Conch Piercing

I don't personally have this piercing but came very close to getting it. Here are two different earrings for these piercings. The first one (right below) is a bar and the picture beneath, is a hoop. Now, as I said in my last post, choose whichever you prefer. And remember sometimes that the place you go to might only want to use the jewelry they have. Also, you can't use your own jewelry until the piercing heals completely which usually takes about 6 months (or more depending on location).

I've read up on the piercing and watched some Youtube videos and seems like its just like any other piercing; some people say it hurts like hell and some say they barely even felt it. Just make sure you take good care of it (but also leave it alone, if you keep messing with it you won't allow it to heal).

Anti Tragus Ear Piercing

I've noticed that my first Anti Tragus piercing post has gotten a lot of views so I would like to do an update on this piercing. Again, this is still one of my favorites and almost looks like two piercings in one due to the positioning. I still have not seen anyone with this or the rook piercing. These seem to be more uncommon in the ear region. 

Bar or Hoop?

This is like politics in the piercing world. I've heard people say bars are better for healing and i've heard the same for hoops. Basically, its what you prefer. All of mine are bars because I like the way it looks. Also, consider what part of the ear the piercing will be. In some cases, hoops will be better than bars and vice versa. Keep in mind that the place you go to get pierced will also have there own opinion of what is better. 

Tips on cleaning and care:

Don't freak out if your piercing hurts for the first few days. This is normal. You just punctured your skin so your bodies natural reaction is to try and heal. Some really awesome things that you can do to relieve some of the ache-iness is take some luke warm water with a few grains of sea salt (sea salt only!) bend your head over to the side of the cup and let it soak for a few minutes. This feels amazing! It provides so much relief with no irritation. 

Something you have to remember:

Again, your body is going to want to reject your piercings. Some people heal much faster than others. If your piercing hasn't healed after a month or so, it might be a good idea to take it out. Now, piercings don't heal in a month (healing time varies depending on piercing). But you should know after a certain amount of time if its healing or not. 

Please fell free to ask any questions :)

Dermals

So lets take a moment and step away from tattoos for a bit. There are these really awesome (but painful) piercings you can get that anchor under your skin. Instead of writing the details of how they do it, this picture describes it perfectly. THE NUMBERS ARE MIXED UP, 2 IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

Now dermals can be placed just about anywhere on the body. The most popular spots on a female are the cleavage, collarbone, and hip bones. 

Removal:

This is the hard part. You must get these taken out by a professional. There are instances in where your skin tissue can attach it self to the anchor thus making it very painful upon removal. My personal opinion, these shouldn't be on anyone's face due to the possible scarring. Also, keep in mind that your body can reject these. If that happens you will usually experience bruising around the piercing. 

Spine Tattoo

I think these are one of the sexiest tattoos. The way it traces the spine is super feminine (unless your spinal cord can be seen clearly). The ones that I have seen are usually in Hebrew.

Couples Tattoos

Now this is a very difficult task. Finding tattoos that represent a relationship that is both suitable for man and woman is not easy. Typically, you want something that looks good on both genders while representing whats important. This is what I've found so far, and though it might not be ideal, they are quite adorable and unique. Enjoy :)

Side Wrist Tattoos

This is a great alternative to the typical wrist tattoos. I think it looks a bit more artistic and its a great place to put a small tattoo.

Collarbone Tattoos

I've come across this tattoo several times and love the placement. I think collar bone tattoos are super sexy and are a great spot to show off some fresh ink!

Also, its close to the heart, so this is a really nice spot to have something really meaningful.

Anchor Tattoo

Love anchor tattoos. They remind me to keep grounded and close to home.

Loving the detailed work here.

These are all from Pinterest users.

Love the words that accompany this feather.

 I've never seen a tattoo like this, but I absolutely love it!

Text Tattoos

Okay, so this is just some advice for anyone looking to get text as a tattoo. Make sure you go bigger than smaller. Remember that the ink is going to bleed over time, so its not going to be as easy to read a few years down the line. That's the only think I wish I thought about more when I got that quote on my back. The text is tiny and looks beautiful now, but I'm not sure how easy its going to be to read in 5 years.

Thoughts on tattoos and piercings!

Hello world!

