More Special FX makeup!

Another favorite makeup artist on YouTube that I love oh so much is Mykie of Glam and Gore. She is a beauty makeup artist, special FX makeup artist, and body painter. She's amazing at all! She's also self taught.

Check out her YouTube channel! She's dope af!
--------------> https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamAndGoreMakeup

 

 

"Inked in Old Age" by Maddie Girouard (Short Review)

"Grammyism: "Don't ruin the beautiful skin you were born with. You will regret it."

My grandmother has always been against marking your body, especially with tattoos, and that hatred has carried on with her daughters. They view tattoos as mistakes that you will carry with you forever. What if you hate them in a few years? What will you do when the style of your tattoo changes? The question they ask most of all is, what will you do when you are older and they look awful and you hate them?

I will admit, all of these questions are fair and have a right for concern, but I look at tattoos in a significantly different way. I view them as pieces of art that remind you of what you love, or have once loved. I see them as an expression of one's inner self. For the elderly, I view their tattoos as a reminder of their youth and a reminder of how far they have come.

Sure, there are people who have gotten tattoos that they regret, and that is understandable, but I think that the regret depends on the person. Some people are regretful people, and others just make impulsive decisions, but I don't think that all people who choose to get tattoos should be viewed in that way.

A lot of tattoos are meaningful for a lot of people. Some get tattoos that remind them of their deceased loved ones. Other's get tattoos that represent the meaning of their family or their heritage. Many people, however, get tattoos for the simple fact that they enjoy them. What is so wrong with
that?

I'll admit that it is scary to mark your body with something permanent, but I believe that it adds a level of comfort to some people. Life is not permanent. The majority of relationships in life are not permanent. Hell, even memories aren't guaranteed to be a permanent part of your mind. To people with tattoos, it is comforting to know that when you go to take a shower, it won't wash away. To people with tattoos, it is comforting to know that there is a part of you, and your personality, that no one can take away. To people who mark their bodies, tattoos are so  much more than just 'permanent'.

Sure, overtime your art will fade, but that is just a sign of their age. Their fades are just a reminder of how long they have been down for the ride. For the elderly, the fade of their tattoos is a reminder of how far they have come and how much they have changed over the course of their life.

All in all, tattoos are a choice, and the best decision to some. No matter one's age, self-expression should never be toppled."



Beautifully said Maddie! Although I very much respectfully disagree with your grandmother and aunts.... I  definitely don't view tattoos as mistakes you carry for the rest of your life. Not even close actually! If someone gets a tattoo they regret a few years down the road there is such thing as cover up tattoos and lazer removal. But most of the time no one regrets any of their tattoos! Tattoos are such a beautiful art form that can makes ones skin much less plain and boring!!!
Also, I must say that I absolutely love this quote in this post: "To people with tattoos, it is comforting to know that when you go to take a shower, it won't wash away."
That's such an awesome way to explain the comfort feeling of tattoos!

Inspirational people: Jeffree Star

Not only is he covered in tattoos, but he also is a great makeup artist! His eyeshadow blending is perfection. Not only do I love his skills and style but also love him as a person. He's very outspoken (just like yours truly) and very confident. He's so good at ignoring all the hate he gets on daily basis. And he's just great at staying true to himself which I respect tremendously. He has his own makeup brand (Jeffree Star cosmetics) that I still need to buy from!!! He's quite the character but thata what makes him unique and awesome as hell!!!!

Love yourself!

This is a post that I hope will help at least someone out there with their self confidence! On November 9th of 2016, I went public about a huge milestone I reached in my life on Instagram. This was my post:

