Archive for July, 2011
What’s That Called? – Dictionary of Ear Piercings
Posted by: | CommentsEver see a neat or interesting piercing and have to say to yourself, “wow, I wonder what that’s called?” Well wonder no more! I’ve compiled a fairly comprehensive list of as many piercings as I could find and what they’re called, and here it is:
We’ll start this time with the ear piercings, because there’s just an absolute ton of cool and interesting ones.
Ear Lobe Piercing – a regular single piercing through the lobe of the ear.
Horizontal Lobe Piercing (also called Transverse Lobe Piercing) - a piercing through the length of the lobe that lays horizontal.
Tragus Piercing – a piercing of the little fleshy nub that covers the ear canal.
Anti-tragus Piercing – a piercing of the fleshy nub that protrudes from the ear rim just across from the tragus.
Conch - a piercing of the hollow or plane of the ear. (Sometimes this is separated into outer conch and inner conch piercings, so named for which side of the flat portion of the ear they rest on as the two sides are separated by a ridge.)
Snug - a piercing of the inner rim of the ear.
Rook – a piercing of the inner rim where it meets the outer rim at the top inside edge of the ear.
Orbital – a set of two piercings close together connected with a ring. (although orbitals can be done in many places, the most common is just inside the outer ear rim.)
Helix (also called “cartilage piercing“) – any piercing of the outer ear rim itself.
Daith – a piercing of the fold of cartilage where the outer rim of the ear meets the face.
Industrial (also called scaffold piercing) – any set of two piercings of the outer rim or “helix” of the ear that are connected by a single piece of barbell jewelry. (There is also a vertical industrial, which is what this piercing is called when it is done completely vertically, usually at the outside edge of the ear or through the middle.)
Stay tuned for next time when I’ll be going over the names and placements of all the facial piercings!
Below the Surface – Sweet New Trends in Surface Piercing
Posted by: | CommentsAs the amount of new and different piercing styles and methods continues to grow, piercings themselves become more and more available in places that they never were before. With safer and more inventive ways to pierce emerging all the time, along with knowledge of better aftercare and quicker healing processes, new trends are now surfacing, spearheading some of the most interesting, amazing, and evocative piercing and jewelry styles ever seen. I mean, just consider the evolution of the surface piercing.
Surface piercing started small, with single surface barbells in simple, easy to reach places, like the anti-eyebrow. Though this piercing of the upper cheek or area around the outside of the eyebrow has certainly evolved, for the most part it remains a single piercing done with simple jewelry.
Then look at the nape piercing. Piercing at the nape of the neck has now become popular amongst both sexes, and is a fun and flirty piercing that despite it’s position is still relatively easy to heal. The newest developments in nape piercing include several piercings running parallel, and looks that involve intersecting piercings or “cages.”
Next we have chest piercings, another type of piercing that has grown to popularity amid both males and females. Though there are several different places to get a surface piercing of the chest, most popular seem to be the clavicle, the décolletage, and the hollow of the collar bone (which is called a “Madison”).
Amongst the newer trends developing in surface piercing are the vampire bite or “vampire’s kiss,” designs on the back, the corset, and arm piercings. A vampire bite piercing is another neck piercing, but this time placed at the side of the neck, where one would expect to be bitten by the undead.
Our old friend the corset piercing has seen some serious action lately too, with new piercing methods and healing provisions increasing the ability to actually heal and wear this amazing work of art.
And along with back corsetry comes the advent of more interesting and beautiful surface designs of the back skin, ranging from upper back to lower back to whole entire back!
Then finally, one of the neatest things to spring up: arm piercings. No longer just temporary, piercings of the wrist, forearm, and even the entire length of the arm are cropping up more and more recently. They’re even an available character accessory on popular online role playing game IMVU.
Talk about really digging beneath the surface. What will they pierce next?
Magical Celebrity Earring Style – Why We Heart Emma Watson
Posted by: | CommentsEmma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris in the Spring of 1990. You may know her as Hermione Granger from the epic series of Harry Potter films, which is currently set to come to a close with the release of this Summer’s eighth and final feature Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2. But these days, the now grown up British actress is less a child star, and more a thriving adult fashionista.
