Bottega Veneta pumps, $800.

I got a funny press release last week from podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zong, forwarded to me by a friend. It basically says that there may be problems for women who frequently wear high heels. Wow! Next we’ll hear that smoking and drinking is bad for you too!

The only logical explanation for this statement is that there are people out there that have not figured out that high heels are bad for you. Which is strange, because its pretty obvious that tottering around in 5 inch stilettos is clearly not going to do any favours to your back. But smoking isn’t good for you, neither is drinking, or running marathons, but we all do those things for other reasons other than they are good for our health (well, I don’t smoke or run marathons…) I wear high heels because, well, I love them. Any further explanation into my love of shoes will need a seperate post, or maybe a novel, to fully explain.

Miu Miu pumps, $670.

Anyway, the Doctor went on to explain ““If you hold a limb in a shortened position over and extended period, the muscles shorten.” Researchers found that high heel-wearers’ muscle fibers are on average 13% shorter than flat shoe-wearers, which explains why the high heel fans experience discomfort when walking barefoot or in flat shoes.” That might explain why I always seem to trip or fall over when I am wearing flats. I can dance all night in a pair of 5 inch heels, but put me in ballerina flats or a pair of Converse and I’m close to breaking my neck.

Alaïa wedges, $2090.

Here were Dr. Zong’s tips for us stiletto-obsessed women. (With my comments, of course.)

1. Invest in good heels. That’s right, the experts say to splurge on shoes! The money you spend on good shoes will be much less than the money you would spend on visits to the doctor.

AMEN! That is the best piece of advice…ever. Mom, if you are reading this, then note that this is the exact reason why I spent thousands of dollars on shoes in the past ten years, not on a house.

2. Trade quantity for quality. You don’t necessarily need to squander your entire life savings on a collection of high heels. Expensive shoes are not necessarily better and cheaper shoes are not necessarily bad.

Ummm…is he suggesting that it isn’t necessary to have a closet FULL of gorgeous shoes? Because if that is the case, I’ll have to disagree. There is nothing more satisfying than having a beautiful collection of shoes one can caress and adore. And wear, sometimes.

Versace ankle boots, $850.

3. Don’t wait to buy new shoes.

The man is reading my mind…

4. Always stretch your lengthened legs. This tip is especially relevant for fashion addicts. You can do all sorts of leg stretches while sitting at your desk, waiting in line for coffee, or even while standing in an elevator.

A practical tip, and one worth considering. Can these leg stretches be a replacement for yoga classes?

5. Treat yourself to a foot rub! After walking in heels all day, foot massages and pedicures can do wonders for tired, achy feet.

What the Doctor really should be saying is that non-pedicured feet are scary. I am not saying that everyones needs professional pedicures, but there is nothing worse than a great pair of shoes worn with a set of rough nails with chipped nail polish. Paint them, or hide them.

Versace ankle boots, $875 (Versace is kicking ass in the shoe department these days.)

On that note, I’ll share a rather funny story that happened to me today… I am in the process of trying to buy a house in a small mountain town outside of Vancouver (more on that if and when it is finalized. I don’t want to get excited until I have keys in my hand.) I was speaking to an insurance company about contents insurance, and she was telling me that if I had a bicycle worth more than $10,000, I would need separate coverage, etc… I don’t know who in the hell would consider spending that much on a mountain bike (for 10K you could have ten amazing pairs of shoes, a 5 star holiday, or a ‘69 Ford Mustang, so why the hell would you want a bike?) I explained to her that I had a hefty clothing and accessories collection worth well over $10,000.

Alaïa sandals, $2680.

Her jaw dropped and she said I must have one hell of a collection of shoes (yup.) “But you don’t actually have a pair of shoes worth more than a few hundred dollars, right? I mean, sorry, but, can I ask how much is your most expensive pair of shoes? For the insurance?” She as beginning to stumble, either in confusion of the shoe prices, or sheer jealousy, I think a combination of both. I told her my most expensive pair of shoes was $1,500 (they were my wedding shoes…of course I’d spend that much!) and her jaw hit the floor.

I guess there aren’t many pairs of expensive shoes in the town I’ll be living in…which should be interesting. Anyway, I am not moving there for the shopping, or the fact that I could make use of a $10,000 mountain bike in the mountains nearby, as I’ll be doing neither. I caught her checking out my shoes on the way out (a pair of red Chie Mihara sandals, in case you’re wondering.)

