torstai 16. huhtikuuta 2015

What does bodymodification mean to me?

Aye once again!

I was in the mood so I decided to write again. Also the blogs url changed to http://iron-is-the-best-makeup.blogspot.fi/ now, and got a new banner! Yay.
As you can guess from the title, I'll be writing about meaning of bodymodification in my life.



It is not surprise that I am crazy about bodymodification, but for me it isn't just like 'Yay piercings yay tattoos yay split tongues yay'. It's so much more. When I first time got interested in these kind of things, I was at the kindergarten. There was this trainee, who had snake bites, black hair and a bit 'gothic' style. She had almost the same name as me, and I was so excited. I was with her almost all the time and were asking about the jewelries and told all my friends that I want those too. My mother was horrified at that time. Of course it's understandable as I was like five or six years old.
But after that I always adored people with tattoos and piercings. As I got to the sixth grade and was about 11-12(?) year old, I started to read more about all bodymodification. And as I was a stupid girl, I made a bellybutton piercing with a safety pin. Wasn't a good idea, but I was so in love with it. I also made a tongue web piercing. When I was 13, I got septum and I've never been so proud about something. My parents never knew nothing about these. After I turned 14, it didn't take long when I met someone who was a piercer trainee and a friend of mine. I got septum again, took canine bites.. And they got a terrible infection. So in the end I had to take all of them except septum away. Maybe a month later I got a good piercer friend who made me canine bites back and after a while also made my bridge and a bellybutton piercing. With that combination I went for over a year. Last year the same day I turned to 16 I got dahlia bites. I just felt that there wasn't enough iron at all. I also went and took a surface piercing to my 'cheeck' - antibrow. It grew out soon(what a surprise). Next I decided that my lips aren't ready. So lowbrets came in.
After that there was again a small pause with these. I had been looking for a piercing shop where I could train, but none took me in. Then one very small shop did say, that he could take me, other shop said that I need to contact them again in spring. (These things happened in the end of 2014) I went to see the shop where they told that it could be okay, sadly that really wasn't my place at all. So I waited till spring, and contacted the other shop again. This lovely piercer & tattoo artist woman told me to stop by. I did, and she was so kind, lovely and warm hearted. She asked about what I already know, what piercing I know how to do etc. She truly believed in me and I was just crying of happiness. I got the place and she taught (and is still teaching) me everything. She also will be teaching me scarification. I was relieved. I was so happy.
I'll be telling about my 'trip to being a professional piercer' in another post.



So that was a small story about how I got to know all this and got all these.

Piercings aren't just pretty jewelries to me. They're form of art that I love. I have this huge passion for bodymodification, and I couldn't think life without it. It has made me more confident, made me dream many things and helps me with stress. Bodymods really were a saving angel to me. I had a really rough time back then, and still do, and the feeling I get when i get to do piercing to someone, it is truly incredible. All the adrenalin and making art, seeing customers face after they see the jewelry.. It's something worth to live for.
When I was younger I though that I won't be good at anything. Everyone were good at sports or drawing or singing and I thought I just simply suck in everything. And then I started to do piercings, and even though I say this myself, I am really fucking good at it. I want to learn more, do more.. It isn't easy or simple to get to be a trainee or anything, but as I didn't give up (after many times of thinking about it), here I am, I am a piercer, an artist. I do my dream job.
Many people (mostly family and other adults) have told me that this can't be my job, this is not a job or possibility. Now they don't think that anymore. They know that this is 'THE THING' for me. Even when I think that everything goes wrong, I can just plan what I'll get next, go to a shop and get a piercing, and it does help me a lot. It's almost therapeutic to me. Feeling the pain, that makes beauty. The feeling of modifying your body the way you want.. The feeling is gorgeous. I've never loved doing something this much. Never ever has anything helped me the way bodymodification helps. (we do not count people here okay)

It is hard to get to be a professional. But if you REALLY want it, go and get it. Do your everything. Absolutely everything. If you have a dream that isn't easy to get, then what? Nothing is impossible. You can do anything if you really want to. Be who you are, not what everyone else wants you to be. We only live once, why make yourself look good for others, but not to yourself? There's not point of doing that.

Bodymodification is my life. It's my dream and my passion. It's everything.
Respect others choices.


