EYELINER (PMU)

Permanent eyeliner is the treatment clients tell me they should have done years earlier. No wing to redraw three times, nothing smudged under your eyes by four in the afternoon, and eyes that look defined the moment you wake up.

It is also the most precise work in permanent makeup, done a millimetre from the lash line. I'm Katrin Brant — ten years in the industry, an international championship title, and a judge and trainer for other artists — working in Yaletown, Vancouver.

WHICH EYELINER IS RIGHT FOR YOU

Classic Eyeliner — initial CA$350 · touch-up within 4–8 weeks CA$150 · refresh at 6–12 months CA$200. A clean line along the upper or lower lash line, thin or thick, in brown or black. Defined and deliberate without being dramatic. The most requested option, and the one that most closely replaces what you'd draw yourself.

Silk Eyeliner — initial CA$500 · touch-up within 4–8 weeks CA$150 · refresh at 6–12 months CA$300. A shaded, gradient line that moves from denser at the lash line to softer above it. Reads as depth rather than as a line. Best if a hard edge looks severe on you, and particularly good on hooded and mature eyes.

Smokey Eyeliner — initial CA$500 · touch-up within 4–8 weeks CA$200 · refresh at 6–12 months CA$350. The line is blended and diffused outward for a soft smoky effect, a subtle everyday smoky eye that doesn't wash off. The most dramatic of the three and the one that changes a face the most.

WHAT HAPPENS AT YOUR APPOINTMENT

Shape. Drawn on first with your eyes both open and closed — a wing that looks right closed can disappear entirely when you open your eyes, so we check both.

Numbing. Applied to closed lids and topped up throughout. The eye area numbs well.

The work. Two to three hours depending on the technique.

Afterwards. Mild swelling for a day, occasionally two. Plan a quiet evening rather than a night out.

HEALING, DAY BY DAY

Days 1–2. Lids swollen, line darker and thicker than the final result. Cold compress over a clean cloth, not directly on the skin.

Days 2–5. Tightness and fine flaking. Keep your hands off — the eye area is unforgiving about picking.

Days 5–10. Flaking finishes and the line looks lighter and thinner than you expected.

Weeks 2–4. Colour resurfaces and settles into its true depth.

AFTERCARE

No eye makeup, mascara included, for ten days. Buy a new mascara for afterwards — the old tube carries bacteria.

No swimming, sauna or steam for ten days.

Glasses instead of contact lenses for the first two or three days.

Sleep on your back if you can. A pillow pressed against a healing lid is the most common cause of a patchy line.

No lash serums, lash lifts or extensions until fully healed.

LASHES, LENSES AND WHAT TO SORT OUT FIRST

Lash extensions have to be off before your appointment — I can't work cleanly around them and the adhesive doesn't survive the healing process. Book your removal before you book with me.

Contact lens wearers: bring your glasses and your lens case. You'll take the lenses out before we start, and you shouldn't put them back in for a couple of days.

If you've had a lash lift, leave two weeks. If you're using a lash growth serum, stop two weeks before — several of them make the lid area more sensitive and more prone to swelling.

ABOUT THE TOUCH-UP — READ THIS BEFORE YOU BOOK

The touch-up is a separate appointment at a separate cost. Eyeliner holds better than brows or lips, but the first session still loses pigment in patches as it heals, and a broken line is far more visible than a soft brow.

The touch-up closes the gaps, evens the density along the lash line, and sets the shape properly. It has to be booked within 4–8 weeks of the first session — after that the treatment has to be started again from the beginning at full price.

WHEN EYELINER ISN'T THE RIGHT CALL

Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and not with an active eye infection, stye or conjunctivitis — that's a reschedule, not a discussion. If you've had recent eye surgery, wait for your surgeon's clearance. Dry eye, glaucoma medication, blood thinners and Accutane all need mentioning at consultation.

QUESTIONS I GET ASKED

Is it safe that close to the eye? Yes, in trained hands. The eye itself is never touched — the work is on the lid and lash line, with your eyes closed throughout.

Will it migrate or spread? Not with correct depth and modern pigment. Blurred, spread eyeliner is a hallmark of work placed too deep, which is a technique problem, not an inevitability.

Can I have a wing? Yes, and we'll design it for your eye shape rather than copying one from a photo. Wings that look good on someone else's eyelid often don't translate.

How long does it last? One and a half to two years.

BOOK YOUR EYELINER IN YALETOWN

Message me on WhatsApp if you'd like to talk through which technique suits your eye shape. A 20-minute consultation is CA$1 and comes off your treatment.

1003 Cambie Street, Yaletown, Vancouver · Sunday to Friday, 10:00–19:00 · (672) 998-0990