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Thank you for inquiring about SofTap® colors. All of our colors strictly use high quality ingredients, are hypo-allergenic, and do not contain any FD&C or D&C dyes. The SofTap® color match system is one of the easiest systems to use for anyone doing permanent cosmetics. The SofTap® colors are rich and creamy to allow you to have full control in color selection. If you are used to runnier colors you can simply thin down the SofTap® colors with distilled water. If you wish to lighten any color, it is best to thin it down with water rather than to add white to it. White is an opaque color which does not allow the transparency of other colors and will alter the tonal value of any color. Therefore if your client likes a particular SofTap® color, but feels it is too dark, you can simply thin it down or add a little bit of Lemon-Aid. Lemon-Aid is designed to allow you to lighten a color without changing the tonal value of it too much. Whether you use a machine or a hand device to deposit color into the skin, the more times you pass over the same area, the darker the color will come closer to what is in the bottle. You may also darken or dull the chroma of any color by adding a little black.

How to select your color

As you know, color selection is the most important part of doing a permanent makeup procedure. The other important part is to put it in the right place. Over the years, we did many different things to help us determine the undertones in a person’s skin. We went from skin kits, to color seasons, and to a number of various ways. We found that everyone saw color differently and that you could see undertones in a client’s skin and another could not. Therefore we developed our colors to not only help you see those undertones easily, but also help create a natural beautiful appearance for your clients. The SofTap® colors have been time tested on approximately 3000 procedures and the results have been astounding. There is no need to mix or neutralize any of the SofTap® colors . They are designed for easy use. Choosing the correct color is as easy as 1, 2, and 3. There’s no mixing, no guesswork, and no worries about how it will end up.

Cool and Warm Palettes

The SofTap® colors are divided into cool and warm palettes starting with the lightest colors and ending with the darkest. If you are not sure if someone is a warm or cool palette, then ask the client if she prefers to wear oranges, yellows, and browns, or does she prefer to wear fuschias, royal blues, and blacks. Warm palettes prefer the former (oranges, yellows, and browns) and cool palettes prefer the latter (fuschias, royal blues, and blacks.) If the client doesn’t know either (which is really unusual), then smear a cool color on one eyebrow and smear a warm color on the other eyebrow and see which one looks the best. You will find if you have not already, that some women with dark hair want light brows and vise versa. The color chart makes your choice very simple because the colors are divided into light, medium, and dark colors.

Brows
It is important to keep in mind that you will want to match the color of the hair in the eyebrow area and not the color on a woman’s or a man’s head. The color on the head can be changed and often is changed. Therefore do not use this as your gage for selecting your color. The light and medium colors are used primarily for eyebrows and the dark colors are used more often for eyeliner. There are always exceptions however. For example you can use Café` Ole` for brows on a brunette, but don’t pass over the same area with your machine or hand tool too many times because it may look too dark if you do. Here’s another exception. Let’s say that you have a medium blonde who desires extremely natural looking eyeliner. Café Vienna would be a good choice. In this case pass over the area a couple of more times than you would with a dark color so that it will show up nicely. Let’s say for example that you have a cool complexioned blonde who desires light brows. Then your most common choices will be Bashful Blonde, Hazelnut, or Fawn. If the client feels that these colors are too gold, explain that the undertones in the skin will most assuredly cancel out the extra gold. Therefore the end result will be the desired color. Similarly, you may have a cool brunette who desires light brows. Your choices again will be Bashful Blonde, Hazelnut, or Fawn. No, it is not strange to choose one of these colors for a brunette. The results are absolutely natural and lovely. I have often heard that some permanent makeup technicians have used two or three colors in order to create a highlighted effect on the eyebrows. You do not have to do this with the SofTap® TM colors. You can create different variations of the same color according to how many times you pass over the same area. The more times you pass over the same area, the darker the color will appear and the closer it will look like the color in the bottle. Keep in mind in order of light to dark that the beginning of the brow is the lightest part, then the tail or the descending part is slightly darker, and finally, the arch area is the darkest part of the brow. In order to simulate this effect, pass over the front of the brow the least amount of times, the tail – slightly more times, and the arch the most times. One of the very important things to keep in mind is to keep the brow looking extremely natural looking. Do not! I repeat do not put a definite shape in the front of the brow. This makes an eyebrow look totally artificial. The beginning of the brow fades from the skin into short small diameter hairs that are approximately .002” (2 one thousandth of an inch in diameter.) The hairs then gradually become larger in diameter toward the arch – approximately .003”-.004” in diameter. To simulate this effect, you will need to pass over the same area less times to simulate finer diameter hairs and more times for the larger diameter hairs.

