Lip tattoo swelling and recovery in Gangnam: gradient at Lamoon Brow

Lip color that washes off with one coffee: why I booked a lip tattoo

Hi there 💗 Lips that fade even from just drinking coffee — how do you all deal with that? It's summer, so between water play, sweat wrecking my makeup, and my lip color disappearing, I've been looking more worn out than usual, haven't you?

Every time this happened I'd go searching for "tints that don't fade" or "lip tattoo cosmetics," buy them with big hopes, and then be let down — either the staying power or the color payoff was never quite enough. Something was always missing 🥲

While I was stuck in that loop, I discovered lip semi-permanent makeup?! I actually had it done about 10 years ago, but back then the pigments weren't very varied and a friend did it on me as practice, so honestly it wasn't very impressive! But these days lip semi-permanent makeup has more pigment options and better technique, so I decided to try it again!

After comparing several studios, I chose Lamoon Brow in Gangnam because I liked the quality of their results the most :-) ♡

Lamoon Brow location near Gangnam Station and opening hours

👄 Lamoon Brow 📍 42 Seocho-daero 78-gil, Unit 412, Seocho-gu, Seoul ⏰ Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00 🛏️ Closed every Sunday

Ring the bell and wait a moment, and the friendly owner opens the door for you :)

I changed into indoor slippers before heading in!

The first thing that caught my eye was a table with lip pigments neatly arranged

Why I picked a cool-tone shade in the color test

At Lamoon Brow, we did a consultation and shade test before the procedure haha. She held several lip color samples right up to my face and compared them to find the shade that suited me best. She even diagnosed my personal color with an eagle eye haha.

I've never had an official personal color diagnosis, but friends have unofficially told me I'm spring-warm/summer-cool, leaning more toward spring-warm. But lately, between work and home nonstop, my skin's gotten paler somehow, and cool-tone lip colors suited me surprisingly well?!? It was interesting to realize personal color can shift a bit over time haha.

Inside the treatment room and waiting area at Lamoon Brow

The treatment space was separated by a curtain, which felt reassuring and nice! They even had a disposable pillow sheet ready, which put my mind at ease even more 🍃

A pebble-shaped clock and mirror hinted at the owner's personal taste. I thought, oh, she likes cute little objects like this haha. There was also a soft sofa, so I could wait and rest comfortably.

Of course I had to get a mirror shot too. The mirror made my proportions look great ♡ Loved it ♡

There's also a restroom inside, so no worries even if you need it mid-appointment!

Dark lip line and asymmetry: what the consultation said

Now, before getting into the actual procedure, here's my bare lips..

My concerns were

• ✅Dark lip line
• ✅Whitish center area
• ✅Asymmetrical upper lip

After the consultation, it turned out that correcting the lip line is a bit difficult when the line itself is dark ㅠㅠ But they reassured me that the tone could be evened out, which was my biggest concern, so I felt relieved! Phew.

First, pain-relief cream was applied and I waited about 15 minutes. During that time she explained the recovery process and precautions for after the procedure.

Lips swollen on the day from lack of sleep

Ha.. but something I hadn't anticipated happened. Swelling can depend on your condition, and I'd been running on very little sleep that day, with fatigue piling up..? I figured I'd be fine anyway — silly me. Since I'm naturally prone to swelling, my lips puffed right up ㅠ

But honestly it looked kind of dewy haha, a new look? The color itself turned out amazing — surprisingly so! Can you see how the dark discoloration along the line disappeared?? The tone matched my skin tone perfectly 💗 The swelling would go down in a few hours so I was fine with it, but it made it hard for the owner to get clean before-and-after shots, which made me feel a bit bad 😢

Still, let me show you the high-quality photos she worked hard to capture! With the slight swelling, my lips actually look plumper, right? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I loved how natural and even the gradient looked, both along the line and inside.

Is this really my bare lips..? Unbelievable..💗

I was completely satisfied with both the color and the design. She told me that since it's still the day of the procedure the color is a bit more intense, but once the peeling and recovery period is over, the color will settle naturally into a pretty look that suits my bare face ♥

Retouch card, recovery cream and lip balm aftercare

After the procedure, I was given a card with the retouch schedule written on it. Thanks to that I won't forget to come back for a touch-up! >,<

Inside the retouch card there were images explaining the lip procedure process and aftercare precautions. So thoughtful...☆

They also gave me recovery cream and a lip balm to apply alongside it, which I've kept using diligently ever since. Recovery cream: morning/evening / Lip balm: every 3 hours, rice-grain amount. During the peeling period you must never, ever forcibly pick at or rub the skin — any friction is off limits! You have to minimize all irritation and let the flakes come off on their own. Absolutely essential!!!

After the swelling went down: color that shows with just lip balm

Here are my lips after the swelling went down.

Aren't they seriously so pretty? With just bare lips and lip balm on, this is the color payoff I got!

Even after a full day and feeling exhausted, my lips alone look full of life 💗

You can see how the dull, discolored lip line disappeared naturally, right? So satisfying..♥

The natural gradient extends even inside the lips, which made them look even more full of life. My lips looking plump like cherries

After the peeling is complete, the color won't be as intense as it is now, but I think it'll settle into a natural, lively look that blends with my skin tone — so I'm looking forward to seeing my lips once the recovery period is over 💗

Lipstick smudged on your straw when drinking coffee, lipstick coming off on wooden chopsticks while eating, lip color washed away after one swim, dull lips after a tiring day. Weren't you tired of all that? Find the lips that suit you perfectly at Lamoon Brow, the go-to lip semi-permanent makeup studio in Gangnam! Dull lips, asymmetrical lips, lifeless lips — this all-in-one lip solution fixes them all 💗