So as you can see, I'm very fond of piercings and tattoos. My advice for tattoos, make sure its something really special. Don't just get anything done spur of the moment. Tattoos should be well thought out.

I do have to be honest and admit that my first tattoo (the birds) was not thought out. I literally saw what I wanted and got it done in just a few hours. I had an idea as to what I wanted my tattoo to represent but not sure how to put it on paper. So when I saw it, I knew right at that moment that was exactly what I wanted. I don't advise people to do it this way, but it does happen sometimes.

Another piece of advice I have is make sure you go to a highly reputable place. Doesn't matter if its a tattoo or a piercing, you need to have an extremely experienced person working on you. Do as much research and also ask around to see what people recommend. My favorite thing to do is if I see a really nice tattoo that has great detail work, I just ask that person where they went.

Just FYI, if you're looking for tattoo ideas, Pinterest has some really amazing stuff.

XOXO

Love Birds

This is my other tattoo. My first tattoo. I wanted something that 
represented the love between my husband and I and this 
did it beautifully. Its 2 swallows. Swallows have several meanings, 
one of them being loyalty. 
When they pick a mate, its for life. 

New Tattoo

This tattoo is from a verse in Pablo Neruda's Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep. 

This poem represents so much to me. It possesses the exact feeling I have with my husband. Its a certain closeness between two people that almost feels like your one person. He's my best friend and the love of my life<3.

Update

Tragus (Pierced on May 18, 2012)

Now (July 16, 2012)

My tragus is completely healed and looking fabulous! I did develop a little hypertrophic scar (keloid) on the outer part but got rid of it with some tea tree oil treatments.

Anti Tragus (Pierced on June 1, 2012)

This one has been a pain in my ass! Its not sore or anything but I have a keloid that will not go away. The keloid, luckily, is on the inner part but it still annoys the crap out of me. Still treating with tea tree oil.

Rook (Pierced on June 7, 2012)

By far my favorite piercing. This one was the most sore out of all but that only lasted about 2 weeks or so and it never developed a keloid. The thing that I love about this piercing is that it fits really nicely in my ear and its unique looking.

Overall, I think the reason why my tragus and anti tragus developed keloids is because they are more likely to get brushed against something. My rook healed the best because of its location, nothing ever really got in its way or touched it. 

-Hoping to get another tattoo soon.....not sure of what, but will definitely post if I do :)

Happy self mutilation all!

Rook Piercing

So it appears that I might have a slight addiction to ear piercings now. :)

I got my Rook done on Thursday, June 7th and its healing wonderfully. My Tragus was done on May 18th and my Anti Tragus was on June 1st. I didn't plan it this way, I was just so happy with my 1st piercing (Tragus) I wanted to try some more. In regards to the pain, for me it wasn't as painful as my Anti Tragus but wasn't as pleasant as my Tragus piercing.  

As far as healing goes, my Anti Tragus is the most sore due to the fact that its in a more open spot and it has more flesh than catilidge. 

The one thing that has helped me sleep is this great tip I found online where you take a hand towel and roll it into a donut shape so your ear fits through the hole, taking all the pressure off the new piercing. If you sleep on your stomach, you will appreciate the hell out of this!

Tragus

I've seen these on people and always had a fascination with them thus leading me to get my own. I was a bit nervous due to the amount of YouTube videos I watched (BAD idea) but in a way the videos helped me to know what to expect from the piercer. Rule #1, do your research on where to go. Rule #2, make sure everything they use is 100% sterile and also ask what type of metal the jewelry is made out of (surgical steel is the usual). Rule #3, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR NEW PIERCING!

I'm going to say on a scale of  1-10 (10 being extremely painful), this was a 3. But please remember everyone has various pain thresholds. So what may be nothing for me could be major to someone else vice versa. 

Piercing courtesy of Diego at the wonderful Ink Link of West Palm Beach, FL

Anti-Tragus

I got this piercing at the same place exactly two weeks from the first one. I have to say its my favorite! It's a unique piercing that not many people have. It hurt way more; I can say confidently it was about a 6/7. But again everyone has a different tolerance for pain and that specific spot is thicker than the tragus.

Piercing courtesy of Diego at Ink Link in West Palm Beach, FL