shallow inside. Although I agree that there is a portion of people who will never be satisfied with their appearance, I do not believe these people are the majority. Most of the clients I see in my practice are men and women who are in the process of learning to love themselves more and through this process they eventually gain more confidence and experience a better quality of life.
Let Your Natural Beauty Emerge
There are many reasons to have permanent makeup. Illness, injury and a desire for practicality, efficiency or increased confidence are just a few. All of these motivations have less to do with vanity and more to do with building self-esteem and self-appreciation. Loving yourself is a healing process and I am lucky to work in a field where I can participate in this process with my clientele. I work, not only with their faces but I also connect with their individual energy. I use my artistic eye for color and symmetry to apply the permanent cosmetics, but I also access my intuition in order to see what they see and to understand what they feel needs to change about their appearance.
A wonderful example of this process is a former client named Becky, a college professor and author. ?I have looked at myself in the mirror each day since you did my eyeliner and I am so happy with what looks back at me, ?Becky states, ?I knew I wanted to have the procedure done for esthetics and got a bonus of enhanced self esteem.? ?Thank you for your artistic, beautiful work that walks around with me everyday, collecting compliments whenever I reveal my secret,? she continues. In the end the goal is to create a look that doesn?t compensate for flaws or imperfections, but enhances what is most beautiful about the person naturally. Natural beauty exists within all people and bringing it to the forefront is the key to a great look. Then each day you look in the mirror to see your best facial features highlighted. This allows you to walk with your head high, to feel more comfortable in your own skin and to move forward in ways you may have avoided n the past.
Believe in Your Own Beauty
To achieve a beauty that you can believe in you must make choices to enhance the beauty that is already there. Everyone deserves to leave home feeling confident and excited about their own appearance. Permanent makeup is not a way to cover up the problems; it is way to help your best facial qualities and features to emerge. As you see this previously hidden part of you walk out into the light of day healing takes place and this healing energy can spread through the rest of your life.
Dawn Willard?s twenty-three year career in the fine and applied arts has included lettering, illustrations and photo and film styling. She has learned an array of artistic skills, one being makeup. Ms. Willard currently owns the Permanent Makeup Studio in Asheville North Carolina. She can be reached at http://www.DawnColors.com or starjump@gmail.com.