How to create better pigmentation in different areas of Aquarelle Lips (Experts advice)
Author: Holistic PMU Research Center, fact-checked and reviewed by an expert panel.
Contributor: Siiri Tabri
“Perfect pixels” on lips
Transforming lips isn't quite the same as shaping brows, especially when aiming for that shaded look in Aquarelle Lips. The key here? Mastering the art of crafting "perfect pixels" on the delicate lip skin.
“Achieving a flawless lip procedure involves sidestepping errors at every turn. This article serves as your guide to doing just that.”
Background
When working on eyebrows, creating "perfect pixels" is often a primary focus, especially with styles like Soft Powder Brows and various Ombré techniques. However, achieving precise "pixels" is just as critical when crafting beautiful shaded lips. For this article, we consulted 21 experienced pigmentation artists, each with over three years of experience in lip procedures. Those artists were from the EU, the UK, and the US. Many of these experts also specialize in brow pigmentation. Regarding research results, there were no significant differences in the approaches depending on the artist's location. Below, we've compiled their shared advice to help improve the quality of your Aquarelle Lips procedures, along with some more general tips.
Better Outline
When aiming for perfect pixel structure on lips, the first step is to define the area for pigmentation accurately. Many less experienced artists make the mistake of incorrectly outlining the area, resulting in an attempt to "pixelate" the skin incorrectly. Always ensure that the outline aligns with the vermilion border of the lips.
Addressing asymmetry is another crucial step. For instance, the apex of the upper lip, which refers to the highest point, might be uneven. If the apexes on both sides reach different heights, always base your outline on the lower apex, ensuring you don't include skin outside the vermilion border. Any pigmentation outside this boundary can compromise the entire project.
Another critical point regarding the outline involves the areas of the upper lip that lie outside of the apex points, which are the highest points on both sides of the upper lip. In these areas, avoid creating an exaggerated upper curve. Instead, aim for a straighter line that curves slightly downward, enhancing the upper lip's overall "cupid's bow" shape.
The Most Important Aspect Regarding Outline
When dealing with the outline, symmetry is absolutely crucial. Always stay within the vermilion borders for the best results. If you encounter two asymmetrical points, go with the one that falls inside the vermilion. But keep in mind many clients will have some natural lip asymmetry. Take your time to measure carefully. For clients over 50, it's also helpful to ask them to move their lips and completely relax their facial muscles. This allows you to see how gravity impacts the outline you're drawing.
The overall goal of the procedure should always be to enhance the client's natural beauty and not remodel her lips entirely because not only is that impossible, but attempts related to that rarely yield optimal results.
Use a Quality Lining Pencil
Selecting the right pencil for marking the outline is vital. Choose one that won't smudge when you apply the cooling numbing gel. Being able to clearly see the outline is especially important for those who are new to the field. It's frustrating to have to redraw the lip outline after the numbing phase.
Equally important is the application technique. Avoid pressing your fingers on the outline when you begin the procedure, as this can smudge the line. The same caution applies to applying numbing cream. When you roll on the numbing cream with a cotton swab, be gentle around the outline to preserve its clarity.
Pigmentation Suggestions
Using Booster Balms
In the world of lip pigmentation, booster balms play a key role, much like they do in Powder Brows. These balms are designed to hydrate and soften the lip tissue, preparing it for more efficient pigment uptake. This creates a well-hydrated and receptive canvas for the artist to work on.
Keeping the lips moisturized with booster balms also minimizes friction between the skin and the pigment. This ensures a smoother application process, allowing the pigmentation needle to deposit the color more easily. Less friction leads to more even pigment distribution, making the pigment penetrate more effectively. In the context of achieving perfect pixels, minimizing skin trauma is crucial, and using a booster balm aids in this approach.
Opt for Vertical and Diagonal Movements
Seasoned lip artists emphasize the importance of vertical and diagonal movements, especially when the goal is to create Aquarelle lips that don't need a full "lipstick" effect. Newer artists often use long, horizontal pendulum movements to fill the lips. However, experienced artists recommend more upward, vertical, and diagonal movements that follow the natural structure of the lip skin. Remember, the objective is to create pixels, not just to fill the lips completely.
Minimize Heavy Wiping
Frequent wiping can irritate the skin and hinder the formation of perfect pixels. Many artists have a habit of constantly touching and wiping their lips. It's often better to wipe less and skip using a damp cotton pad to avoid irritation. A dry napkin can be used sparingly to remove excess lymph, blood, and pigment when needed. With experience, an artist learns how to create excellent pixels without visually monitoring every needle touch to the lip skin. This becomes easier when working effectively, even with a layer of pigment on the lip surface. While it's crucial to avoid areas where bleeding occurs and to move to another section until the bleeding stops, it's equally essential to not over-wipe the skin.
Use Gentle Skin Stretching
During the procedure, it's crucial to stretch the skin carefully. Avoid pinching or stretching a large area all at once. Make sure the space between your fingers aligns with the specific area you're working on. Additionally, don't distort the skin by stretching it too much. Your fingers should move in opposite directions to maintain the skin's natural shape and texture.
Upper Lip Skin Stretching Techniques
For the upper lips, there are specific skin stretching techniques that many artists commonly use. For example, gently stretch the skin upwards and slightly towards yourself when working on the client's left corner of the lips (which would be on your right). Conversely, for the client's right corner (on your left), stretch the skin upwards and slightly away from you.
Learn to use Various Needles.
Many artists typically use very thin needles like 0.18 1RL. However, these thin needles often aren't sufficient for creating pixels on the inner areas of the lips. Experienced artists recommend using slightly thicker needles, like 0.25 and 0.3 1RL cartridges. Covering a sufficiently large area while minimizing skin trauma when focusing on pixel creation is essential. Also, avoid creating too many layers of pigmentation.