After trading out her cascade of tousled waves for a prim, yet edgy pixie in 2010, the jewelry animal inside came out with a vengeance, and amongst other countless brooches and baubles, her wardrobe of earrings did as well. Just check out these adorable danglies she wore to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 last November:
Dangling pieces that feature a Hollywood sophistication intermingled with a youthful sweetness seem to be a favorite, as Emma has recently been spotted in them again…
…and again! If you’re as envious of her polished, yet carefree earring style as I am, listen up, because here are some hints on how to copycat:
Go for simple dangles that show off just one prominent gem or bead in a fun and youthful shape, like hearts, stars, or flowers.
Pull out the gem encrusted detailing, but keep the shapes simple, and be sure the dangle itself isn’t too long.
Or grab the cheapie version and do a direct doppelganger.
Magical!
National Ice Cream Day – a Scoop of Style
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that the month of July is National Ice Cream Month? The month was designated in 1984 by President Ronald Regan, and has been celebrated ever since, also including a National Ice Cream day which falls on the third Sunday in July. (This year’s holiday was yesterday, July 17th.)
Here in the United States, we celebrate our favorite frozen treat with pomp and panache, consuming more ice cream than any other country in the world, with our most popular flavor still steadily set at good old fashioned vanilla. So why not become part of the fun by showing off your love of tasty ice cream treats with body jewelry?
Jewelry shaped like food is a growing fashion trend amongst the pierced and non-pierced, with popular items including fruit, sushi, and my personal favorite: desert treats.
Just check out this adorable matching set of pink colored ice cream float pieces. I love how cute and kitschy this trend is and this is the perfect example; ultra feminine deserts, ice cream, soda, and candy made of enamel, lucite, or lacquer give a cute retro feel and an undeniable hint of flirt.
And for those like me who have a belly piercing to show off during these hot Summer months, the navel rings available now are super sweet. I wish real ice cream was so sparkly!
Black is the New Black – Piercings and the Gothic Subculture
Posted by: | CommentsWe all know that piercings are a huge part of Gothic youth culture; a gentle touch of hardness that lends the right edge to a generally dark, soft, and beautiful aesthetic. There are many active trends in piercing amongst the various subcultures that fit under the Gothic umbrella (corset piercing seems to be the most rapidly growing), but lately one of the biggest and best new things is a return to the pureness and subtlety of our favorite nineties style: black on black.
Black clothing, make-up, and hair mixed with ink-toned body jewelry is fresh and on fire right now with feminine styles often including emo, romantic gothic, and scene type hairstyles to compliment a pale face and dark jewelry.
Men’s styling generally remains less ethereal and monochrome, with black tunnels, eyelets, plugs, and tapers being the main focal point of the trend.
Amazing black piercing jewelry and gauges with intricate textures and designs is becoming more common for both sexes as the availability of more chic and interesting items rises. Check out some of these gorgeous pieces available online:
Also, one interesting and unexpected aside to this ebony inclination is the brilliance of retro style tattoo art with bright and modern coloring, lending an updated feel to the aesthetic.
The hue, depth, texture, and elegance of this new style’s elements keep the look from ever washing out. Simply put, this is not your momma’s black.
Body Mod Wow! – Most Pierced, Tattooed, and Modified People in the World
Posted by: | CommentsAs body modifications continue to rise and the amount of tattoos and piercings on a single person continues to grow, I had to ask, “who’s got the most?” And here are the answers!
Most Pierced Person in the World
The world’s most pierced person is Brazilian born former nurse and current citizen of the UK, Elaine Davidson. Elaine began in the mid nineties with a modest collection of 250 piercings. By 2000 she had won her first world record with 462, reaching the 1000 mark in 2003, and continuing on at an amazing pace. Her last reported numbers from Summer of last year were absolutely staggering: over 6,700! You go, girl!