Cool Browns

A. Platinum Blonde
a) This is our coolest and lightest blonde color. This great for frosted blondes where the frosted areas are very little gold.
b) If you wish to make this color lighter, add Golden Sunrise. Wow! Gorgeous!
B. Bashful Blonde
a) Great for light blondes who do not want a lot of red in their brows and prefer the asher tones.
b) Also great for toning down old reddish tones in brows.
C. Hazelnut
a) For blondes who prefer a little more gold in their brow.
b) Also for redheads who do not want a lot of red in their brows.
c) Also great for covering gray brows when the result desired is light ash brown.
d) This is also a great base to blend for nipple areola work.
D. Fawn
a) Best for blondes with very ash streaks or blondes mixed with gray.
b) Also great on women with 50% or more gray in their hair.
c) Also great for toning down old reddish tones in brows.
E. Cappuccino
a) Wonderful for dark blondes or light brunettes. This color looks good on a lot of people even redheads who do not want much red in their brows.
b) I have also used this color on African American women with light skin who desire brows that are light brown, but not too red
F. Café Vienna
a) Great for medium and dark brunettes who have a medium amount of hair present in the brow, but do not want an overpowering color.
G. Expresso
a) My favorite color for women who have less than 50% gray in their hair.
b) Also great for Hispanic and Asian clients with dark hair that do not want any red in the brow color.
H. Earth
a) This color is wonderful for clients who have dark hair, but quite ash, a brown with a slight granite hue.
b) Also great for eyeliner on blondes and women with blue eyes.
I. Mahogany
a) This will heal up as a soft black on women of color which include African American, Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, Hispanic, etc.
b) Great for brows and liner
J. Charcoal
a) This is a slate black color, great for a dark smokey eyeliner.
b) Also, make any shade of gray by just adding Lemon-Aid to Charcoal.

A. Amber
a) This color is for those who find Bashful Blonde to be too cool and dark and find Caramel to be too warm and dark.
b) Amber is lighter than both and neither cool nor warm.

Warm Browns

A. Caramel
a) This color looks fantastic on strawberry blondes or blondes who prefer a little more warmth in their brow.
b) Also great for changing a light gray or blue brow to brown. Use after priming the brow with Lemon-Aid.
c) Can also change a dark blue/gray brow to a medium brown by implanting Lemon-Aid ,then Caramel
d) Can also add a hint of Caramel to lip colors for an earthier look.
B. Milk Chocolate
a) This color looks awesome on women with light brown hair and desire light warm brown brows.
b) Can also add a hint of Milk Chocolate to lip colors for an earthier look.
c) I have also used this color on African American women who have light skin and desire a light brown brow.
C. Bordeaux
a) This color is very popular with women who have medium and dark brown hair and desire a brow that is not too dark and not too ash.
D. Copper
a) My favorite color for redheads and for women of color that desire a medium brown look.
b) This can also be used as a lip liner only for an African American women who has very dark brown lips
c) This can be used to warm up a gray or blue/gray eyebrow when the end result desired is dark brown.
d) This color also looks great on an African American woman with medium toned skin and desires a medium brown color for the eyebrows.
E. Cocoa
a) I love this color for Auburns, and medium to dark brunettes.
b) This can also be used as a lip liner only for an African American women who have very dark brown lips
c) Also great for brows on African American women who desire a medium to dark brown brow
d) Creates a rich warm brown for Hispanic and Asian women
F. Chocolate Truffle
a) a beautiful color for a dark brunette who does not want brows too dark.
G. Royal Fudge
a) A rich warm brown.
b) Great on darker skin tones such as .
H. German Chocolate
a) A delicious color for a medium to dark brow on women of color.
b) Also great for eyeliner for women who do not want a dark liner.
I. Café Ole
a) very popular for a dark soft brown eyeliner and dark brows