''Okay I gotta get deep for a few moments. What you see in this picture is 14 year old me aka freshman me (bottom) and 18 year old me aka senior me (top obvi). I know what you are thinking, holy shit. She changed a shit ton. Yes, I did. But I wouldn't want it to be any other way. The person on the bottom was never me. That was the person society wanted me to be. Back then I wanted to be like every other girl my age..... Straight hair everyday with my bangs in a poof, jeans everyday, dressy shirts everyday, ugg boots.... I always thought I had to look a certain way every single day to fit in and make friends. Deep down I've always known that I am different. Back then I refused to accept it though because I thought different was ugly. I was very unhappy and confused to say the least and then I had no idea why. In fact, since I was 10 I have had to deal with a lot of severe personal struggles. Being insecure and hating myself was a huge one up until I was 17, and even then I was still feeling not completely whole with myself but I was getting there. There's much much more than just confusion and insecurity I was struggling with but I won't get into that. Bottom line is, the bottom picture never has been and never will be who I am. The woman on the top is who I am. I was so afraid of being anything but the bottom picture for many years. But up until the middle of my junior year of high school I realized who I was and that I didn't give a fuck anymore about what society wanted me to be. I love who I am now, and it was the complete opposite for sooo many years. I just want everyone to know that different is so beyond beautiful and nothing but that. I want to encourage people to be themselves always because you'll be so happy when you find out who you are and be that person you were meant to be. Recently I have been so happy because this milestone I've reached in my life is huge. Be yourself. If no one likes that fuck them, they aren't worth a second of your time. I also wanna thank everyone who's stuck by me through thick and thin. There are very few who have stuck by me from the very beginning but they still mean the world to me. Find yourself and love yourself.❤''





Life is so hard. It's a fact. But it's even harder when you aren't happy with yourself. Honestly a huge lesson I've learned so far in life is that you will never be happy if you convince yourself you aren't who you actually are. Ever since I let the real me out I have been much happier in a lot of ways. My lesson to you is to never let anyone or anything make you into something you aren't. Society is dumb as hell. I learned to just be myself through it all and it's a great thing. Don't be afraid to be you! I was for a lot of my life and now I'm in a much better place in some aspects!

Tattoos of the Week #3!

Such a beautiful side tattoo!

Amazingly elegant and beautifully done mandala sleeve😍😍

Astronomy tattoos are so beautiful and I love them a lot. This is just a simple Cresent moon and sun, but if you ask me it's quite adorable!

Tribal/mandala hand tattoo! So pretty!

Body Mod all around the world (Warning: Extreme pictures)

This is a countdown of the 10 most extreme body modifications
******From least extreme to most extreme (in my personal opinion, comment if you disagree and say what you disagree with, I like hearing other opinions on this stuff).
ALSO, just so you know I personally think all of these are really disgusting. Extreme body mod is not something I think is appealing at all! Didn't want anyone to make assumptions just because I love tattoos and piercings. Tattoos and piercings are TOTALLY different then extreme body mod unless its extremely excessive, then it would be considerd extreme body mod!******


10. Corset piercing

This is a piercing where the person gets many rings (typically 2 rows) pierced into their skin and then ribbon is laced through these rings to give the look of a corset. This is the least extreme on my list because like all piercings, it isn't permanent. I think this is ridiculous because imagine how easy it is for one of the individual rings to get caught on something!!


9. Tongue splitting

I know your probably thinking I'm crazy for putting this as second to least extreme, but believe it or not this actually isn't permanent! If someone got this done and didn't want it anymore at some point, they can get their tongue sewn back together and it will heal to be the normal shape once again!


8. Scarification

Some people would consider scarification as similar to tattoos, but to be honest I think it would be way more painful and dangerous and too much of a pain in the ass to have. Scarification is achieved by the skin either being burned to a certain shape/design (kind of like branding) or even deeply gashed! Like OUCH!!! I'll stick to regular tattoos, thanks! They are way prettier anyways. The risks of infection with this body mod is much more than regular tattoos because the open wound is way bigger and more exposed. So if someone were to get this body mod, they would have to take extreme precautions to keep it clean and not exposed to bacteria and other harmful things.

7. Tooth filing 

 People literally get their teeth filed into the desired shape they want. Pointed, rounded, vampire style, shark style, anything pretty much!! It's pretty ridiculous to be honest but some are kinda cool looking. Why not just get a realistic set of fake teeth instead of permanently change their shape? I've seen some pretty great fake sets that look real.