Charlotte Olympia pump, $715.

(The images above are all from Net A Porter, and are a selection of shoes I’d like for Fall. In case I decide to spend money on shoes instead of a house.)

I have to say I was a bit confused as to why Burberry was launching cosmetics. Yes, I understand that people like buying cosmetics, especially ones by nice brands with amazing packaging (like the Burberry cosmetics) but I feel that the market is saturated. Do we really need another makeup brand that sells great basic foundations, eyeshadows, and lipsticks? I don’t think so, but as a colleague kindly pointed out to me, the young Burberry fans certainly will think so.

Burberry has changed so much over the past ten years. When I first met Christopher Bailey, about nine years ago, he was considered to be a bit of a star, but now, he is a super mega fashion star. I have before that I feel that his contribution to the success of Burberry is slightly exaggerated, as I feel his creative talents would be far less valuable without the support of his executive team, namely the ex-CEO Rose Marie Bravo. Regardless, Burberry is doing VERY well right now, and that’s thanks to a killer team. As a result, Burberry is now recognized as a cool, trendy brand by the young fashion consumers, and I suppose they are the ones who will be rushing out to buy the cosmetics.

Before I tell you what I think about the cosmetics, here’s what Burberry says about Burberry Beauty:

“Burberry Beauty reflects the natural style and relaxed attitude of our iconic trench coat capturing the effortless elegance and individuality of the Burberry girl.” (Christopher Bailey)

The makeup is…

“warm colours that heighten natural glow and beauty”, “inspired by the touch and feel of lightweight Burberry outerwear fabrics – the last layer you put on”, “Gabardine, trench, smoky, greyed-off dusty hues.”

Anyway, I haven’t’ actually tried any of the makeup (there wasn’t any in the goody bag at the Holt Renfrew Burberry cosmetics launch, and since I hardly wear any makeup, I don’t intend on buying any) however, I must say the packaging is phenomenal. I also love the shapes of the patterns in the actual product, the branding consists of a series of lines inspired by the Burberry check. The weight, feel, and movement (opening and closing the product) feels good, feels luxury, and feels solid. And a girl on Tuesday told me she had given in and bought a bunch of product (she is a makeup buff) and she said the foundation was spectacular.

So there you have it, if you want some fantastic luxury cosmetics, add Burberry to the list of brands you can choose from. And by the way, for my Canadian readers, the only place you can buy it is at Holt Renfrew in Toronto (Bloor street) or Vancouver.

I find it hard to write about fragrance, because you need to be able to smell it to understand, and I can’t really convey scent through my blog, unless I use cheesy descriptor words like musky, floral, citrus, etc… which don’t mean anything at all. But I was sent a sample of the Ayala Moriel Bonzai Perfume and I felt it was worth a mention. They describe it as “Minimalistic, Japanese-inspired woody fragrance with shiso and agarwood.” I agree it smells woody, and quite fresh, and almost a bit masculine. It would also make a great candle scent. It is worth checking out, if you are looking for something new, and not too mainstream.

Here’s a blurb about Ayala Moriel Parfums, a Vancouver-based company, from their website:

“Ayala Moriel Parfums is an artisan perfume house dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. We design and handcraft natural perfumes from pure and precious botanical essences.”

You can buy the products online, or at the following retailers.

Gisele modelling for Calzedonia, with her "post-baby flat stomach." Incidentally, Calzedonia is possibly my favourite swimsuit brand in the entire world

I think it is great that Gisele has managed to get herself in shape so quickly after giving birth, but I really don’t need to hear about it. Every day. First of all, it sure helps that she has enough money to employ staff to ensure that she eats well, exercises, the baby is entertained, etc… So she definitely has an advantage over normal people. But also, this is another one of those screwed up messages we are sending out to the world…”you must have a perfect body 6 months after having a baby…” It is not feasible for most, especially those who have more than just 5 photos shoots and a bunch of breast feeding between birth and 6 months.

This goes back to the plastic surgery the teens are having…when the media wastes column inches (printed or online) going on and on and on about the perfection achieved by the world’s most beautiful and richest women, it makes it tough for the rest of the world to catch up. And people begin to start doing stupid things (like getting a nose job so that your sunglasses look better. Christ.)