Special I-Liner FX

A. Irish Moss
a) I love to use this color on women who have green eyes with brown flecks in them. This color does not really look green when it heals up in the skin. You can only see the green if you know that this is a green color. It looks much more brown than green, but it really brings out the green eyes.
b) Sometimes I will enhance the lashes with a color that is close to them such as mahogany and then I will do a smudgy effect on the outside edge with the Irish Moss for those green eyes.
c) Also add a hint of Irish Moss to a color which the client may feel is too warm. This will cut the red.
B. Jade Granite
a) I have used this color on a variety of different colored eyes. I find that this looks best with hazel eyes. The final look is a grayish green.
b) I have also used this color on black/brown eyes and it really livened them up.
c) If the client finds that she does not want as much green after a couple of years, you can go over them with a warm brown such as the royal fudge to cut the green or use black orchid for a black/ green effect. Remember, you are only limited by your imagination.
C. Blue Lagoon
a) Many technicians open the jar and think that this color is black. I assure you, it is not. This will heal up as a beautiful midnight, navy blue.
b) This is great for blue eyes.
c) Again, I have done a two tones effect where I enhance the lashes with Mahogany and do a smudgy effect with Blue Lagoon. It looks so fabulous.
D. Black Orchid
a) This is definitely for the client who always wears jet black eyeliner. This is a beautiful black and very popular.
E. Tempting Teal
a) This color can be used alone or blended with the Jade Granite, Irish Moss, or Blue Lagoon to brighten them up.
b) Black Orchid can also be added to the Tempting Teal to subdue it a bit.

Lip Colors

The lip colors are divided into 4 sections for choosing: 1) Mauve/Pinks, 2) Brown/ Pinks, 3)Natural Pinks, and 4) Orange/ Pinks. Use the Orange-Aid to prime a coat on the lip first to help prevent the blue undertone from coming through, then layer the desired color over it.

Mauve/Pinks

A. Sweet 16
a) The perfect color for the client who wants just a little boost of mauve/pink in her lip.
b) Also this is one of the 6 special effect extenders that can match someone’s lip either to make the lip look slightly larger or to define the edges.
B. Innocence
a) This is a very popular color for the client who has pale lips and wants to enhance the shade by 2 or 3 shades.
b) Also this is one of the 6 special effect extenders that can match someone’s lip either to make the lip look slightly larger or to define the edges.
C. Cupid’s Kiss
a) This is the mauvest of the mauve /pink tones. It presents a lovely earthy look.
b) Remember to add Mango Obsession to any of the mauve/pinks if there is a strong presence of blue undertone in the natural lip.
c) Again, this is one of the 6 special effect extenders that can match someone’s lip either to make the lip look slightly larger or to define the edges.

Brown/ Pinks

A. Pastel Rose
a) The colors in this category are for those who do not wear bright lip colors, but instead are attracted to the earthier brown toned colors.
b) This color is the lightest of the brown/pinks.
c) This color may appear slightly too orange, but do let that fool you. This color usually heals up to a light brick color –lovely.
B. Secret Passion
a) This heals up browner than it looks. It presents a beautiful earthy look without too much pink.
C. Jamaican Rum
a) This is one of my favorite colors. I use it a lot for lip extensions and defining the edges of someone’s lip.
b) Think about neutralizing it with a bit of the Mango Obsession though if you are going to do a full lip color with it because of those blue undertones in the natural lip and the slight mauviness in the Jamaican Rum.
D. Havana Girl
a) This is also a very popular color. This is the brownest of all the brown/pinks and really looks fabulous.
b) You may add some Caramel to it if the client desires it a little browner.
c) Do not, I repeat, do not use a straight brown on lips no matter how much a client insists on it. The only exceptions are on African American women who already have very dark lips and wish a little more definition.

Natural Pinks

A. Victorian Rose
a) This color will give you the color of a baby’s lips
B. Tickle Me Pink
a) For a medium pink tone in the lip
b) Use to brighten up any other lip color
C. Valentine
a) The reddest of the lip colors
b) This will yield a medium or brighter pink in the lip
c) Remember that you can layer lip colors one on top of the other. For example a client may first come in and request a very natural color. You may choose, for example sweet 16. Then 3 weeks later, she may say “Now I want it deeper”. So you use Cupid’s Kiss. Three weeks later she calls and says ”No, now I really wanted it brighter”. So then you use Valentine. Then she’s happy. The results are stunning. If you want to see such an example, see the model on the lip poster who is the third one down from the top. All three of those colors were used on her at separate appointments. The layering of these colors can be quite beautiful.

Orange/Pinks

A. Mango Obsession
a) This is an orange pink color and is lovely by itself on warmer complexioned, pale lipped clients.
b) It is also the color to blend into your other lip colors to help neutralize out strong blue undertones in someone’s lip.
B. Peaches N’ Cream
a) This color will usually heal up like a beautiful earthy brick red.
b) This can also be added to Lemon-Aid to implant into a deep blue gray brow
C. Blushed Petals
a) This is a great color for someone who wants a simple neutral color.
b) This will heal up like a beautiful pink/orange. The more cool tone that exists in the lip, the end result will lean toward the pinker side. The paler or whiter the lip, the result will be a pinkish tone with a slight hint of orange. Knowing that lips require several applications, some technicians use this color as a base for the first application in order to help indicate what undertones are present in the lip.

