These aren't the face tattoos your mom warned you about, but maybe she should have.
Beauty seekers are suddenly spending hundreds of dollars for so-called “semi-permanent blush,” a new type of cosmetic tattoo that has become popular in New York City — despite critics likening the final product to “rosacea” or “permanent sunburn.”
It's the latest in a line of permanent makeup tattoos, following the boom of other cosmetic tattoos like micro-brow razors, eyeliner tattoos, and blusher tattoos, which are designed for low-maintenance beauty enthusiasts.
For Grace Clark, who likes to keep her daily routine simple, it seemed like the perfect solution — regardless of the hefty price tag.
“It's a complete luxury, but the way I want to live my life on a daily basis is to spend as little time on my vanity as possible,” the New York City-based brand consultant — who also cuts her own hair and does her nails — told the Post.
“It's not that I don't believe in vanity, it's that I don't want to think about it, so I do a lot of semi-permanent, permanent and surgical procedures to achieve it,” explained Clark, who hates wearing makeup.
Instead, she gives herself Russian manicures, cuts her own hair, and undergoes plastic surgery, all in an attempt to make her daily life low-maintenance.
For her, the controversial cheek blush procedure was an “easy and simple solution.”
She continued: “I chose blush because it seems like an indicator, at least aesthetically, of health and radiance, and aesthetically I find it really beautiful.” “There's something strangely sentimental to me about fresh, pink vibrancy.”
She visited Velvet Cosmetic Tattoos earlier this year after coming across the studio on TikTok. Its owner, Savannah Messenger, became, albeit “by luck and coincidence,” a pioneer in the field of blushing, as he was one of the first artists in the city to introduce it.
“I've had some clients ask me to do this because they've seen it done in other countries,” Messenger, 34, told The Post. “So it's actually very popular, from what I understand, in places like Korea.”
She had never heard of the tattoo method before her client, Tina Nguyen, asked for it. Before she dared try it on another person—let alone his face—Messenger practiced on the bottoms of her feet to perfect her technique.
She now offers the service — for $300 to $400, depending on the length of the appointment — at her studio in Williamsburg, but it only requires booking it through a consultation, where she explains what blushing is.
Messenger added that it's essential for customers to understand the risks associated with cosmetic tattoos — for example, lasers and retinol are off-limits — which tend to last only five years or less.
She also advised going to a reputable artist and trainer. Any type of tattoo – cosmetic or otherwise – can pose a risk of infection or less-than-desirable results if done incorrectly.
“If you mess it up, that's it. It's on someone's face,” Rasul said. “It won't be easy to fix, if it's fixable.”
Cheek blushing typically involves gently “buffing” the pigment into the upper layers of skin, she explained, comparing it to “colored microneedling.” She noted that although it may look “crazy” in the following days, it heals and achieves the desired result: a natural, feathery lipstick.
“You're not supposed to look like you're wearing makeup, you're supposed to look like you're fresh,” Clark explained.
Nguyen, a 23-year-old registered dietitian who's always looking for “long-lasting beauty solutions,” was Messenger's first client to blush, and two years later, her semi-permanent blush still provides visible flushing.
While she chose a more vibrant shade of blush for her face, Clarke favored one that made her look like she “just came from a run,” although haters online compared it to “rosacea” or a rash.
“Now you have a permanent sunburn,” one person commented in her TikTok comments.
“It looks like rosacea,” another quipped, saying they “cover up” their skin condition every day. “Are you going to tattoo eye bags or dark circles next?!”
Cosmetic tattoos like cheek tints tend to “last longer than most people think,” dermatologist Dr. Muneeb Shah, who practices in New York, told The Post. After that, they can “migrate” – clear lines can become blurred, just like the hair-like lines of fine eyebrows can blend together over time.
“So this would also be true for cheek redness, as it won't necessarily look the same when it's first done as the tattoo develops,” he explained, adding that the removal process becomes more “complex” due to the healing process.
“Anything you do to the face is something people will see every day,” he noted.
But not everyone was a harsh critic, and some were, in fact, inspired to research the ministry themselves.
“I might consider this. I've always wanted eyebrows and eyeliner, didn't know blush was a thing,” one TikTok user wrote.
“As someone who looks like a dying Victorian child without blushing: that looks great!” Someone else chimes in.
Red is a far cry from current beauty trends, with bright rosy cheeks trending à la pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
“I think the makeup trends that are popular right now always influence everything we do in the permanent makeup space,” Messenger said.
“But I think you have to kind of create some limitations with that as well, because for me, I'm always thinking about longevity, like, what are you going to look like five years from now? We don't want to seem crazy.”
