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When
I was presented with this opportunity my immediate response was, “No. I would never
tattoo my eyes or have lash extensions.” The next three or four mornings were typical for me; getting two
kids fed and ready for school/daycare while simultaneously trying to feed and dress myself for work. Usu-
ally I only have time for; blush or eyeliner; eyeliner or mascara; mascara or foundation. Never time for
both, and certainly never time for all four (what a luxury!). The more I thought about “having my eyes done”
and the time it might actually save me if my eyes were permanently ready to go, the more I realized that
this could give me at least five extra minutes each morning. It may not seem like a lot, but five minutes in my
house can mean avoiding a meltdown, or at least managing said meltdown before we spiral so far out of
orbit that nothing can bring us back to Earth. So I booked an appointment with Beth Nigh at the Georgian
Wellness Centre to have my eyes tattooed with permanent eyeliner.
I will admit that during the entire procedure I was asking myself, “Are you totally insane for doing
this?” Not because it hurt (it actually didn’t hurt, because Beth rubbed lidocaine gel on my eyes after each
pass of the tattoo needle which completely numbed the area) but because I was TATTOOINGMY EYES!!!
I have no other tattoos and am not a big fan of permanently marking my body. But this type of tattooing
lasts approximately seven years so I figured I could live with the results for at least that long —no matter
how weird I thought I might look.
Beth was incredibly gentle, informative and patient. She explained everything she was doing,
gave me breaks when I got squirmy on her table and gave me detailed instructions on care and healing. I
left the Georgian Wellness Centre after about an hour or so, looking like Cleopatra. Perfect. But I kept
telling myself that the tattoo would fade at least 30% (according to Beth). My eyes were very swollen and
quite sore for about a day and a half. But I carried on with my regular routine with no issues. The sloughing
(scabs) subsided by the fifth day and a week after the procedure I was totally and completely THRILLED
with my new permanent eyeliner. I even kind of wish it would last longer than seven years.
The eyelash extensions were the icing on the cake. Nancy Kivell was excited to go big. She
used the longest lashes in her cache, which she glued one by one, onto each one of my natural lashes. The
entire procedure took approximately two hours. Nancy was so gentle there were times that I thought she
was finished, because I couldn’t feel anything at all. I even fell asleep for about a half hour. It’s been three
weeks since I had my lashes “extended” and they still look long and amazing. I have had a ton of compli-
ments and have no need to wear mascara, which might be the best news of all. “Refills” are recommended
every two to four weeks, but mine have made it nearly a month and still look incredible.
My life continues to be hectic, especially in the mornings, but I adore the look of my eyes and
the fact that I’m saving five to ten minutes every day (no need to wash off eye-
makeup at night) is an added bonus. I’m looking forward to those after work
swims with the kids this summer –“Look Mom, no raccoon eyes!”
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Escarpment Magaz ine Spr ing 2012
Cara - before
Cara - after tattoo liner
Cara - with liner & lashes
and no make-up
Beth Nigh and Nancy Kivell
Advanced Esthetics
Georgian Wellness Centre
124 Ontario St. Collingwood
705.444.4736
The eyes
have it!
From a hot new trend
to an established
MUST in beauty,
permanent liner and
lash extensions take
eyes from lovely to
lovelier to loveliest
in a blink!
After Cara’s tat too l iner had healed,
Nancy Kivel l appl ies Eyelash Extensions
- one careful lash at a t ime.
ESCARPMENT FEATURE
|
a f resh spr ing make-over
EYES & STORY | CARA WILLIAMS
PHOTOS | CLAY DOLAN