Ever hit snooze one too many times, then scrambled to get ready and rushed out the door only to realise you forgot to put on lipstick? Or worse, spent 10 minutes carefully lining and filling your lips, only to have it smudge all over your coffee cup by 9 AM?
What if we told you there’s a career where you help other women never have that problem again and you could make fantastic money doing it from the comfort of your own schedule? Welcome to the world of lip tattooing, where artistry meets beauty, and women are absolutely crushing it.
You’ve probably never heard of this but let me tell you why a lip tattoo course might be calling your name as your next career move.
What Even Is Lip Tattooing?
Let’s clear something up right away: we’re not talking about getting a butterfly tattooed on your lower lip (though no judgment if that’s your vibe). Lip tattooing also called lip blushing or permanent lip makeup is the art of enhancing the natural colour and shape of lips using semi-permanent pigments. Think of it as giving someone their perfect “just-bitten” lip colour that lasts for years.
Using extremely fine needles to introduce pigments into the skin, advanced techniques can achieve an exceptional lipstick effect with a perfectly defined contour, resulting in minimal trauma to the lips and preventing swelling.
The result? Your clients wake up every morning with gorgeous, naturally tinted lips. No makeup required.
Why Women Are Flocking to This Career
Here’s the thing: the permanent makeup industry isn’t just growing—it’s exploding. And women are leading the charge, both as clients and as artists. Why? Because this career offers something rare: the perfect blend of creativity, flexibility, and serious income potential.
Be Your Own Boss (Finally!)
As a PMU artist, you have the opportunity to work in beauty salons, spas, open your own office, or work with another specialist, allowing you to adjust your work schedule to your personal needs and life preferences.
Translation? You’re done asking permission to take your kid to the dentist. You set your schedule. You decide if you want to work Tuesday through Thursday or just weekends. Want to take a month off in summer? Do it. This career bends to your life, not the other way around.
The Money Talk (Let’s Get Real)
Look, we’re not going to pretend money doesn’t matter. One of the most exciting things about lip tattooing is the income potential. Permanent makeup artists charge between $300 and $600 for each beauty treatment. If you do three treatments in a day, you could make about $1,400.
Do the math: work just four days a month and you’re looking at around $6,000. Many artists work more frequently, offering 6-10 treatments per week. This could bring in $16,000 a month.
And here’s the kicker: On average, PMU artists can expect to earn between $50,000 to $100,000 per year, with experienced PMU artists who have built a strong reputation and clientele earning significantly more. Some top artists? They’re making as much as $190,000 a year.
Not bad for a career you can start learning in a matter of weeks.
The Training: Easier Than You Think
Here’s what makes this career so accessible: you don’t need a four-year degree or decades of experience to get started. A lip tattoo course usually combines online learning with hands-on training often just a few days of intensive instruction.
Many courses follow a format of online fundamentals plus hands-on training, and you’re on your way. You’ll learn everything from colour theory and skin anatomy to client consultation and aftercare. Most courses even include a starter kit with all the tools you need.
Training programs have become more affordable, with many now offered at reduced prices while still providing elite education from master artists, ensuring students graduate with the confidence, skills, and business knowledge needed to succeed.
The Creative Freedom
If you’ve always been artistic but never found an outlet that paid the bills, this might be your moment. Lip tattooing is part science, part art. You’re working with colour theory, understanding undertones, creating custom shades, and literally shaping someone’s features. Every face is different, every client has unique needs, and you get to be the artist who makes them feel beautiful.
Plus, you can specialise! Love the precision of creating perfect lip lines? Focus on that. Prefer the soft, natural look of full lip blushing? Make it your signature. Want to expand into eyebrows and eyeliner? The skills transfer beautifully.
The Satisfaction Factor
Here’s what no one tells you about beauty careers: the emotional reward is real. From shaping eyebrows to defining lips, PMU artists are capable of entirely transforming a person’s appearance, and that transformation isn’t just physical.
Imagine being the person who helps a busy mom feel put-together without adding 20 minutes to her morning routine. Or giving confidence back to someone who lost their lip colour due to aging or medical treatments. The stories you’ll hear from grateful clients? They’ll fuel you more than any paycheck.
The Industry Is Begging for You
More and more people are looking for ways to save time on their beauty routines, making permanent makeup a popular choice, and that demand isn’t slowing down. Women (and men!) want low-maintenance beauty solutions. They want to wake up looking refreshed. They want to skip the daily makeup routine but still feel confident.
That’s where you come in.
Real Talk: Is It Right for You?
Let’s be honest this career isn’t for everyone. You’ll need steady hands, attention to detail, and excellent people skills. In the PMU industry, customer service is paramount. An artist must be able to communicate effectively, understand the client’s needs and concerns, handle critiques professionally, and strive for customer satisfaction.
You’ll also need to be comfortable with continuous learning. Techniques evolve, trends change, and staying on top of your game means investing in ongoing education. But if you love beauty, love people, and love the idea of being your own boss? This could be the perfect fit.
Your Next Steps
So what’s stopping you? Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom looking to re-enter the workforce, someone burnt out in corporate, or a beauty enthusiast ready to turn passion into profit lip tattooing offers a legitimate path forward.
Start researching courses in your area (or online!). Look for certified instructors, check reviews, and make sure they offer hands-on practice with live models. Many schools offer payment plans to make training even more accessible.
The beauty industry has always been about empowerment—and now it’s empowering the women behind the artistry, not just the ones in the chair. Why shouldn’t that be you?
Your dream career might be just one course away. And honey, that’s pretty exciting.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