I think Gisele is beautiful, and I love seeing her in catwalk shows, campaigns, etc.. So can we just look and admire, rather than having to listen all the time about how flat her stomach is? She’s a supermodel, that’s her bloody job. Baby or not.

Here’s some of the countless articles (mostly from high quality publications, of course) talking about her “baby body.”

People
Anything Hollywood
The Cut
Skinny vs Curvy

Image courtesy of Calzedonia.

Belgian teen Kimberley Vlaminck with 56 stars tattooed on her face. No wonder she was worried her Dad would get pissed off.

I read this very scary article today in the Globe and Mail about the rise in teenagers getting plastic surgery. Apparently in the US, teenage procedures has doubled in the past eight years. It is bad enough trying to decide whether you do physics or not in high school (because that might affect whether you study engineering in university) but to make important decisions like that about your body when you are 15 is just wrong. (Ages of teens getting surgery range from 13 to 19 years old.)

It scares me a lot to see the number of teens getting massive tattoos in Vancouver. I see it on some of my students. I got my first tattoo when I was 16, but I was smart, I got it small, put it somewhere where it couldn’t be easily noticed, and made sure it was easy to incorporate into a larger tattoo ten years later, BECAUSE OF COURSE I WAS GOING TO REGRET SOMETHING I DID AT THE AGE OF 16. But a small tattoo is one thing, how about an entire arm of tattoos? Or a nose job? Or breast enlargements?

But I think it is also important to define what is acceptable surgery for teens. Nose jobs so that their Paris Hilton style sunglasses sit on their nose better (seriously, read the article) = NO. Breast reductions, if you have a very large cup size and back problems = YES.

The article quotes Oakley Smith, a Toronto-based surgeon, as saying “‘I think there are a lot of influences driving it. There’s the adolescent pressure to fit in and not stand out. There’s a bigger pressure toward perfection in today’s society. There’s a media pressure, too. All the media [portray] are perfect people and that seeps into young people’s consciousness to become a goal.’ Many media influences are specifically touting plastic surgery as a cure-all for supposed imperfections, he notes, citing the MTV reality show The Hills and star Heidi Montag, a young woman who has had multiple cosmetic surgeries before the age of 23, as especially suggestive.”

I think the real fear is that someone as flaky and pointless as Heidi Montag has such a powerful ability to influence people. People like her have always existed (well, not quite like her, but equally as ridiculous) and teens were able to think for themselves and not run out and copy the silly celebrities. Why is it suddenly happening now? And how much are the surgeons or the doctor’s governing bodies to blame? Plastic surgery used to be extremely expensive, but now anyone can afford it.

Lolo Ferrari. This is one of the most tasteful photos I could find of her.

One thing I do know, is that it is close to impossible to try and convince a teenager that something they desperately want to do is a bad idea. Once they have an idea in their head, it stays there until their early twenties. I guess the media needs to portray these freaks (the Heidi Montags of the world) as jokes to be laughed at, and hopefully the teens won’t get any more ideas. Or maybe we need to have more photos of Lolo Ferrari out in the public domain. She’s enough to turn anyone off plastic surgery for good.

Image sources:
Heidi Montag (scan from People)
Lolo Ferrari

Rene Russo, 1976. Makeup by Way Bandy.

I am so excited about the interview I did on Monday night with Walter Cessna, for my next Fashion Chat. There’s aren’t many people in the industry who were designers at the age of 16, sold their first magazine to a publisher at the age of 17 and have been sued by American Airlines AND Louis Vuitton. So stay tuned… the interview will be published in the next few days.

In the meantime, Way Bandy is a makeup artist whose name was mentioned in the interview, so I thought I’d post a few pictures of his work. Here is a fantastic blurb about his work, from V Magazine.

“The makeup artist Way Bandy was the first beauty superstar. He was there for the ’70s and the ’80s when fashion met disco and sex. He was there when the production values at photo shoots—then called sittings—went through the roof. It was he and his adopted creative family who designed an American look and lifestyle that inspires fashion insiders and image savants to this day. Bandy literally gave it its face.

Before Bandy, there was no such thing as an editorial force like Pat McGrath or a mass-market phenomenon like Bobbi Brown. Before Bandy, models were asked to apply their own makeup. “There were no makeup people in New York,” remembers Sandy Linter, a makeup artist who some know as an inspiration for the composite character played by Elizabeth Mitchell in the 1998 film Gia. “When I say there were none, I mean there were maybe only five of us. Way was the only game in town for a long, long time.” Bandy is the reason that a legion of beauty professionals exists today. “He made it an attractive career,” says Maury Hopson, a hairstylist, Bandy’s close friend, and co-executor of his estate.”

