Lip tattooing is one of the most popular and instantly transformative cosmetic tattoo procedures available. Whether you want to restore lost colour, correct uneven pigmentation, enhance your natural lip shape, or wake up with a beautiful wash of colour every single day at CTM in St Kilda, we have a technique designed for you.
Our lip tattooing procedures are gentle, low-downtime, and highly customisable. We use an extensive range of professional pigments to achieve results that look naturally beautiful never overdone, never harsh. Every treatment is tailored to your unique lip shape, skin tone, and lifestyle.
Lip tattooing can also help address the gradual loss of definition along the vermilion border the natural lip line that fades with age and sun exposure restoring a cleaner, more youthful shape without the need for fillers or surgery.
Our Lip Tattooing Techniques
Pixel Lip Blush
The most natural and subtle of our lip techniques. Using a light pixel method, we deposit soft colour across the lip to enhance definition and create the beautiful illusion of fullness without changing the shape of your lips at all.
Lip blush is perfect for clients who are happy with their natural lip shape but want to add a hint of colour and a little more definition. We can match your natural lip tone precisely for a barely-there, “your lips but better” result, or dust a soft shade of your choosing for a gentle flush of colour.
The result is effortlessly natural — no hard lines, no obvious tattoo, just beautifully enhanced lips from the moment you wake up.
Ombré Lip Tattoo
Our ombré lip technique creates a gorgeous gradient effect across the lip — lighter and softer toward the centre, building to a richer, more defined colour at the outer edges. This mimics the way many people naturally apply lip colour and gives a beautifully dimensional result.
We can customise the ombré in countless ways using two complementary shades, adjusting where the gradient begins and ends, and tailoring the intensity to your preference. The result is polished and striking while still looking entirely wearable every day.
Lipstick Lip
For clients who love the look of a full, saturated lip of colour and want to wake up with it every morning — our lipstick lip technique delivers exactly that. Pigment is blended into the full lip for a more intense, evenly saturated result that closely mirrors your favourite lipstick shade.
We recommend bringing your preferred lipstick to your appointment so we can match the colour as closely as possible. This technique is ideal for clients who wear bold lip colour daily and want to simplify their routine without sacrificing the look they love.
Full Lip Restructuring
Designed specifically for clients experiencing significant lip asymmetry, thinning, or age-related loss of definition along the vermilion border. Over time — particularly with sun damage and the natural ageing process — the vermilion border fades into the surrounding skin, making lips appear thinner and less defined than they actually are.
Our full lip restructuring technique blends pigment through the entire lip without a harsh graduation of colour, carefully rebuilding the lip’s natural shape, restoring symmetry, and returning definition to the border. Most aged lips are actually fuller than clients perceive — the vermilion has simply receded. This treatment restores what is already there.
This is one of our most technically demanding lip procedures and requires significant experience and colour knowledge to achieve a natural result. At CTM, it is one of our specialities.
Neutralising Melanin Lip Correction
An advanced and highly specialised procedure designed for clients with Fitzpatrick skin types 3–6 who experience dark, uneven, or purple-toned lips due to higher melanin content in the lip tissue.
Using a carefully selected combination of orange-yellow, bright pink, and bright red corrector pigments, we neutralise the cool and dark tones in the lips before layering the desired final colour on top. This multi-step process requires expertise in colour theory and an in-depth understanding of how different pigments interact with deeper skin tones.
The result is lips that appear more even, brighter, and naturally pigmented — a genuinely life-changing treatment for clients who have felt self-conscious about lip colouration for years.
If you are unsure whether this treatment is right for you, please reach out for a consultation before booking.
Lip Tattooing vs Fillers What's the Difference?
We are often asked how lip tattooing compares to injectable fillers, and the honest answer is: they do very different things — and for many clients, they work beautifully together.
Fillers add physical volume to the lip by building structure beneath the surface. They are excellent for adding fullness and plumpness but do not address pigment loss, uneven colouring, or a faded vermilion border.
Lip tattooing works at the surface level — restoring colour, correcting tone, enhancing shape, and defining the border. It does not physically add volume, but it can create a convincing illusion of fullness and significantly improve the appearance of the lip without any injection.
Where clients want both volume and colour, we always recommend completing lip tattooing first — then revisiting filler after the tattoo has fully healed — for the most cohesive and natural overall result. If you have had lip fillers recently, please allow a minimum of 2 months before booking your lip tattoo appointment.
A Note on Cold Sores
If you have a history of cold sores (herpes simplex virus), it is important to discuss this with us before your appointment. The trauma of any lip procedure — even a gentle one — can trigger a cold sore outbreak in susceptible clients, and an active cold sore can significantly compromise your healing and result.
We strongly recommend taking a course of antiviral medication prior to your procedure. Options include:
- Valtrex (valacyclovir) — prescription only; highly effective, best taken 2 days before and 2 days after the procedure. Speak to your GP for a script.
- L-Lysine — a natural amino acid supplement available over the counter; best taken daily for 4 weeks prior to the procedure.
- Zovirax — can be applied topically and mixed with your aftercare balm during healing.
