All of us ladies are interested in our nails, whether it’s just keeping our natural nails healthy, or going for broke with a set of extremely artsy falsies.  It seems like nail art trends speed by like a freight train, shooting from gem encrusted acrylics, to texture focused crackles, press-on ombre enamel strips, and back again.  But the newest nail decoration trend might just be the funnest yet, and may be breaking the cycle of here today, gone tomorrow fingernail fancy.  I’m talking about pierced nails.

Geisha Art Nails

Nail piercing can be done with both fake nails and real nails, and many places that offer it professionally pierce acrylic nails with a drill.  The jewelry used can be anything from a small gauge captive ring to a spring-loaded hoop, with some who practice the art at home even designing their own pieces using jump rings and less traditional piercing jewelry.  Some of the most popular styles are dangling gems that match color nail art, crystal studs, and regular stainless steel hoops.

Art Nails with Piercings

There are even how-to designs out there for creating special nail art with piercings for birthdays and holidays.  Just check out this sweet set of ultra-femme Valentine’s themed fingertips:

Pierced Fingernail Art for Valentines Day

Pretty cute, huh?  And since the nail piercing process itself is entirely temporary and painless, there’s no reason that all of us can’t indulge in a little nail-centric alternative beauty.

Crystal Dangle Style Captive Rings

Adele Adkins.  She’s a maverick woman about town, a well of endless beauty across the realms of the visceral and ephemeral, and a force to be reckoned with.  Possessed equally of polish and punch, it’s easy to see why the world at large is contentedly doting on our latest crush.  She has a voice like a lark and a classically lovely face, but I’ll confess that what has me personally smitten, is her taste in earrings.

Adele's marvelous earrings

Adele’s overall style is undeniably vintage, and in music, maquillage, and general taste, the woman obviously shows a penchant for paired down sixties flare.  But it’s what hangs from those petite, pale, and feminine ears that tells the real fashion story.  In reality this porcelain princess shows a much more grown up and diverse retro aesthetic than many of her American counterparts, effortlessly incorporating designs that encompass everything from 1940′s to 1970′s, and all gently tweaked with a modern twist.

Retro Earring Styles

Perhaps the most empowering aspect of the world’s love affair with the British songstress though, is that in a world where thin is in, she makes no apologies for her vivacious curves, and we couldn’t be more delighted.  Fast becoming considered as one of the most beautiful women in music, Adele shows no signs of slowing down, having graced the cover of every magazine imaginable including Cosmo, Vogue, Rolling Stone, More, Out, Glamour, Scarlet, the Gentlewoman, Elle, Q, and more than one issue of Billboard.

Earrings style like Adele's

So why do we love Adele?  Why wouldn’t we?

You might be wondering what exactly a valley piercing is, but the second you hear it, the name will automatically make sense to you.  This a surface that rests just over the tailbone; basically, right above the center of your derrière.

Tail Bone Piercing

Much like surface piercings of the hips and abdomen, valley piercing started off relatively slowly before beginning a meteoric rise to the top for one very important reason: function.  The piercing itself and the choice of available surface jewelry make the perfect accent to lower back tattoos, just like surface piercing of the stomach accent tattooing or navel piercings.  And oh what an accent!

Tattoos Accented by Lower Back piercing

Although the majority of valley piercings are simple and discreet, some choices of gems and coloring will definitely make the lower back stand out in a crowd.  Just look at the possibilities!

Different Valley Piercing Jewelry Styles

Because of their location, valleys take slightly longer on average to heal than hip piercings, and the risk of migration or rejection is about on par with piercings meant for corsetry.  But aftercare is fairly mundane, and because this piercing hasn’t hit the mainstream yet in the stricter sense of the word, there’s definitely fun to be had when it gets noticed.  Generally these are worn as either a movable barbell or a dermal.

Neat Dermals for Valley Piercings

Now all we need is needles specially made to pierce the tender flesh above our behinds, and there’ll be no limit to the popularity of this interesting and feminine slice of body modification.

