Forget blusher, foundation, mascara even – there is one make-up product that makes everyone look prettier and younger. What is this universally flattering product? A dark kohl pencil.
Run it tight along the upper lash line and it’ll define the eyes, creating the pleasing illusion of densely packed, sooty lashes. As humans we are hardwired to find this attractive, associating it with youth and vitality.
Which is why it’s always been a daily non-negotiable for me.
Or it was, until I had my eyeliner tattooed on.
Now, when the look I’m shooting for is ‘natural-born beauty,’ I don’t need to bother with eyeliner at all.
A dark kohl pencil was Rosie Green's go-to make-up product, until she had it tattooed on by the beauty therapist alleged to have treated Queen Camilla
Suzanne used a very fine needle (that resembled a pen) to scratch the surface of the skin and carefully deposit a brown/black colour in between the lashes
'Hold up', I hear you say. 'You’ve had your eyeliner tattooed on? Are you in possession of your faculties? What next level craziness is this?'
Let me explain.
About six or seven years ago I found myself on Suzanne Martin’s treatment bed.
Suzanne is a semi-permanent make-up artist known as the ‘queen of brows’. A large proportion of her clients inhabit the pages of Hello magazine (she recently posted a photograph of Queen Camilla on her Instagram page with perfectly arched and preened eyebrows, with the caption 'Our beloved Queen Camilla, always a pleasure!').
I was visiting her in the Lanesborough Hotel for her ‘everlasting eyeliner’ service. I was nervous (of course) and made her promise (multiple times, though I stopped short of offering up a pinkie) to be super subtle.
Once I was convinced she’d got the memo, I reclined and she applied a coating of numbing cream around my upper lash line. When this had kicked in, Suzanne used a very fine needle (that resembled a pen) to scratch the surface of the skin and carefully deposit a black-brown colour in between the lashes.
I was, and still am, ecstatic with the results. It makes my eyes pop meaning I look considerably less piggy on no makeup days
The line was very natural looking. More like the pleasing darkening you get in that area when you’ve just had your lashes tinted
Did it hurt? It was a little weird, but there was only really minor discomfort. You can feel the needle whirring and its vibration is a touch jarring, but on the pain scale it was less than a hygienist visit.
After an hour or so Suzanne was finished, and true to her word the line was very natural-looking. More like the pleasing darkening you get in that area when you’ve just had your lashes tinted. You need to go back for a top up about one month later, and then it should last you three or four years (I had another treatment in 2023).
I was, and still am, ecstatic with the results. It makes my eyes pop meaning I look considerably less piggy on no makeup days. And it's obviously smudge-free.
I think of this service as a stealth tactic – like straightening your teeth – that works to create an overall impression that’s youthful and healthy without any obvious fakery.
Suzanne is obviously the ne plus ultra of everlasting liner, but others around the country offer this treatment for far less. If you do book in, just do your homework and keep it subtle.
Everlasting eyeliner treatment lasts around four years, requires two treatments and is priced at £1,400 at Lanesborough Club and Spa in Knightsbridge