No Sweat

Created on 13th July 2009

Debra Robson-Lawrence explains why semi-permanent make-up could be the answer to looking fresh and perfectly turned out during a hot summer

Women love make-up. Despite the biggest recession since the war, talk of a credit crunch, depression and constant media doom and gloom, worldwide sales of cosmetics are booming. Lipstick (and chocolate) sales reportedly rose 25 per cent. 

Just ask Debra Robson-Lawrence, a make-up artist with the UK's leading semi-permanent make-up clinic in London's elite Harley Street. She's tattooed the faces of over 30,000 clients; everyone from yummy mummy's to glamorous grannies, supermodels to Hollywood A-listers.

Debra's own survey reveals that over 90 per cent of women wear make-up every single day: "My ladies wear make-up to the gym, to go shopping, to answer the door, even to make love in! I have clients who have been married for 20 years and their husband still hasn't seen them without make-up."

It's a big problem for us women because, like it or not, we just feel better and more confident with even just a bit of make-up. So what do we do with this year's prediction of a scorching BBQ summer from the Met Office? Do we wear our make-up on our sleeve, while we mop our glistening face or do we follow the trend of those who are aware of beauty's best kept secret? Semi-permanent make-up.

You can literally have a full face of make-up applied in just over an hour and it will last you through steamy days and passionate nights.

So what is semi-permanent make-up? It's exactly what it says: make-up that's semi-permanent, so it lasts months and won't wipe off. Whether you're swimming, sunning, or just trying to keep pretty in steamy weather it will stay put.

The most common treatments are for eyebrows, eyes and lips and Debra has her own patented technique and treatments which are so natural you would never know it was tattooed in.

Don't let the idea of tattooing scare you though because Debra has perfected these treatments to a fine art and is renowned for her very subtle results.

Her eyebrow treatments are called Brow Couture, which adds depth and definition to over plucked or non-existent brows which are invisible to even the closest scrutiny, and Power Brow which is a little more defined following the catwalk trends for 2009. It's an excellent way of updating your look instantly and can really awaken the face and bring the eyes to life, giving you that extra bit of sparkle.

Psychologists have shown for the first time that you are more likely to find a happy-looking face that looks directly at you sexually attractive than the equally smiling face of someone who is averting their eyes.

Debra created three bespoke treatments, to ultimately add sparkle to the eyes with delicate definition and a sprinkling of colour to intensify your attraction.

With Debra's signature treatment Secret Liner she delicately creates definition by opening up the eyes to make lashes look ultra luscious, hassle free and sought after. Her Glamoureyes treatment brightens the eyes by first adding depth and definition, opening up the eyes and making the lashes appear thicker and more luscious, and the result is always brighter, sexier and more sparkly eyes. Debra's Eye Intensifier is for that turbo-charge of eye colour; your eyes will appear brighter, clearer and more sparkling - and no-one will be able to figure out why.

Lipstick changes things... it just does. Our relationship with our lips runs deep and the lipstick we choose is the mark of the women we are and the correct shade can lighten up our complexion.

Debra's Blended Contour is designed to refresh the lip-line to give soft out-of-focus, ultra-flattering results. The Barely Blush described as the true alternative to the collagen boosted ‘trout pout', offers subtle blended brilliance, with colours that are feathered into the lips to avoid a harsh line, and a plumping effect to make the lips look full, smooth and pretty. Debra's Tender Tint Lip Wash, shapes and defines eye-catching colour which diffuse to sheer tints when blended into the lips, creating the illusion of plumping lips to make them appear full, smooth, and super pretty. It can balance any unevenness in lip shape, or create natural-looking, seductive curves.

With the subtle and effective techniques that have now been developed, semi-permanent make-up could be the way to get through a hot summer without sweating through a heavy mask of cosmetics.
CS&AM