Be Cautious with Needle Depth
The skin on the lips is delicate and thin, making it crucial not to go in too deep during pigmentation. Many artists find that when they gently stretch or pinch the skin, they can feel the needle's vibration, helping them gauge the correct depth. Damaging the skin too much can make achieving the desired pixelated look difficult.
Mind the Machine Speed
The machine's speed is a key factor when aiming for pixelated lips. While there's no one-size-fits-all speed that you can refer to in a manual—since every artist and machine is different—the general rule is to keep both your hand movement and machine speed on the slower side for more precise pixelation. The stroke amplitude shouldn't be too long and remain consistent across different strokes.
Take Your Time
Don't rush during the pigmentation phase. Whenever an artist tries to speed up the lip creation process, problems can arise. Take the time you need. If you're a beginner, always set aside an extra 30 minutes beyond the expected procedure time to be safe.
Choose the Right Pigment
Achieving beautifully shaded and pixelated lips involves understanding the basics of color theory and pigmentology. If the skin has a bluish undertone and appears cold and pale, opt for a pigment with a warm undertone. The size of the pigment particles is also crucial. Large particles are harder to apply and are often wiped off. In contrast, very small particles, common in inorganic pigments, can fill the area too uniformly, making it challenging to achieve a pixelated appearance. Additionally, it depends on the chemical consistency of the pigment. Some hybrid pigments with a larger organic base or organic pigments tend to “sink” into the skin much faster, and there is less room for error it is harder to achieve a pixelated look with those considering they may have a larger particle size. Whereas some pigments with smaller particle sizes and a sufficient inorganic portion may be able to produce this effect better. Most seasoned artists agree that the correct way is to try different high-quality pigments and not reflectively trust the labels. All professional artists choose their favorites based on experience, not label data.
Work on the corners
Pay Attention to Corner Symmetry and Natural Appearance
A common area where artists sometimes fall short is the pigment of lip corners. To enhance this area, begin by carefully drawing the outline. For the best results, mark the corner tip about 1 to 2 mm inside from the vermilion border. If you go too far out, you risk pigmenting the skin around the lip, which can lead to asymmetry or unnatural movement when the client opens their lips. Ensure that the outlines meet precisely on both sides for a symmetrical result. To aid this, many artists ask the client to smile or pronounce the letter "O."
Fill in the Inner Corners
While pigmenting the corners, filling them up to the mucosal area is essential. This is especially important when the chosen pigment color varies significantly from the client's natural lip color. If not done correctly, the inner corners can appear white when the client opens their mouth. Seasoned artists suggest that the technique for pigmenting the inner corners should resemble that used for the brow tail end. Use short, overlapping strokes—about 70% overlap—to fill the area thoroughly. This is one spot where pixelation is unnecessary and should be entirely filled.
Numging and work arrangement
Order of Work
First things first, start with the outline. When you're drawing the outline, remember it shouldn't be too thick or too bold. Aim to keep the line as thin as possible. A lighter outline ensures you don't over-darken the inside area later.
As for the order of pigmentation, many experienced artists recommend starting with the areas that are more sensitive to the client. This enhances the overall experience. The upper lip, for instance, generally tends to be more painful, so it's a good idea to start there.
Numbing Suggestions
Before diving into the actual procedure, it's common practice to apply pre-numbing cream about 10-15 minutes ahead of time. Cooling gel is often used, making the process more bearable for the client.
Additional numbing agents containing adrenaline (epinephrine) are sometimes used during the procedure. But be cautious. Use only as much numbing as needed. If the client has no scar tissue from past procedures and isn't prone to lip herpes, numbing may be unnecessary. People have different pain tolerance levels, so there's no one-size-fits-all approach. The rule of thumb is: if the client can handle the procedure with minimal or no numbing, don't add more just for the sake of it. Many successful artists also rely on the placebo effect of just adding booster or process butter - many said that the client has reported having “less or no pain” after adding a substance.
Conclusions
Regarding lip pigmentation, one should know that the pixels can be done only within the vermilion lines. Thus, the outline should always be drawn to include no skin pore (the skin on the outside of the vermilion borders).
Regarding pigmentation, you should exercise more vertical and diagonal movement, less horizontal. Refrain from filling the skin on lips too much, especially under the philtrum and bow area. Often, horizontal moves are only needed closer to the outline.
Use high-quality booster balms. The better the skin preparation regarding softness and moisture level, the less trauma you need to cause with the needle.
Less heavy wiping. Do not irritate by constantly wiping with dump cotton pads; dry the lymph and pigment when needed.
Strech smaller areas. Only stretch lip skin on the area you work on, and try to distort the skin as little as possible.
Learn to use different needles. Many do lips only with 0.18 1RL; for inner pixels, try 0.25 needle. If you master this, the results are excellent!
Use gentle "hovering" and shorter strokes. Do the pixels with short moves with relatively lower speed, and do not fill the lips - it's the Aquarelle technique, not full lips.
Skin undertone influences pigment choice, with warm pigments best for bluish, pale skin. Particle size is crucial: large particles are hard to apply, while small ones can make the lips look too uniform. The pigment's chemical makeup also matters. Organic-based or hybrid pigments can sink too fast into the skin, making it tough to achieve a pixelated look. On the other hand, pigments with smaller particles and a good inorganic base are better for this effect. Most experts agree that experience trumps label information when choosing pigments.
Pay special attention to the corners of the lips; when pre-drawing, ask the client to open the mouth, and when pigmenting, make sure you fill the inner areas of corners.