So, everyone wants a little something special and fun to wear for the Holidays that’s unique and different right?  And especially in places where the weather remains above freezing all year long, more and more that special and interesting item is a belly button ring.  Well, in my search for my own amazing Christmas belly jewelry, I came across some of the cutest, most amazing, and one of a kind new styles, and after my journey was over, If figure, why not share?

Christmas Belly Piercing Jewelry

This is hands down one of the neatest new navel jewelry styles I have ever seen, and even though it’s pretty neat and new, there’s already enough of a variety out there that you might just want to grab three or four.  (I know I did.)  It’s called a super spiral, but I called super cute!

Wacky Cool Spiralled Belly Rings

The other new style that I came across that was super Christmasy and super fun involves actual jingle bells hanging from the belly ring.  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  This probably isn’t the most discreet.  But the little bit of noise these beauties give off is actual part of their charm.  It’s really festive.

Belly Rings with Dangling Jingle Bells

And last but not least, here are a few new updates of old standards.  Have I mentioned how in love I am with snowflakes?  What could be better for Christmas than a touch of crystal, shine, jingle, and a little snow?

Christmas Belly Rings

Happy Holidays!

In this edition of coolest piercings we’ve ever seen: dermals go deer-like, candy canes get repurposed, and fancy Holiday body jewelry gets taken to an entirely new level.

Cute Holiday Candy Cane Piercings

So most of us have seen some weird and interesting things come out of the world of dermal jewelry, but when did horns suddenly go mainstream?  That’s right, it’s now not only normal, but actually kind of cute to have microdermal, transdermal, or even subdermal horns.  The thing that translates so well into pop culture is that the horns themselves (at least those that have become fairly popular) are less outlandish and frightening, and more innocent and fawn-like.  Horns = cute…..who knew?

Reindeer Horn Piercing

Next on our list: candy canes become multi-purpose.  Okay, so stretching of the ear is nothing new, but the thing that makes this especially cool isn’t the piercing itself, but the choice of jewelry.  You might be thinking that this is so much less extreme than what I usually feature, but there’s no denying that everyone who sees this is going to wish that they thought of it.  I know I do!  Looking cute for the Holidays and having a built in snack?  Pretty sweet.

Candy Canes in Stretched Lobes

And finally, the best has been saved for last.  It’s beautiful, it’s bionic, it’s….really attached?  The answer to that question is a resounding yes.  The newest and most interesting thing to hit body piercing since the invention of the curved piercing needle gives seriously new meaning to the phrase “body jewelry.”  This unique method of body mod uses dermal anchors and surface bars to attach beautiful metal plating to the skin.  Most often paired with ink in celestial or tribal designs, this fun and fancy new form of super-piercing lets you go all out when the occasion calls for it, and then remove layers of bling when it’s time to relax.

Dermal Plate Piercings

Now that’s got to be one of the coolest piercings you’ve ever seen, right?

The Holiday season is officially in full swing, and if your family’s like mine, the planning (more like nefarious plotting) of countless Holiday get-togethers has already begun.  So where’s your piece of the action?  I know mine will probably be with an awesomely fun body jewelry party.

Body Jewelry Party

Even if all you have pierced is your ears, a piercing or jewelry party is a cool and interesting way to reconnect with friends you may have lost touch with since last year’s festivities.  You’ll hear great stories about piercings and tattoos people have gotten in the past year, get gift ideas from friends and family members who attend, and have the opportunity to save yourself and your pals some green on new items you might want or need.  Plus, it’s the perfect excuse for a Holiday hang-out session.

Here’s the idea:

1. Start by playing a few fun games.  One of my favorites is The Guess Game, where you basically go from person to person and everyone gets to guess how many piercings and/or tattoos that person has.  Whoever guesses each round right or gets closest wins a little goodie bag with cute body jewelry or aftercare products inside.  Another fun one is Truth or Lies, where everyone tells an amazing, hilarious, or outlandish story about piercing, tatts, or body mod and you have to guess whether it’s true or not.

Bag full of aftercare products

2. Use the theme in fun ways.  For example, different colored flexible horseshoe rings make adorable stemware charms.  That way everyone knows which glass is theirs, and they get to take home a piece of jewelry when they leave.

