TATTOO TAG | pain, cost, etc.

I've been asked a few times about my tattoos so thought I would do a post showing you them all and explaining how much they hurt and cost and blah blah blah - I know everyone has a different pain tolerance but this is just my experience.
DISCLAIMER! If you don't like tattoos or disagree with them or whatever then please don't bother reading, sorry!  Also, none of my tattoos have any meaning, I just have them because they're pretty and I love all of them!

FIRST - lyrics

Pain rating: 2/10

Cost: £30.00

Position: Back of right forearm

So when I had this done I thought that it was the worst three minutes of my life and the most pain I had ever endured, but it really wasn't that bad at all, especially in comparison to the bigger ones I've had done since!  I wanted something small as my first tattoo just so I could experience everything and make sure I wouldn't be too much of a wimp.  They are Paramore lyrics from the song My Heart which is from their first album.  I went to a place called Underground to get this done just because no where else had any spaces available and it was a spur of the moment thing. 

SECOND - roses and compass

Pain rating: 4/10 (about a 6 on the wrist though)

Cost: £200.00 in total

Position: Left forearm   

 

I was looking for some inspiration to start a sleeve and loved the idea of having a sort of nature kind of theme, I sent a couple of photos to a tattoo artist, called Marie, who did her own take on them and I chose this one!  I ended up going to somone else to colour it and I wanted the dot work all over but he only did the compass like it, and shaded the rest really strangely so I was not happy.  I ended up going back to the same lovely lady who first did the lining at Folklore Tattoo Studio and she re-worked it fabulously!  It took around 6 hours in total, and cost a bit more than it should have because I had it re-worked, but was definitely worth it.

THIRD - jelly fish

Pain: 4/10

Cost: £13.00 

Position: Right ankle 

 

Pretty much every friday the 13th, tattoo shops do flash sheets of small tattoos which they sell for just £13.00 each and again, I got this done at Folklore but by Adam (I will link all of the social media below!) and it's so cute!!  It became the start of ideas for having a nautical theme lot of tattoos on my right ankle and calf, and I can't wait for the rest.

FOUR - sun heart

Pain: 8/10

Cost: £60.00 

Position: Top inner right arm

 

Again, this tattoo was done by another different person!  She's just an apprentice but I was so impressed by all of her drawings and first tattoos on people, so I decided to ask her about this style of tattoo I wanted that she seemed to have experience with.  It really was horrendous, it was so painful and the healing was 100 times worse.  I had to have it touched up a few months later because it had healed so patchy and horrible.  I do think it's really pretty but I want more added to it, like a pretty face in the sun and more flowers going up and around my arm.

FIVE - octopus

Pain: 4/10

Cost: £13.00

Position: Right ankle

How cute is this little guy!!  Another cheap and cheerful friday the 13th tattoo, and addition to my ankle.  I'm thinking of having another couple little ones around my ankle like an anklet, and maybe a badass shark and to top it all off, a fabulous mermaid.  Back at Folklore again, Marie tattooed this but it was designed by Adam.

SIX - moth 

Pain: 5/10

Cost: £180.00

Position: Back of left forearm

Okay this was really hard to take a photo of by myself so please excuse the crappy quality!  Marie tattooed this on me shortly before re-working the front of my forearm, and I was completely in awe!!  I couldn't get over the shading and the neat lines!  She's so lovely and definitely worth paying a visit to.

SEVEN - gap fillers

 Pain: 5/10

Position: Top of left forearm

 Pain: 8/10 (you can see the bruises!!)

Position: Back of left forearm

Again, tattooed by Marie.  I had these done the other day and am currently struggling with life.  I can't even sit comfortably!!  It's really swollen and achey but so beautiful and therefore so worth it.  I had booked in for 4 hours to get these done which cost £240.00 so in total, I've spent quite a bit these past two years - especially these past few months - on getting it all finished.  I think it's expensive yeah, but you get what you pay for, I've had a cheaper tattoo which left me in so much agony and didn't turn out right, and I've had these done which speak for themselves.  I plan on forever going back to Marie for all of my tattoos, she is a fantastic tattoo artist and an even better human.

For all of them, I use(d) anti bacterial hand soap (unscented) from Asda which was like 90p and it works a treat!  Then for the first couple of weeks while they're all scabby and pretty, I used E45 cream afterwards.  Once they're healed I use any sort of nourishing body creams on them just to keep them moisturised and happy.

I have so many more planned, from cats high on cat nip, to a pretty lady with centipedes for hair.  I definitely don't think you have to have a reasoning for your tattoos, if you see something and you think it's cool, or you want a portrait of your dog then just do it!!  Whoever decided every tattoo anyone has needs to have some deep narrative is an idiot, I think that it's great having meaningful tattoos but you don't need to think of one for everything :-)

Let me know if any of you have tattoos or if you have any crazy ones planned!!

Thanks for reading!

X

TATTOO ARTISTS

MARIE

ADAM

FOLKLORE

*All photos are my own unless stated otherwise

*I was not paid or sponsored to write this post