I love working from home and I don’t think I can ever give it up, ever. But now that I don’t have to go into the office, I no longer wear makeup, my hair is always in a bun, and I basically look like a hobo every day. The teachers at my daughter’s daycare were shocked the one day I had to go somewhere that evening and picked her up wearing makeup and something other than sweats.

Anyway, one day my best friend called me and asked me if I wanted to get eyeliner tattoo with her. Uh, YES! I always wanted to get it done but was too scared to go to someone I didn’t know. But Jess met up with a friend who recently got it done and said it looked awesome. We immediately called to make an appointment the next day.

When we got there, we found that the person rents a tiny room in the basement of a hair salon in Palisades Park. It looked a little scary and dark as we slowly walked down the rickity steps. Our eyes must have been 100 times their usual size while we stared at each other, thinking “what the HELL are we doing here? Should we turn back now?”

 But when we got into the room, it was a nice, tiny room that was well lit. I found that the artist, Sophia, specializes in all semi-permanent cosmetic tattoos – eyebrow, eyeliner, lip color that last only a couple of years, and she even does lash extensions. She had moved to the US from Korea two years ago to start her operations here. She had years of experience doing tattoos in Korea before she came to the states. I always, ALWAYS wanted eyebrow tattoos done also (drawing my brows in every day is the bane of my existence) so I decided that if I loved the eyeliner, I would come back for the eyebrow.

Well, a couple of eyebrow and eyeliner tattoo sessions later, I have to admit that this was the. best. money. I. ever. spent. EVER! It was worth every single penny and I would do again in a heartbeat. You have no idea what it’s like to rub my eyes and brows and find that it’s still there! I no longer have to fear the rain, or the pools. I literally just wash my face and go. It’s the greatest. The best part is that although I wouldn’t say I’m no longer a hobo, I’m very much less of a hobo than before. 

Since I’ve gotten my brows done, five of my friends have gone to her to get either eyeliner or eyebrow tattoo, and all swear it’s the best money they’ve ever spent. I’ve sent so much business to her that she now knows me by name and greets me like a friend. I also found out that ALL the young moms in our church have gotten it done too, and all from Sonya. I never knew because it looked so natural and was shocked that getting cosmetic tattoos was such a common thing.

A couple of days ago, when I went back for eyebrow touch ups, She told me about eyelash extensions and lip color. If you know me, you will know that I have the whitest lips on the planet. Lipstick never lasts long enough, and lip stains dry out my constantly chapped lips. She showed me her own lips, and I couldn’t even tell it was done – it just looked had a really natural, very light pink tint.

So then I got to thinking. I already did my eyebrows and eyeliner; how great would it be to have nice pink lips? But why stop there? If I got eyelash extensions, I would never have to wear mascara! I wonder if she does blush too? JK about that last one.

I seriously considered getting my lips done too. But then I realized, when does it become too much? Semi permanent tattoos only last a year or two at most, so for me, there’s not that much of a risk. But once I get my lips done, would I want to get something else done? Botox? Lipo? Nose? Eyes?

I’ve always joked that when I’m done having all my kids, I’m totally getting some serious nip and tuckage, and I joke to Winsor all the time that I need to start my tummy tuck and boob job fund now to treat myself on my 40th birthday. He just rolls his eyes and says “whatever”. He doesn’t believe that I’d actually go through with it. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would - I don’t have the money and it’s definitely not practical. But lets say we won the lottery and I have money and time to spare. What’s to stop me then?

I always think that everything is fine in moderation, as long as you don’t go too crazy, but it’s hard to stop yourself once you get started. In the end, I decided that I could live with pale lips for now, and at 150 dollars a session for eyelash extensions that only last a couple of months, I decided that I can spare a few minutes to slab on some mascara before I run out. I was happy with my brow and liner, and I didn’t want to jinx it.

Though I do have to say, after watching Madonna’s half time show this past Sunday, I couldn’t help thinking I wanted the number for her plastic surgeon. Damn she looked good!

Have you gotten any cosmetic procedures done, whether it’s tattoo or surgery? Do you regret it? How do you feel about cosmetic surgery?