6. Elf ear modification

Some people are so into the look of pointed ears that they actually get surgery to get their ears to look like this. It doesn't look gross (maybe a little weird) but the reason why it's number 6 on my list is because it is permanent and irreversible, but hair could hide them.


5. Eye tattoos



Yes, this is possible!!!! People can get the sclera (white part) of the eye or even the iris (colored part) tattoo'd!!! How insane is that? Pretty insane. I feel like contacts would be a way better way of making your eyes look wild instead of getting ink injected into your eyeball.... Also this is permanent!


4. Donut injections

Now honestly this just looks super dumb. Personally I don't get why anyone would want this. It's most popular in Asian countries. This body mod is achieved by saline being injected into the forehead and a thumb being pushed into the middle, creating a "donut head". I mean yeah donuts are super good but why would you want the shape of one on your head? Luckily this isn't permanent!

3. Spike implants

These are close to most extreme on my list because I just don't get how someone with these could do like anything. Like how do you sleep and stuff? Plus I can't imagine how horrific it would be if one or more than one of these were caught on something and ripped out. These just look like such a pain in the ass to have and are super dangerous to have too.

2. Stretched nostrils

There are many reasons why this is number 2 on my list. First off it looks absolutely disgusting, I don't really get why people want others to look through their nose? Also I'm pretty sure this would be extremely hard to fix and even if it was fixed I imagine your nose would still be permanently messed up!

1. Lip stretching/lip plates

Okay so I get that other cultures have their own things but OMG! Why!!!!! This is the most extreme body modification on my list because of how gross it is and how it permanently destroys the lips (more bottom picture than top). Even if this was correctedited you couldn't ever have normal lips again!

Now I know I've explained my disgust for most of these but honestly it's no one else's business what we do with our bodies. Sure my opinion is its disgusting but I am honestly not judging. Your body, your choice!

Tattoos of the Week #2!

I found this adorable Lion King tattoo on Google. I really love the quote it because its short yet very deep and powerful.

I also found this on Google. I really love this one because it really speaks to me on a personal level. Its also a more positive way of saying we all make mistakes in life but we just got to take those mistakes and turn them into a lesson for us to learn from.

I found this sleeve on Pinterest and I absolutely love it. The flowers and mandala style are such a great combo! I have a rose with the mandala style on my upper arm but with color and obviously a totally different style over all. But I absolutely love the combination in general! So elegant and beautiful. I personally wouldn't get black and white for my arms but that's just me.

This is a piece that is all mandala style that I found on Google. Very beautiful. But again I'd personally get it with color!

This piece I also found on Google. The colors are super pretty but its a little too girly for my liking. But still gorgeous!

I found this pic on Google also and I just gotta say this girl is so gorgeous like wtf. Her tats are dope and her gauge size fit her ears so well. She slays HARDCORE.

Tattoos of the Week!

Dope ass Leather Face tattoo (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) from Google!!!

Sick Freddy Kruger (A Nightmare On Elm Street) tattoo from Google!

My 3rd and newest tattoo I got on 1-4-17!!





 

Special FX Makeup

Special FX makeup is my dream job alongside of being a tattoo artist. I eat, breath, and sleep horror so my favorite special FX makeup is gory, gross, disturbing, ect.
One of my many favorite artists is Ellinor Rosander of Ellimacs SFX on YouTube. They are a Swedish collaborative group with Macs Moser as the producer and Elli as the artist. They make all sorts of amazing creations! Check these videos out!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imqV5ZeZ6Bo&t=168s


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOhv2Hj4hxg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08iN6D18h_E

Discrimination over self expressive people

If you are apart of the alternative community like I am, chances are you definitely have gotten hate from others over the way you express yourself. Whether its your makeup, how you dress, your hair style, or how any tattoos and/or piercings you have. Alternative style people almost get as much hate as people of color, people with a different sexual orientations, ect.
I personally have quite a few experiences I've had to deal with...