Camouflage Colors

There are 9 camouflage colors and they are quite powerful. Beautiful camouflage work is the result of subtleties and implantation that is applied like a spray effect, not in a solid mass. These flesh tones are designed to match someone’s skin tone without having to blend anything. There may be exceptions , however, because there are some many tones of skin out there. Anyone who is serious about camouflage work needs to have all of these colors in their palette because using the right color is critical for a successful treatment. This is how you will choose your color. First, smear one of the colors on the skin, then take a dry q-tip and blend it into the skin as though you were trying to rub it off. The right color will be the one that blends in or disappears into the skin.

There are so many different kinds of scar tissue that is it difficult to tell how much color will be absorbed by the scar. A small patch test is a must. Wait 11-14 days before the actual application is done so that you can see how the color will look in the scar. Hyperpigmented scars (darker than the surrounding skin) are much more difficult to camouflage if not impossible to improve. The most successful kind of scars to improve upon are hypo-pigmented scars (lighter in color than the surrounding skin).

Start by implanting color inside the perimeter of the scar and work your way in toward the center. Most trainers teach the opposite, but I find that the skin turns pink easily form the irritation and when you are working with skin tones, it is very difficult to see where your borders are. You really do not want to implant color on or outside the border of your scar and so that is why I within the border and work my way in. Most scars have irregular borders and therefore if you are using the SofTap® method to implant your color, approach the perimeter of the scar with the needles perpendicular, not parallel to the border. Use the tips of the needles in these areas. I like the 28 prong needles for this or even the 56 prong if a larger scar is being covered. This way you can fill in the nooks and crannies of the border. Remember how important it is to not implant the color solidly. You do not want to end up with a stripe of skin tone. Leave some of the natural skin showing through. It is far better to layer more color at the next visit.
A good way to charge for camouflage work is by the hour. A going rate would be anywhere from $250-$350 per hr.

A. Porcelain
a) This is the lightest of all skin tones and of course is the choice for extremely pale , milk white skin
B. Pearl
a) This color is also light but slightly golder than the Porcelain.
C. Sandy Beach
a) This color is slightly darker than the Pearl and also warmer
D. Seashell
a) This color is for the clients who have more pink or ruddish tones in their skin.
b) These clients may be of Anglo, Scottish, or Irish descent.
E. Tropicana
a) This color is in the same family as Seashell, but a bit darker.
F. Salmon
a) This color is more orange than any of the other flesh tones
b) It is also used for lightening mauve/purplish tones that ended up too dark on the lips after a lip procedure. Then Mango Obsession is used over it in order to neutralize out any unwanted blue undertones
G. Cocoa Butter
a) This color is popular on Asian and Hispanic type skins.
H. Golden Sunrise
a) This is definitely for the olive skin tones which can include Hispanic, Mediterranean, and Asian skin tones.
I. Tahitian Tan
a) This color is for the client who has that tanned look, but it’s their skin tone.
b) For darker skin tones, you may use some of the browns in the cool and warm palette which matches the client’s skin.

Camouflage colors are used extensively for nipple areola re-pigmentation. Use this table as your guide for blending. Start with a brown base if the nipple appears more brown or a pink base if it appears more pink.

Correction Aids

These are primer pigments used to correct old permanent makeup.

Lime-Aid
Great for orange or red brows. Use a coat of Lime –Aid over the old work and see the reddish orange tones be instantly neutralized. Also Lime-Aid blended with Porcelain will instantly neutralize those purplish colored scars which are very difficult to cover.

Lemon-Aid (formally called Light’N Up)
Great for three things a.) priming a pink or purple brow before coating with the desired color in order to turn it brown.. b.) This is excellent for blending into a desired pigment if a slightly lighter shade is desired, and c.)Use Lemon-Aid by itself over a healed procedure if the color you used is too dark. The client will leave with her brows looking slightly yellow, but they will not stay that way. In a few days the color of the brows will not appear yellow, but they will be one or two shades lighter.

Orange-Aid
Great for three things a.) priming a blue or gray brow before coating with the desired color in order to turn it brown. b.) This is excellent for blending into a desired lip pigment if a slightly lighter shade is desired, and c.)Use Orange-Aid by itself over a healed lip procedure if the color you used is too dark or too bluish. The client will leave with her lips looking slightly orange, but they will not stay that way. In a few days the color of the lips will not appear orange, but they will be pinker and/or lighter.