Even clients who have never experienced a cold sore should be aware that the virus can live dormant and may surface following a lip procedure. Please contact us if you have any concerns — we are happy to advise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does lip tattooing last?
Lip tattoos generally last between 2 and 3 years, though this varies depending on your skin type, lifestyle, sun exposure, and colour choice. Lighter, more natural shades may fade more quickly than deeper tones. A perfecting session 6–8 weeks after your initial appointment is included and essential — this is where we fine-tune the shape and colour based on how your lips have healed. Ongoing touch-ups every 1–2 years are recommended to maintain vibrancy.
Is there any downtime?
Lip tattooing has very minimal downtime. You may experience mild swelling for up to 24 hours immediately after the procedure — a cold pack wrapped in glad wrap can help with this. Your lips will feel quite dry during the first week of healing, and the colour will appear significantly darker and more intense in the first 3–5 days before softening to the true healed result. Please be patient — the colour you see immediately after the procedure is not your final result.
Is it painful?
Most clients find lip tattooing very comfortable. A topical anaesthetic is applied before and throughout the procedure to keep you comfortable. Lips can be more sensitive than brows, particularly toward the inner lip, but most clients tolerate the treatment easily. Taking Panadol 45 minutes prior can help with any sensitivity.
Can I choose my colour?
Absolutely. We carry an extensive range of professional lip pigments across every tone imaginable, from the softest barely-there blush to rich, saturated berry and red tones. We will colour match in-studio and, if you have a favourite lipstick shade in mind, please bring it along so we can get as close as possible. If the colour isn’t exactly right after healing, we can adjust at your perfecting session.
Do you tattoo just the lip line?
No, and this is important. We do not tattoo a standalone lip liner. All of our lip techniques involve blending pigment into and across the full lip, ensuring there is never a harsh, defined line visible. This is what gives our results their natural, beautiful finish.
What are the contraindications for lip tattooing?
Please contact us before booking if any of the following apply:
- Recent lip filler please wait a minimum of 2 months before lip tattooing
- Roaccutane must be off the medication for the equivalent duration you were on it (minimum 12 months recommended)
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Active cold sore at the time of appointment, we cannot proceed; please reschedule
- Keloid scarring tendency
- Active dermatitis or skin conditions affecting the lip area
- Chemotherapy, in remission only
- Steroid or hormone replacement therapy, please contact us to discuss
- Under 18 years of age
How do I prepare for my lip tattoo?
- Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before and caffeine on the day of your appointment
- Stop blood-thinning medications (Aspirin, Niacin, Vitamin E, Ibuprofen) at least 24 hours before consult your GP if these are prescribed
- Hydrate and condition your lips in the week leading up to your appointment well-moisturised lips heal better
- Avoid laser, chemical peels, or injectable treatments to the lip area for at least 4 weeks before
- Bring your favourite lipstick if you have a specific colour in mind
- Start antivirals if you have a cold sore history, see note above
How do I look after my lips after the procedure?
- Avoid water directly on the lips for the first 2 days
- Avoid spicy foods, hot drinks, citrus, red wine, and kissing for 5 days
- Keep lips well moisturised with your CTM aftercare balm do not let them dry out
- Do not pick or pull at any dry or flaking skin, allow it to shed naturally
- Avoid lipstick, lip gloss, and any other lip product for at least 5 days
- Avoid swimming, saunas, and excessive sweating for 2 weeks
- Do not apply makeup, chemical treatments, or undergo facials for 4 weeks
- You cannot donate blood for 1 month following your procedure
Long-term care:
- Apply SPF lip balm daily, sun is the primary cause of lip tattoo fading
- Avoid glycolic acid, AHAs, and active skincare ingredients near the lip area
- Avoid lip licking, the enzymes in saliva break down pigment, particularly in the centre of the lip. If this occurs, we will correct it at your touch-up
When do I book my perfecting session?
Your perfecting session must be booked between 6 and 8 weeks after your initial appointment, no sooner. This is where all adjustments to colour, shape, and symmetry are made. Tattooing is always a two-step process, and skipping or delaying your perfecting session will affect the longevity and quality of your result. Please note that bookings made outside the 8-week window may incur an additional fee.
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Testimonials
I’m so grateful I found such an awesome team of beauty therapists. I had the privilege of Shelley completing my eyeliner tattoos (upper & lower lids) followed by Kiera fixing my brows & plasma session. I love looking at myself, looking so fresh & eyeliner perfect - no more panda eyes for me!! Thank you ladies for being so talented!!
AMAZING! I wish I had done sooner, years ago! Shelley is outstanding her skill, perfection and ability to colour match is out of this world. I had my brows combo and lips tattooed and really couldn’t be happier. The whole experience has been amazing, fun and painless.
I did my cosmetic brow tattooing training with Shelley and I am SO glad I picked her! I had completed training last year with another company and the difference was unbeatable. I was able to book clients in within a week after completing and I felt really confident in my training and my clients love my work already. Shelley doesn’t just treat you like a number, you feel like she really cares and the ongoing support has been really helpful. I would tell anyone and everyone that this is the training you want! Thank you Shelley, you’re the best!