Rene Russo, shot by Francesco Scavullo. Makeup by Way Bandy.

Iman, shot by Francesco Scavullo. Makeup by Way Bandy.

Brooke Shields, makeup by Way Bandy.

Photographer Francesco Scavullo, makeup by Way Bandy.

Bazaar magazine, makeup by Way Bandy.

Makeup by Way Bandy.

Way Bandy (right) with friend Maury Hopson.

Way Bandy;s book, Designing Your Face, published in 1984.

Cher in Vanity Fair, makeup by Way Bandy.

See more Pretty Pictures:
Brian Duffy
Richard Avedon
David LaChapelle
Makeover Madness by Steve Meisel
Elina Simonen

Image sources, from top to bottom. 1, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Nicole Kidman's "frozen" face.

Here’s an interesting press release headline that landed into my inbox today…

“Hollywood Casting Directors Say “No” to Fake looks”

It went on to say that “Hollywood casting agents have recently requested a more “natural” looking movie star. It seems the years of Botox, facelifts and breast enhancements have left some actresses literally frozen in time and unable to clearly express emotions. Highly advanced 3D, high definition, and blu-ray quality movies leave many actors to make a choice – forgo excessive injections to score the more “serious” roles…or remain youthful forever but give up the types of roles that win awards.”

Nicole Kidman is used as an example of a star who used to be an Oscar-winning actress, and is “now simply “frozen” in all of her recent roles.”

Well, well, well… Is this surprising, or was it on the cards? To be honest, I think it is funny. Plastic surgery, particularly Botox, was one of the worst trends ever. I’m all about trying new things, but no one knew the long term effects of using tons of Botox, and now here we are, with a bunch of “frozen” faced celebrities. We all know face lifts rarely look good, and Botox is passable in very small quantities, but certainly not overdone. Now everyone who went Botox crazy is stuck with an emotionless face.

Cher Then and Now: It is impossible to look like this when you are over 55.

Another thing I really couldn’t understand is the huge market for “cheap” procedures, like people flying abroad for cheap plastic surgery (without medical insurance!!!!) or getting quick fix procedures by through clinics, instead of highly recognized doctors. There are a few things that can’t be done on the cheap:

Plastic surgery: There is no point in being cheap here, get it done properly, or don’t get it done at all.

Tattoos: If they can squeeze you in tomorrow, don’t bother. All the good ones are booked up three months in advance. If they aren’t, then it means they aren’t in demand, and that means…they probably aren’t very good.

Laser Eye Surgery: No need to explain here, although I was once told that one third of laser eye surgeries are corrections of procedures gone wrong. I’ll stick to glasses and contact lenses, thanks.

Shoe repair: cheap shoe repair = destruction to your expensive shoes. It’s not worth it!

Perfume: Cheap perfume means you smell bad. You’re better off not smelling at all.

Susan Sarandon, an example of how to grow old gracefully.

Anyway, back to plastic surgery, the release goes on to discuss a doctor in Las Vegas (Dr. Shoib Myint) who “repairs” botched surgeries, and he also does many “natural” looks for clients. Ok, I know it is easy for me to say, “get the natural look by staying…natural ?!?!” because I was blessed with good skin and I don’t wear foundation, but with the population getting older, when can we begin to appreciate old age? And the fact that it is not such a bad thing? Sure, get a snip here and there if you really think you need to, but there is no point in looking like you are 20 when you are 50, because then you just look stupid.

Hopefully I can revisit this post 30 years from now and be smug in the knowledge that I stuck to my beliefs.

Thanks M for forwarding me this story…

Image credits: Nicole Kidman, Cher and Susan Sarandon.

Would you like to smell like this? Bruce Willis in Die Hard.

When I see a headline like this in my inbox:

“Bruce Willis Sets Fragrance Deal”

I want to cry.

Why the hell would anyone want to buy a Bruce Willis fragrance? Does any man want to smell like him? Does any woman want her man to smell like Bruce Willis? I didn’t realize they could make a fragrance that smells of sweaty, dirty American “hero” crashing cars in order to save the world/USA/Los Angeles.