The Right Way to Smear
Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to smear a color. Remember that the SofTap® TM colors are probably of the highest concentration that you will find anywhere. For this reason, you need only to put a little bit of color on your Q-tip and smear it on the area that you will be doing the procedure on. How much is a little bit? How about the size of this O. That’s right! That’s all you will need. Let’s say that you are doing brows. Smear it on the brow, then take a dry tissue and wipe it dry, completely dry. Doing this will help take off any excess color and help to give you an idea of how it might look after complete healing has taken place. Don’t worry about the shape of the brows at this point. Explain to the client that you are only selecting the color. If you want to make things look pretty, then take a damp q-tip and wipe any excess color that you do not want. It’s that easy. Just smear and choose.

Patch Testing
It is highly suggested to give a patch test in the area that you will be putting the makeup on the client not because of any allergic reaction, but to qualify any color changes that may take place. The reason for this is that sometimes the undertones and chemistry in a persons skin can slightly ashen the color. To patch test means to actually tattoo a little bit of the color into the area that you will be doing one week prior to the actual procedure. After the week, compare the color in the bottle to the color in the skin. If it appears asher than the bottle, then this means that the client has very strong blue undertones in the skin. Don’t forget that because the colors are transparent, they will mix together with whatever undertones are in the skin. If this occurs, then you know to choose a color from the warm palette. Brows should be spot tested right into the brow area, Lip color should be tested right into the lip. A lip extension (color placed slightly over the lip vermilion) should be placed exactly where it will be placed in the procedure. The eyeliner test should be done behind the ear.

Oxidation
Oxidation is a reaction of the colors with oxygen. About 10 minutes after implantation of the SofTap® TM colors, you will notice that the colors will appear a little darker. That is because the colors are oxidizing. They are mixing with oxygen. This is a natural occurrence. This is nothing to worry about. A couple of interesting notations should be mentioned. When almost finishing your second brow or liner, the client may say to you, “ the first one looks darker.” You should then say “Yes, that’s nothing to worry about. It already oxidized and the one I just finished has not.” In our school, we found that we would start with the right brow, and when we finished the left brow, the client always said this to us. We then put more pigment in the left brow to make it match the right brow and the left brow would end up a tad shade darker than the right one after final healing had taken place. That’s because it had not oxidized yet. Therefore, it’s o.k. If the last brow you finish doesn’t seem quite as dark as the first one. It just hasn’t oxidized yet. If you keep this in mind, then the colors should heal evenly. If your customer wants to know what the colors are going to heal to, then you should show her a mirror during the first five minutes of your work. This is what the color will heal to. How do I know this? If a client has had to come in for a touchup for a missing spot, the color that is implanted in that spot is identical to the healed color that is surrounding it. There’s the proof. Please remind your clients of the fact that the colors oxidize (turn dark). I always tell my clients that the colors will oxidize by 30-40% during the next 3-4 days. Then the color will lighten by 35-45% on approx. the 5th day. It returns back to the color that was first implanted.