Love you all
- Vera

tiistai 14. huhtikuuta 2015

Third HUGE presentation: Lip piercings

Hello darlings!

This time I got a suggestion, that it would be cool to know more about lip piercings. Well, it would be short and maybe a bit boring if i'd write only about labrets.. So I asked some help from friends etc, and made this really fucking huge post.
So what is this post about? Lip piercings. All of them, or well, most of them, with pictures!
Labrets, different 'bites', vertical piercings.. Everything. This will be long one, and I apologize for having such a big break from the last post.
Hope you enjoy this one, go ahead and suggest things for next post!



1. First. Labret & Snake bites


Labret is maybe the most common lip piercing. One simple piercing on lower lip. Labret can be placed to almost anywhere on the lip. Usually you see these at the middle of the lip or (surprisingly) at the sides.
Labret isn't the most painful piercing. Of course it depends on a person that is pierced, but usually it isn't the one that makes you cry. Healing time is 'short', in best place a bit less than a month. This piercing just needs a good wash after eating or a smoke at the healing process. There is usually more or less swelling on the lip area after it is pierced. Not much more special treatment is needed.
There are lots and lots of different jewelry options to labret. Either normal labret jewelry or different kind of rings. (bcr, segment, 'horse shoe'.. So much to choose!)
No swimming or sauna in a month!
Quite simple? Wash, don't rub, don't swim or go to sauna. Not that bad I'd say! Also you can change the jewelry after a month IF the piercing has healed properly.  If not, wait until it has.
Labrets don't usually cost that much. In Finland the price is usually 30-40€.
This 'treatment' is good to all lip piercings. Some of them heal longer and more painfully, but are still quite similar.
When having two 'side' labrets, they're called Snake bites. So bite number 1!

There's also a labret that's called 'horizontal labret'. It's simply a labret, that goes horizontally on your lip. Possibly one of the most painful lip piercings, and the healing process isn't nicest. As the horizontal lip is basically a surface piercing, I wouldn't recommend it. It is easier to get double Ashley on your lip(read more below). As the surface piercing usually do grow out, the risk on this one is also big. And as you can think, it will be painful to have a piercing growing out in your lip. Horizontally.


2. Madonna/Monroe, medusa & Angel bites


Same as the last one, but at the upper lip! A bit more painful in my case. Healing is about the same as in the labrets.
It's said that monroe is at the left side of the lip and madonna at the other side. (I prefer just saying madonna or angel bites, if having both sides of the lip pierced!) When the piercing is at the middle of the lip, it's usually called 'medusa'. My personal favorite piercing is angel bites. No idea why, just gotta love it.

3. Vertical labret, Jestrum & Ashley

Vertical labret & jestrum are bit more 'exotic' piercings. Almost the same as their 'normal' forms, labret & medusa.
The difference in labret and vertical labret or medusa and jestrum, is that the lip is pierced, well, vertically. As you can see from the pictures, the jewelry is pierced through the lip. It's said that it is more painful than normal labret. Healing lasts a bit longer, about one to two months, if healed properly. The treatment stays the same.

Ashley isn't a common piercing. It is basically a vertical labret, but only one head of the jewelry will be showing, so the needle goes through the lip and other side will come out from your lips inner side. There's a picture that will maybe help you a bit to get the idea. Ashley's healing is basically the same with vertical labret. I personally love Ashley piercing. It has been on my wish list for a while now, maybe one day! Like in other lip piercings, you can also take many of these on your lip.





4. Dahlia bites

Dahlia bites are often though as dimple piercings. Dahlias are placed usually right in corners of the mouth. Quite painful, not too terrible but not too nice. These usually swallow very much and need very long starting jewelries.

5. Other



There are many other lip piercings. Lowbrets as snake bites, but lower. Cyber bites are called medusa and middle labret together. Canine bites are snake bites and angel bites together.. There are so many of those. Lips are a place, where you can put piercing next to piercing, almost as many as you wish. Anywhere you wish to put them. In any order you want to. That's why lips are one of the most common piercing location.



Thank you for the pictures, Emy Extasy, Minttu Takkinen, Sara Heikkilä, Heidi Leonhart, Niina Lehto, Also borrowed the ashley piercing picture from piercingtime.com

- Vera