I have this live streaming app called "Live Me". Basically you follow people and people follow you and you go live whenever you want doing whatever you want and people can comment and talk to you while you are streaming. I like it personally because I think its fun. You cannot control what people say unfortunately though... Last week I was live streaming and a few minutes into it (at this point I had about 120 viewers or something) someone comments on my stream, "I could wipe off 90% of your beauty with a wet Kleenex". Now personally, this made me laugh. To avoid further conflict I blocked this person. The reason this amuses me is because I love how I do my makeup and how much self love I have for myself. Freshman me on the other hand, would've been bawling her eyes out all day. Then, I didn't love myself because I was confused about who I was. I am a senior now, I have found who I really am and I am absolutely not afraid to be myself. I love the person I am. I love my style, I love how I do my makeup and I love my makeup skills, I love my personality. I encourage everyone to try and find themselves and love who they are. I love who I am. I have come such a long way to get to this point in my life but I finally made it when I was 17 and a half, and I am 18 now. Basically, insults don't really phase me at all because I am happy with the person I am.

That is just one of many moments of hate I have gotten in my life.


I have my medusa/cupids bow pierced as shown below.




Before I got it, I was told any lip piercings "look trashy". Did I care? Clearly not LOL. I definitely am in love with it and in my opinion it doesn't look trashy or gross or anything but beautiful. Personally I don't think any piercings are trashy looking. And guess what, my opinion is the only one that matters because it is my body and I'll do what I want with it!! I don't care what anyone else thinks because I love it.

I also have other piercings (clearly) and size 00g gauges. My mom is very against gauges. There was one day in public where she embarrassed me by saying they looked ugly and gross. Of course being the person I am I was rude right back. Luckily now she's come to accept them and my body choices.


Enough about me for now, because I am definitely not the only one who has gotten hate and severe discrimination for my style and makeup.....
In Manchester, England, 2007, a 20 year old girl by the name of Sophie Lancaster was murdered. She was beaten to death by a group of teenagers because of her dreadlocks and piercings. Her mother set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation which better protects alternative subcultures.
This disgusts me. Killing someone over their style? WTF is wrong with people!!!! You don't have to agree with someone's style but keep to yourself!!! Don't inflict any abuse of someone for their style or anything for that matter!
The same year British police for the first time started treating hate on alternative subcultures the same as hate on gays, people with disabilities, and people of color (YAY!!!).

This is just one of so very many instances in England that I read about. People have been physically and mentally abused because of their tattoos, piercings, hair color, clothing choices, and makeup.

 

The alternative community has come a long way with being accepted, but we still have a long way to go sadly.





Personal Pieces

As of right now, I unfortunately have only 2 beautiful tattoos. I wish I had way more! But unfortunately they are expensive. The smaller one I have is on my left wrist and the bigger one I have is on my right arm. They both have great meaning to me. Most of my tattoos that I will have will have significant meaning to me, some will be stuff I just like.


My first tattoo


My very first tattoo that I got is the depression awareness ribbon with the word "hope" in it. The significance? It is one long story....
Ever since I was 10 or 11 (I am 18 now) I've suffered from manic depression and severe anxiety. I remember being so beyond sad all the time no matter what and I was even suicidal at the young age of 10. My mom took me to a councilor that I didn't like very much, but she didn't know what else to do. She was just as confused as I was to what was going on. Nobody knew why a child so young was experiencing such awful thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and dread. The councilor told my mom that I had severe depression. That was a huge moment of my life because I didn't know if it was something that would pass or if it was something I'd have the rest of my life. Shortly after this diagnosis we stopped going to this councilor.
I suffered with these depressing and suicidal thoughts till I was 16 years old. 16 was a very important age for me because it was the age I finally decided to get help for my issues. Up until 16 I thought I would just get better on my own and that I didn't need to go on medicine. I was very against the thought of going on medication up until everything got so unbearable that I had nowhere else to turn. My stubborn personality got the best of me for 6 years. I had to go on medication and see a therapist often. To be completely honest, it wasn't ideal. But if I hadn't gotten help at 16 I definitely wouldn't be here right now. Therefore it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. To this day, I am still on medication (2 different ones to be exact) and currently I've been doing extremely well. From the middle of April of 2016 to up until recently I was struggling again because my one medication alone wasn't working like it should have been and some stuff had happened that triggered my depression and anxiety in full swing. But I went on a new medication and now I am doing well again thankfully!
My tattoo symbolizes what I have been through all these years and is a symbol of my recovery from my many mental illnesses.
To those who are struggling, please, I encourage you to get help. You and your life are important. Think about how your family and friends and peers would feel if you did something to yourself. Things may be bad right now but what I've learned is that it cannot rain forever.