Most Pierced Man in the World
The world’s most pierced man as of the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 Release is John Lynch. John’s 241 piercings as of March 2010 stole the title from former most pierced man in the world Luis Antonio Aguero, who boasted 230.
Most Piercings in a Single Sitting
This record goes to brit Kam Ma, for his amazing 7 hour and 55 minute piercing session in which he was pierced an unbelievable 1,015 times. He’s also been given the honorary title of Man With the World’s Strongest Pain Threshold, as during his nearly 8 hour record breaking session no anesthetic of any kind was used.
Most Tattooed Woman
The most tattooed woman in the world is Julia Gnuse, with a whopping ninety five percent of her body covered in brilliant tattoo art. The inclusion of such bright coloring, cartoons, and many celebrity caricatures in her tattoos has earned Julia the nickname “The Illustrated Lady.”
Most Tattooed Man
The current Guinness record holder for most tattooed man had so much competition that he needed to do something amazing: cover literally one hundred percent of his body in tattoos. New Zealand native Lucky Diamond Rich did just that, tattooing his entire body head to toe including his eyelids, lips, inner ears, and some other places that are extremely sensitive.
Lucky’s close runners up, some of them former title holders themselves, included Kentucky born Eric Sprague (a.k.a. the Lizard Man), Canadian model (and “Zombie Boy”) Rick “Rico” Genest who recently became the most tattooed man ever to grace the catwalk, Paul Lawrence (also called “The Enigma”) for his interesting full body jigsaw puzzle, and former record holder Tom Leppard or “the Leopard Man.”
Person With the Most Stretched Ear Lobes
This one goes to a man who calls himself Bear, and his lobes are stretched to an outstanding size: over five an a half inches.
Most Modified Person
Although there is no official decision on this one, the honorary title has been given to American Pauly Unstoppable, who has modified himself with traditional tattoos, ocular (eye) tattoos, brandings, piercings, stretched piercings, scarification, a split tongue, and several different sizes and types of dermal implants.
Multiple Piercings – How Many is Too Many?
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve all seen the latest craze in body piercing: multiple piercings in different places.
With so many new and interesting piercings popping up all the time, it’s hard not to want to try some of them out, and many of us will attempt a new piercing whether or not we keep it because (let’s face it) you won’t be sure if you like it or not until you try.
Piercing combinations, especially in the face and ears, are practically endless. There’s nostril piercings, septum piercings, bridge piercings, vertical bridge piercings, lip piercings, labret piercings, monroe piercings, tongue piercings, eyebrow piercings, anti-eyebrow piercings, and many others, just on the face alone.
For the most part, this trend is beautiful, provocative, and interesting, but when piercings begin to reach excess, many have been recently asking, “how much is too much?” and where do we draw the line?
The answer? It really depends. Some who have multiple piercings may be ascribing to a different aesthetic than what’s currently mainstream. Just check out our friend here. Several large, gauged piercings worn with plugs may appear odd to some people, but the smile on his face tells me he’s pleased as punch with this interesting look. And who are we to disagree?
And look at this gorgeous set of multiple ear piercings. Recognize this famous female ear?
It’s Kate Moss! And she’s not the only celebrity who has a serious love of ear piercings. Scarlett Johansson, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna all have several piercings as well, along with a ton of other celebs both male and female.
So when it comes to multiple facial piercings, it’s still a matter of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and at least for now, we can keep the hollow needles coming.
Hot New Trends: Piercing and Body Art Go Retro
Posted by: | CommentsPiercings combined with retro style clothing, accessories, and tattoos is becoming a stunning and (I think) lovely trend.
The style of old school ink, whether in small quantities or bordering excess, is being completed everywhere you look with simple, modern piercings and gorgeous retro style make-up.
Guys are getting in on the trend as well, with nods to yesteryear visible in their body art, clothing choices, and hairstyles.
Even the uninked are hopping on the tatts+retro+piercings= amazing banwagon, as hand-painted tatouage, and even faux piercings make a comeback.
Celebrities are leading the way, with popular personalities like Kat Von D, Amy Winehouse, and Christina Aguilera pumping up the trend and getting in on the retro fun