Skin Types
The skin, hair, and eye chart below are a great guide for helping you select your color.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that the three skin types such as Black, Hispanic, and Asian with skin types of 4, 5, and 6 on the Fitzpatrick scale tend to retain a lot of color and some can even turn the color a bit darker. That is because some of these skin types can hyperpigment. These skin types have a tendency to hyperpigment because there is a greater amount of melanin present in the skin. Melanin is the ink, which pigments the skin. So when injury occurs, melanin will kick in on certain skin types. Therefore, you will have not only the color you put into the skin, but also the color of melanin added to it. The color of melanin is a very dark brownish black. For the permanent makeup practitioner, you must then imagine the final result of your color by adding about 20-30 % black to your color that you are using. This is extremely important to keep in mind. This must be explained to the client at the consultation. Because of this phenomenon, you must select 2 to 3 shades lighter than the client desires in order to achieve a color close to the desired color. Never forget this! Here are a couple of examples. Let us say that an African American woman wants black eyeliner. You would want to select Mahogany, which looks like a dark brown. It is about 3 shades lighter then black. The final result will be black because the Mahogany will mix with about 20-30% of melanin and look black. If an African American woman wants warm brown eyebrows, then Copper or Cocoa color should be chosen. It is very important to keep in mind the oxidation process because you will be implanting color and it will not appear for about 10 minutes after implantation. This phenomenon is what makes for a very natural appearance. It makes sense doesn’t it? Keeping this in mind, lets talk about the lips. Let’s use an example of a Hispanic woman who wants more of her same color tones in her lips. If she is prone to hyperpigmentation (skin type 4,5, or 6), you must keep in mind that whatever color you put in is going to mix with 20-30% melanin and therefore the end result of the color may be an undesired brownish red. For this reason it is vital to do a patch test on the lips. Even though we advocate doing a patch test on all of the areas, we are living in a fast society and clients want procedures on the spot. It is not as undesirable if a client’s eyeliner or eyebrows are too dark as it is undesirable to have lips that are too dark. Therefore if you do not do patch tests in your clinic, you should at least offer them, so that the client has a choice. The main reason for the patch test is for color verification. There are too many color changes that can take place in the lips that do not happen in the other areas. The vermilion area (red area) of the lips is that color because of the ample blood supply to that area. There are very strong blue undertones in this area. This complicates the color selection. This now means that now you must imagine blue being added to the color that you have chosen. Since blue is the complimentary color of orange, you should select only colors that are orange/red instead of red/blue. Complimentary colors cancel out the colors that they are a compliment to. Therefore an orange/red color will cancel out or dull some of the blue tones in the lips and vice versa. A purplish /red color on lips which have strong blue undertones will look even purpler because you have purplish blue plus blue. Add to this a client which is prone to hyperpigmentation, and you have melanin (black) added to this color. You will end up with a dark purplish blue color. Ugh! That’s why it is important to do a patch test on the lips. Generally speaking the final color appears after 1 week. However, we have found more color to appear after 2-3 weeks. Some say you should wait 6-8 weeks. If you feel this necessary to wait this long then do so. We usually do a 1-2 week wait in order to see any color changes before doing the procedure. For touchups, however, we usually do a minimum 2-3 week wait. On the African American client’s lips extreme caution must be used in selecting a color. A medium brown lipliner may appear black. The color red for example cannot be achieved on their lips. The only shades that may be achieved are various shades of browns. Therefore always choose 3-5 shades lighter for their lips. You can only achieve other lip colors on African American women if they are much lighter complexioned. The darker the skin, the darker their color will end up. According to the Fitzpatrick skin types 4, 5, and 6 may be prone to hyperpigmentation . This will include the majority of African American women. All other skin types may or may not fall into this category.

A good way to know if someone is prone to hyperpigmentation is to look at their skin without any makeup on and see if the skin looks blotchy or if it has dark spots on it. For this reason, I highly recommend to stay away from using black on these skin types. Black has a tendency to fade to a bluish gray and may give off that tattooed appearance. The reason for this is that these skin types generally have very strong blue undertones, which tend to ashen any color. This is important to keep in mind. Therefore you will want to think “warmer” colors in order to counteract the blue undertones for those particular skin types.

One thing to keep in mind is that one out of three women color their hair. Many women do not keep the same hair color for their entire life. In fact, some women change their hair color frequently. So how do you know what color to choose in cases like this? The best thing to do is to go by the color of the hairs in the eyebrow area. I generally like to choose a color that is a couple of shades lighter than those hairs. It makes for a natural undetectable look.

For Asian, Black, and Hispanic with skin types 4, 5, & 6 use the following colors as your guide:
· For a black look, use Mahogany.
· For a dark brown look, then use German Chocolate, Cafe` Ole, or Royal Fudge.
· For a medium brown look, you may want to use either Chocolate Truffle, Cocoa, or Copper.
· For a light brown look; use Bordeaux, Milk Chocolate, or Caramel.

For Brunettes of Dark, Medium, and Light Brown hair with skin types 1,2, or 3:
· For a black color use Charcoal or Mahogany
· For a medium to dark brown color, use Earth or Expresso or German Chocolate.
· For a medium brown color, use Cafe Vienna or Cappuccino
· For a lighter brown color Fawn, Hazelnut, or Bashful Blonde.

For Blondes, Gray, or White hair with skin types 1, 2, or 3:
· The most popular color for ash blondes is Fawn, Hazelnut, or Bashful Blonde.
· The most popular color for warm blondes is Bordeaux, Milk Chocolate, or Caramel.
· For golden blondes, Hazelnut, Cappuccino, Milk Chocolate or Caramel is an excellent choice.
· For an even lighter choice, use Amber for the client that does not want too cool or too warm of a color.

For Strawberry Blondes, Redheads or Auburn hair color with skin types 1, 2, or 3:
· For a dark brown look, then use Chocolate Truffle, Royal Fudge, or Cafe` Ole`.
· For a medium brown look, you may want to use either Cocoa or Copper.
· For a light brown look; use Bordeaux, Cappuccino, Milk Chocolate, or Caramel.