My second tattoo

My second tattoo is a red rose on my upper right arm, and design wise it is my favorite of the two. The meaning of this tattoo is a couple of things. 1 is because roses are my favorite flower. And 2 it is also for my uncle who died of leukemia when I was only 4 years old. His favorite color was red. I honestly wish I could've known him because my mom tells me and my brother how much of an amazing person he was.


Inspirational people: Monami Frost

One of my most favorite people in the alternative community is 22 year old Monami Frost. She has hundreds of tattoos that are mainly black and white. Along with her beautiful tattoos she has 42mm gauges (1.63"g), dimple piercings, and her medusa pierced. She has had a strong love for body modification since she was 10 years old! She got her first tattoo at the young age of 14 and she got her first piercing at the young age of 13. All of her piercings she's ever gotten she's done herself. Her left arm is almost completely blacked out. Her body mod makes her feel whole and like herself. In one of her YouTube videos she said she wouldn't feel like herself if she didn't have tattoos. She's a huge inspiration to me because she isn't afraid to be herself, no matter how many times she's called "disgusting" or gross". I personally believe she's so gorgeous on the outside and inside. Although I personally wouldn't almost completely cover my body in tattoos like her (I'm still going to have a lot lol), I still think she looks amazing.

 

I interviewed Si, another fellow member of the alternative community, about her sense of style. These were the questions and her responses;

• Q: Typically how are you and your style labeled by others?
• Her answer: "I am usually labeled punk, goth, and emo. I disagree with punk and emo although I feel like punk is closer to me than emo is."

• Q: Do these labels affect you in any way? If so how?
• Her answer: "They don't affect me a lot. I try not to listen to what people say about me or how people label me."

• Q: How would you describe your own style?
• Her answer: "I am inspired by 80's goth style, Martin Gore, and YouTubers in the goth community."

• Q: Do you feel like people judge too quickly on someone's looks or sense of style?
• Her answer: "I definitely feel like people are very judgmental about how people dress, especially those who dress in a way that is different."

Thank you Si for letting me interview you!! Keep rockin' girly!

Welcome to InkBlots!!

What you are probably wondering is why my blog is about self expression.... Well now I'll tell you! For years now I've been extremely passionate about self expression and body mod. I know in my heart that it's art, just not in the form a lot of people expect. Art isn't just a painting on a wall or a sculpture, it can take so many more forms like beautifully done tattoo's or makeup and even piercings. I absolutely am in love with my unique/alternative style and I love unique/alternative style in general because it is different from the ordinary and over the years I learned that being different is the best way to be. Being like everyone else is boring and I am the complete opposite kind of person, which is why my style is different from others. I have 3 nose piercings; both nostrils and septum. I also have 3 ear piercings on both sides (6 in total) and size 0 gauges on both ears. I sadly only have one tattoo (that means a lot to me), but in a month I am finally 18 so that will soon change! My tattoo is the depression awareness ribbon on my left wrist and it says "Hope" on the ribbon.
My topic has a big impact (both negative and positive) of many aspects of our world today such as:
-Job opportunities
-Acceptance from people
-Tattoo industry
-Makeup industry
-Alternative community
-Music Industry
-Concerts/concert life
-Hardcore community
-Social judgment and assumptions

You should care about my topic because what if your style was one who was badly criticized? And what if your style prevented you from getting a job quicker than most? You would want justice like us alternative styled people do!! Most of us are awesome, kind, outgoing people but we get judged immediately by how we look! How would you feel if you were judged right away before someone even talked to you or got to know you? You may not like alternative style but my blog will show why you should be more accepting and respectful of different styles and personal choices and not be so closed minded. I want you to appreciate this style because it really is art!!