Bioplast Horseshoe Charms

Other neat ways to incorporate the body modification motif?  Use floral cocktail rings as decorations and napkin holders, or use custom earrings with people’s names on them to draw for door prizes or decide who’s turn is next in games.  (These adorable stockings are just $8.99 a pair!)

Personalized Stocking Earrings

3. Save everyone a little money with a virtual shopping trip.  By loading a Paypal account or Visa gift card and then shopping together online, you can save big.  Large orders will almost always qualify for free regular shipping and special Holiday deals, and coupon codes can take off up to 20% on top of sale prices.  Plus, when buying in groups, you can take advantage of bonus pack deals and then split the pack when it arrives, and by shipping everything to a single location, you have a built in excuse to see everyone who orders again soon.

Another thing that I like to do is provide some adorable gift boxes for people to put the prizes they’ve won in to take home.  That way you make sure that noone looses any of those teensy pieces.

Body Jewelry Gift Boxes

Alternative Holiday parties aren’t just fun, they’re fabulous!

Is today your lucky day?  Whether it is or not it’s time to celebrate one of the funnest unofficial Holidays around: Nigel Tufnel Day.

Nigel Tufnel's unofficial holiday

Nigel Tufnel is the fictional guitarist character from 1984′s rockin mocumentary, “This is Spinal Tap.”  More importantly though, he’s the guy who likes to “turn it up to eleven.”  Turning it up to eleven is most certainly a music reference, “it” being the amplifier attached to his flying V electric guitar, but in the past few days since the holiday has been firmly established, this fiery catch phrase has taken on a whole new meaning.

Turning it up to 11

Turning it up to eleven means giving it your best and then some, getting louder than loud (literally and figuratively), and just having an awesome time.  It’s about taking everything you do and bumping it up that extra notch.  And for those of us who have a stereo and like the metal music that drew us to the Spinal Tap movie in the first place, well, lets hope your model is like mine and has a volume knob that goes higher than ten.

Rock out like Nigel Tufnel

For people who are pierced and tattooed, tonight is the once in a lifetime opportunity to party like it’s full of elevens, literally.  Since the 11/11/11 date won’t come around again until the year 2111, less than one percent of the people currently alive on the planet will live to see it, and most of those were born in the past two weeks.

So rev it up, bring the noise, overdo all things rock and roll, and don’t forget to riff a slammin solo for your man Nigel Tufnel, as you turn it up to eleven.

Popular Pierced Actress Rooney Mara

When newcomer Rooney Mara won the coveted role of Lisbeth Salander in the English Language remake of 2009′s acclaimed Swedish film “the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” nobody could have guessed what was in the cards for alternative fashion at the hands of this twist of fate.

Rooney Mara's Magazine Cover Shots

Many people may recognize Rooney, 26, from her roles in the 2010 blockbusters “The Social Network” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and those that do will likely remember her looking a little something like this:

Rooney Mara before her transformation

So what’s changed since her days playing a cute, average teenage girl?  Well, for starters, this powerhouse actress took the ultimate plunge to delve into her role as the pierced, tattooed, and mohawked character, Lisbeth: she got pierced.

a pierced Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

Now, you may be shrugging in that “so what?” kind of way, but when we say “pierced,” we’re actually talking about several rather painful piercings, all at once!  That’s right.  Miss Mara got over a dozen piercings in all, including four holes in each ear and piercings of the lip, nose, septum, eyebrow, and nipple.  And, as aforementioned, most of them were done at the same time.  Prior to her transformation, the budding actress didn’t even have her ear lobes pierced.

Rooney also had her eyebrows bleached, lost a few pounds to allow her a more androgynous look as Lisbeth, and got her hair cut, shaved, and dyed stark black.  Talk about a new look.

Rooney Mara as pierced character Lisbeth

Her real life jewelry style closely mirrors that of her new cinematic persona, except that while the character is often seen in more elaborate and edgy earrings, the actress’s own style is a little more forgiving, often wearing smaller and simpler silver tone hoops.

character Lisbeth's ear piercing styleLisbeth Style EarringsLisbeth Style Spiral Tapers

Rooney Mara Style Hoop Earrings

Although generally not known to show off her lip or nose rings in public, Mara has been seen rocking her eyebrow ring, which again (being more of the same) is a simple curved steel barbell.

