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TV's Tracey Simpson

MAKING up our faces is one way we ladies get our kicks.

Stocking up on the latest shadows, glosses, brushes and pencils is sure to get us all giggly, and applying them in preparation for our next party is even more fun.

Then there are those days when the make-up process seems so laborious that you long for a magic wand to do all the hard work. But, if you ask Santa for semi-permanent make-up this year, you might find it is the little sprinkling of magic your party face is crying out for.

Tracey Simpson is a key name in the cosmetic world. Her 25 years in the industry have earned her a respected position plus a spot on television, when her company, Natural Enhancement, was selected to carry out procedures in ITV's makeover series Make Me Perfect.

Tracey's last ten years in make-up have been devoted to micro-pigmentation, aka cosmetic tattooing or semi-permanent make-up - or make-up that won't budge.

"As we get older, we lose the definition in our faces," explains fresh-faced Tracey, who has more definition in one eye socket than I have in my entire face.

"The eyebrows start to thin out, the hairs get sparse or become shorter, the colour and shape of the lips go. And all this is very ageing to the face. But semi-permanent make-up can get that definition back for you."

Using state-of-the-art micro-pigmentation equipment, a very advanced-looking pen, Tracey spends her days lining eyes and lips, filling in eyebrows and blushing cheeks, so that her clients don't have to for the next two to three years. Costs vary but basic eyeliner is around £450, increasing to £700 for a more dramatic look.

Tracey works her magic on Big Brother 2006 contestant Susie Verrico

I think there is a certain vanity attached to semi-permanent make-up. A notion that it is reserved for the unashamedly image-conscious and those who can't bear to be seen bare-faced under any circumstances.

But Tracey is all about subtlety, and prides herself on the natural look she creates for her clients, many of whom "aren't really into make-up" at all.

"The days of thick red lipliner are gone. This is enhancement, creating clear definition that you can then work with," she tells me.

"You can wear make-up on top. The shape is there for you to shade in and, suddenly, you have a clear place for eyeshadow and lipstick. With a good base shape for your lips, for example, you can just slick on a clear gloss, and it looks great."

There is a more medical side to Tracey's make-up too. Natural Enhancement offers treatments that can help camouflage scars, correct pigmentation, cover hair loss and reconstruct cleft palates, areolas and nipples.

Tracey says she always asks her clients at the first consultation how they want to look when they wake up on a Sunday morning.

"I ask them if they want to look like they've got make-up on, or just a little more defined, and generally it's the latter. In my opinion, natural is always best."

Defined is not a word I have heard used to describe my Sunday morning bed-head. Perhaps a visit to Tracey is in order.

Natural Enhancement is based at 26B Cambridge Road North, Chiswick, London W4 4AA. For more information, call 020 8995 2072, or log on to www.naturalenhancement.co.uk. Treatments can also be carried out in Radlett, at the home of holistic therapist Joy Salem. For more information, call Joy on 01923 854 154.

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