Baby's First Tattoo

First noteworthy thing I did in 2016 was something I've been wanting to do for a long time: I got a tattoo! Read more after the photo if you're interested in my thoughts about it or maybe check out my post on getting my nose pierced if that's more your style.

CHOOSING A TATTOO - The first thing you're going to want to do is figure out what kind of tattoo you want. Do you want something big? Something small? Something black or something colorful? Do you want something delicate or something tribal? One of the best things you can do for your tattoo artist is have a pretty good idea of what you want going in, especially if you're trying to get a walk-in tattoo. Otherwise, schedule a consult so that you can sit down and have a solid discussion with the artist about what you want your tattoo to look like. Bring reference photos but consider allowing the artist to create their own version of your tattoo if they want. They are an artist after all!

FINDING A TATTOO ARTIST/SHOP - I got my tattoo at Man O War Tattoo in Fairhope, Alabama by a super rad dude named Frank. Most tattoo parlors have a website that you can look at that lists all their basic info. Estimated pricing (you won't know the actual cost of your tattoo unless you speak to the artist and have a consult), whether or not they prefer appointments, if they require deposits and how much they will cost, etc. Tattoo shops with websites will typically list the artists they have employed and usually have photos of each artist's previous work, sort of like a portfolio, available to view as well. I also looked up reviews online of each shop I was interested in and I asked people I know who already have tattoos what shops they preferred (that's how I found Man O War, thanks Zachy Poo).

PAIN - A lot of people want to know if getting a tattoo hurt. The answer is yes. Tattoo ink is inserted into your skin via a tattoo machine which typically has a cluster of needles attached to the end of it. That said, I found that for most of my tattoo it was more just discomfort than actual pain. However, there is a section of my tattoo that sits right above my elbow, close to the bone, and that hurt. A lot. Typically, tattoos above bone are more painful than other places. The rest of the tattoo sort of felt like someone scratching your skin for a long period of time and certainly wasn't unbearable.

AFTERCARE - Always, always, always follow the aftercare instructions provided to you by the tattoo shop. It is so important to take care of your tattoo. It's essentially an open wound and takes time to heal. The aftercare is no harder than applying ointment (and then after a certain amount of time, lotion) to your tattoo every 4 to 6 hours and not picking at it. If you ignore these instructions you are risking damage to your new, expensive, painful tattoo and you are also opening yourself up to infection. Just follow the instructions. Please.

FINAL THOUGHTS - I love my tattoo. I don't regret it now and I don't see myself regretting it in the future. If you want a tattoo and you're committed to having a tattoo, the pain and the cash are worth it. I'm happy with how it turned out and I'm happy with the service I received from Frank and Man O War.

xx Anna

Bling Bling Nose Ring

Some of you may have noticed that earlier this year in September I got my nose pierced. I had been considering the piercing for quite some time, going back and forth between whether or not it would look good on me (and whether or not it would get me kicked out of my parents' house). Ultimately I decided that I didn't care and that since I wanted it, I was going to get it. It was spur of the moment decision to finally get it done so I hopped in my car 30 minutes before I was set to leave for North Carolina for the 5 Seconds of Summer concert and got it pierced all by myself.



PICKING A PIERCER - The first thing you're going to want to do when you decide you want any kind of piercing is find a place to get it pierced. Most tattoo parlors employ piercers so that's where I started looking. You will want to do plenty of research on the parlors in your area and find one that has good health ratings, keeps things sanitary, etc. I found that reading reviews was the number one easiest way to decide whether the parlor was the one for me. I decided to go to The Bellrose Tattoo in Daphne, AL. I was not necessarily anxious about getting my nose pierced but I will say that if I had been, the staff and the piercer himself would have put me at ease immediately. They were all very chill, friendly, and the prices were fair.

JEWELRY - I decided to get a mid size stud with a white crystal in it. Pretty basic but that's what I thought would be the easiest to deal with as a first piercing. I believe I was pierced with an 18g needle but I wear mostly 20g now which is smaller. I just prefer it that way. I read online that it is easier to get pierced with a stud at first and then transition to a hoop later on if that's what you want. A hoop will move more and therefore irritate the piercing, putting you at higher risk to develop infections and keloids.

PAIN - Now I had watched tons of videos on piercings and tattoos before firmly deciding that I would be ok with the pain. It was like a hard pinch, definitely unpleasant, and it hurt. But it only hurt for about half of a second before it felt like nothing. It was sore the next day but only when it was being cleaned and messed with.

AFTER CARE - I was instructed to use Dial soap on the end of q-tip to clean the piercing twice a day. However, after watching many different videos online and looking at some forums I decided that I'd rather use sterile saline solution. I had no problems doing this. Be careful not to over clean the area because that can cause keloids! Once in the morning and once in the evening should be enough. Around 2 months after my appointment, I developed a slight infection. Nothing too scary, just some tenderness around the piercing area and a little bit of discharge. I used Tea Tree oil once a day to fix this and it worked really well. The infection went away after a couple of days.

FINAL THOUGHTS - All in all, I'm so glad I got my piercing. I think it's fun and it's what I wanted and that's all that matters. Sure, you will find plenty of people who disapprove of body jewelry (but are totally ok with earrings?) and will have plenty of negative things to say about it. The pain is very little and the after care is simple. If you hate the way it looks on you, you can always take the piercing out!

EVERYONE IS A WINNER.

xx Anna