Rooney Mara Style Steel Barbell Eyebrow Rings

As for regular jewelry, scenes from the film show Lisbeth wearing dog tag necklaces and oodles of gorgeous circa-1980-punk style bracelets in everything from nylon, to metals, leather, and a cacophony of studs and spikes.

Lisbeth Style Bracelets and Leather Studded Belts

For the most part, it’s hard to tell where Lisbeth ends and the actress begins in the middle of a promotional media frenzy and countless magazine spreads, but whichever way you slice it, it’s hard at the moment not to have a girl crush on Rooney Mara.

Cool Pierced Zombie Tattoo Man Rick Genest

In this edition of Coolest Piercing We’ve Ever Seen:

Our old friend the corset piercing gets more intense, the “Wolverine Piercing” goes hyper, and temporary piercings get a sweet Halloween style web redemption.

So you might be asking yourself, is a “Wolverine Piercing” what I think it is?  And the Answer is YES!  Some do it for Halloween, others for nostalgia, and some because they just have a secret yearning for comic book style super powers, but whatever the reason, this piercing is blowing up.  It seems like everyone wants a piece of our favorite X-Men hero, or at least his awesome metallic accessories.  It looks painful, expensive, and like it might have a higher than average rate of rejection, but spiked surface piercing of the hands are still one of the coolest piercings I’ve ever seen.

Cool Hand Surface Piercings

Ever wonder where the corset piercing craze is going to end?  Well from what we’ve seen lately, it’s only just beginning.  Not only have more and more people taken the corsetry plunge, but the BCR piercings themselves seem to be increasing in quantity, quality, and creativity.  Just check out some of this awesome stuff:

Corset Piercing sets spun togetherSets of several corset Piercings

Definitely some of the coolest corset piercings ever.

Which brings us to our web redemption.  You might have seen some YouTube videos and interesting photos lately showing temporary piercings gone awry, but one of the ultimate coolest Halloween accessories ever is about to change your viewpoint on temporary piercing forever.  Just get a load of these piercing buffs spreading their wings.

Temporary Angel Wing piercingGirl with Pierced on Wings

The process is done like any other temporary piercing, but with feathers attached to the needle.  The piercings are carefully arranged in a fan-like formation to allow the feathers to properly create the shape of a wing, which (not gonna lie) is one of the neatest things I have EVER seen.

They may be provocative, interesting, creepy, amazing, or even a bit extreme, but there’s no denying that we all feel a little tinge of jealousy when we see someone with one of the coolest piercings we’ve ever seen.

Black Plugs and Red Lipstick

Whether the costume is a pin-up or something with the feel of old Hollywood, for all things retro that are making a Halloween comeback, simple black plugs paired with a red lip seems to be the statement of the moment.

Black Plugs, Tunnels, and Tapers

Glitter Plugs and a Bare Neck

When going for a soft, feminine look (a fairy, princess, ballerina, angel…) a glittering plug accents a bare swan-like neck and loads of feathers and frills perfectly.

Colorful Glittery Plugs

Blood Red Belly Rings

Flirty belly-baring costumes need just one accessory, a sultry blood red navel ring.   ’Nough said.

Blood Red Gem Navel Rings

Labret Spikes

Guys and girls who go as ghouls, beasties, vampire slayers, or action heroes can let their evil-never-looked-so-good ensembles benefit from the classic cool of spike or talon labret jewelry.

Spike and Talon Labret

Indian Style Nose Jewelry

Belly dancers, Bollywood stars, exotic goddesses, and more will all be made stunning with another of the moment trend piece: Indian style nose piercings.  Flowered studs, skinny hoops, and jewel bearing fare add a real tropic flare and will be noticed for their uniqueness.

Indian Style Flower Nose Jewelry

Fangs and Lip Piercing

Vampires, werewolves, and monsters all have one thing in common this Halloween season.  Whether it’s real or fake, they draw extra attention to their lips with studs or hoops aplenty.

Vampy Lip Piercing Jewelry

What will you be wearing this Halloween?