Remember that red counteracts green and vise versa. Therefore a client with olive completion, will absorb a red color better because the green will absorb the red in the color. Use warmer colors on olive complexioned skin tones and asher colors on reddish skin tones.

Eyeliner:
Any of these above colors may also be used for eyeliner. A good thing to keep in mind is to use a slightly darker color for eyeliner than you would for the eyebrows. For example, if a blonde woman has her eyebrows done with Fawn then for that same natural effect, do her eyeliner with Cappuccino or Café Vienna. For eyeliner, I like to choose a color that complements the outer portion of the iris. The Jade Granite is an excellent color for green or hazel eyes. Jade Granite is a greenish/gray color. For green eyes with brown flecks in them, Irish moss is an excellent choice. Irish Moss is a greenish/brown color. For someone who has blue eyes and desires blue eyeliner, Blue Lagoon is an excellent choice. It will fade to a bluish gray. Black Orchid is extremely popular. It is a very black black and is stunning for those who wear black liner. You can also use two tones for eyeliner. For example, you may want to do a lash enhancement with a color that matches the eyelashes and a slightly lighter color as a halo or smudgy effect outside that. Here’s an example. For a light blonde with blue eyes who wants a totally natural look, you can use Chocolate Truffle in between the lashes and a lighter color like Bordeaux or Café Vienna on the outer edge of the lashes with a smudgy effect. Use your imagination and your creativity. These colors are designed for you to have fun. Another thing I like to do is to use two different colors for small eyes. Never start the bottom liner at the first lash with small eyes. It makes them look smaller. If the client wants to have upper and lower liner done and she has small eyes, I sometimes like to use a darker color on the top liner and slightly lighter with the same tonal value on the bottom liner. For example, I might use German Chocolate on the top liner and Chocolate Truffle or Cocoa on the bottom liner.

Lips
The SofTap® colors for the lips have been specifically designed to make lips look fuller and truly natural. Our colors are meant for 1) clients who have pale lips and want to restore a more natural, but brighter color, 2) clients who have an irregular shaped lips and want their same color extended into the skin slightly, 3) clients who want a natural looking lipliner, and 4) especially for clients who have very thin lips and want fuller looking lips. The SofTap® lip collection is particularly unique in that you can take three models and put a spot of the same SofTap® color on each model and the undertones in their skin will immediately change the appearance of the same color. This is the beauty of these colors. That is why they are called neutrals. It helps to take the guesswork out of your color selection. When choosing your lip color, do the smear technique again. Choose the color that closest matches the tonal value of your client’s lips. It highly suggested to do a patch test of the desired color that you wish to use right in the lip area. That means to permanently put color into a small section of the lip. The reason for this is because the lips have very strong blue undertones. Therefore if your client has very strong purplish tones in her lips and doesn’t want them as purple, then you should choose the color that is a little bit too orange. The purple in the lips will counteract the orange and will leave the color more on the pinkish side. For someone who desires a brownish/ pinkish tone, then consider Havana Girl, Jamaican Rum, Cupid’s Kiss, or Pastel Rose for lip extensions. Havana Girl is the browner of the four. Mango Obsession and Peaches ‘N Cream are excellent for the warmer complexioned skin. SofTap® Ò colors have excellent staying power so don’ t be fooled by how much your colors have faded in the past. We have a special lip collection for unique procedures such as lip extensions. The following colors are the most popular for lip extensions or slight lip tinting. These are Sweet 16, Innocence, Victorian Rose, Blushed Petals, Secret Passion, Cupid’s Kiss, and Jamaican Rum. The definition of lip extensions is adding a color to the skin above the vermilion of the lip in order to make the lip look fuller. Make sure that the contour of the skin above the existing lip can effectively take added color. This means that you do not want to expand someone’s lip beyond the ridge in the skin. This would not look natural. Some people have a definite ridge above and below the lip and some do not. If you choose one of the colors that matches the client’s lip exactly, you do not have to color the entire lip. You will only have to apply color where the client desires to make her lip look fuller. This could be above the upper part of the lip, below the bottom lip, or both. Also, for those die hards of bright colors, we have Valentine, which is a true red, and Tickle Me Pink which is a pink/red. Have a great time and watch your business expand after using the SofTap® colors.

Corrections
Corrective work on someone else’s poor work can be quite a business when done properly. You will have to charge more than for your corrective work because it is two to three times as much work than regular procedures. The client must be made aware that corrective work is a process because it is more difficult to penetrate past the old color in order to change it. An initial price should be charged for the initial procedure and then the subsequent visits should be charged on an hourly or quarterly basis. For example, you could charge $90.00 for the first 15 minutes, $110.00 for a half an hour, $130.00 for 45 minutes and $150.00 for an hour. Full communication with your client for corrections is very important here. You will need to ask if the client the following questions:
1) Do you want your brow or liner browner? If yes, then refer to section #1 below.
2) Do you want your brow browner and change the shape? If yes, then refer to section #2 below.
3) Do you want your brow browner and lighter in color? If yes, then refer to section #3 below.
4) Do you want your brow browner and lighter and also change the shape? If yes, then refer to section #4 below.
Let’s talk about what kinds of things can be done for corrections.
1) You can alter a light bluish/ gray or Greenish/gray brow or liner with a good shape to a warmer brown color. This is very easy to do. The key word to remember here is light. The existing eyebrow has to be light in color to begin with and the shape has to be such that you can add to the shape, but nothing has to be taken away from the shape in order to correct it. Show the customer your color chart and have her choose the desired color on the warm palette. We are using the warm palette because only a warm color can counteract an ash color. Whatever color the client chooses, you will choose two to three shades lighter and use it on her. The reason you choose two to three shades lighter is because your already have a background sitting on the skin that you will be going over. The color you choose will mix in together with the color that is existing in the skin. Remember that if a client has a bluish/gray brow, black was probably the color that was once used on her. Lets say for example that the client likes the color Copper, then it is suggested that you use Bordeaux or Milk Chocolate. The final result should be very close to Copper.
2) You can alter a light bluish/ gray or greenish/gray brow or liner with a poor shape to a browner brow with a beautiful shape. This type of correction begins with lifting undesired color and shape. After the lifting of color has been completed via laser or other means, if any residual color remains, then you will first need to match the skin tone in that area with one of the camouflage colors. There are nine camouflage colors to assist you in doing this. Their names from lightest to darkest are: Porcelain, Pearl, Sandy Beach, Salmon, Seashell, Cocoa Butter, Golden Sunrise, Tropicana, and Tahitian Tan. Choose the color, which closest matches the skin. You can the cover the undesired shape with one of these colors. It is extremely important to note here that you must implant the color very lightly where the clear skin (skin with no color in it) meets the old undesired color. To put too much color here would look unnatural. You want the clear skin to flow into the camouflaged area. This can only be achieved by implanting only a minute detail of color where the old color meets the clear skin. After you have camouflaged and altered the shape of the undesired color, you could now proceed with step #1 above.
3) You can alter a dark bluish/ gray or Greenish/gray brow or liner with a good shape to a warmer lighter brown color. The key word here is dark and good shape. This means that the client wants her eyebrows or liner lighter and brawnier in color and the shape is acceptable. The shape has to be such that you can add to the shape to correct it, but you do not have to camouflage any of the shape. This type of correction is a two step process. First you will need to lighten the entire brow with Orange-Aid. Then immediately after this during the same appointment, you will cover it up with one of the warm colors. Follow the guidelines in step # 1 for this.
4) You can alter a dark bluish/ gray or greenish/gray brow or liner with a poor shape to a warmer lighter brown color. The only difference between this kind of correction and correction type #3 is that you will have to also camouflage the shape with this type of correction. You will begin by lightening the entire brow with Orange-Aid. Then you will need to match the skin with one of the camouflage colors and follow the guide in step #2 for camouflaging the undesired color. This will be going over the Orange-Aid. You can now proceed with the final step by putting one of the warm colors over the desired area as described in step #1.
All rights reserved by. SofTap® colors. Copyright 1996

Acknowledgments:

I would like to take this time to personally thank two very special people who have had a very strong impact upon my life. Those two people are my mother and my father, Irene and Spiros. Both of them were award winning cosmetologists. My mother did a lot of makeup work for the runway models at National shows and my father was a hair color expert. Both were connoisseurs and won many awards for their great contributions to the field of cosmetology. I want to thank them not only for teaching me the tricks of their trade, but also for passing along their gift of wisdom and their zest for perfection. I feel that I was given the best of two worlds. For as you know, the two most important elements in doing permanent makeup is 1) to select the right color, and 2) to put it in the right place. I only hope that I can make them proud by sharing my knowledge with those who seek it just as they shared with me. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Alexis Lawson Founder - SofTap® Permanent Cosmetics