In fact, why would anyone buy a celebrity fragrance? I don’t think I could bring myself to buy a celebrity fragrance even if I loved the smell, because it is sort of implying that you want to smell like that person. And a smell is so individual, you can’t emulate the smell of a celebrity. Designer perfumes make scents (ha ha, ok, sense) because when someone wears a recognizable perfume, it still develops its own unique smell on that person. But trying to smell like a celebrity is just weird (unless you are 9 years old, that’s ok.) I’m all about idolizing people (like I idolize Patty Hewes) but I wouldn’t want to smell like her, or look exactly like her. Maybe I’d copy the way she manipulates everyone to get her way, or pairs those crisp, untucked shirts perfectly with classic tailoring, but I wouldn’t buy her collection of clothing (and Glenn Close would never stoop that low anyway.) And by the way are there any celebrities with credibility who have their own fragrances?

A fragrance by Kim Kardashian. Who wants to smell like desperation?

I am so sick of celebrity collaborations, unless there’s a really good reason for it (the only one I can think of is charity. And a serious contribution, not just 5% of profits…)

And speaking of bad celebrity collaborations, this quote in Vogue about Sarah Jessica Parker’s involvement in Halson makes me want to be sick.

“She says it took a long time to make the decision. “There was every reason to say no, and there were very compelling reasons to say yes. They were very persuasive,” says (Sarah Jessica Parker), although she gave them every possible excuse to walk away. She told them they were taking “a very untraditional route” and that they’d be bludgeoned for it.”

Here’s a reason why she should have said no to getting involved with Halston: SJP, you are not a designer, and Patricia Field is responsible for making you look good in Sex and the City, so get out of the fashion industry. And please stop making bad perfumes too.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet perfume. I covet your SATC collection of Manolos, not your cheap fragrance.

Diptyque candle set.

Someone’s scent is such an important part of their identity, and I’m uncomfortable with the fact that its been a very long time since I’ve worn perfume. When I was in my late teens I started wearing Calyx by Prescriptives, which is a fruity, citrus scent. I continued to wear it for quite a few years, but a few months ago I wrote a post about the fact that I was getting tired of it, and needed something new.

Part of my shopping mission in London was to find a new perfume. I didn’t want something predictable, so I thought I’d spend some time in the Liberty’s perfume department, as they have some very unique, interesting scents. I was going to go there on Wednesday and browse their fragrance department, but in the end there was no need.

Diptyque baies candle.

I met my friends Sally and Andrew for breakfast in Notting hill, and when I hugged Sally I noticed straight away that she was wearing Diptyque’s fig scent. Immediately I knew I had to get that same perfume.

I know it’s a predictable, very “fashion” scent, and ever since the first time I smelt it, as a candle, I loved it. There was a time in Paris that nearly all the fashion people were burning copious amounts of Diptyque fig candles, in their studios, their apartments, everywhere. (Puff Daddy-P Diddy-Sean Combs-Whatever used to buy Diptyque candles by the crate) It started off reminding me of Paris apartments, large spacious rooms with big windows overlooking shaded courtyards. Then I moved to London, and refused to pay £35 pounds for a Diptyque candle when I could get it for nearly half the price in Paris. So I asked my friend Nora to post me one, and she did, in a paper envelope, which of course ripped and fell apart from the weight of the candle, so it was lost. She finally delivered my candle six months later in person, and by then I was so obsessed with it that it became this precious object only to be burned on special occasions.

Diptyque fig candle.

The candle lasted a very long time, because you only need to burn it for 15 minutes to release the scent. Then I cheated on Diptyque for a while with the Henri Bendel’s pomegranate candle, but that too was difficult to get, since they didn’t ship outside the USA, and not many people like carrying 3 kilos worth of candles back from New York.

The reason why I started making candles in Vancouver was because I realized that the Diptyque candles were going to cost over 80 dollars each, including shipping (they don;t sell in Vancouver.) But when I met Sally on wed morning and had a whiff of the fig perfume, I knew I had to buy it for myself. I am certainly not going to try to make perfume.

Diptyque fig perfume

It certainly is not the unique, special scent in the incredibly beautiful bottle I was hoping to buy. But Diptyque’s fig scent feels very “me.”

I am hiding out in the corner with my laptop while the cleaners finish sorting out my place (yes, I know I am lazy, but I just refuse to clean. I’d rather have two less dinners out a month, to pay for a cleaner) so I thought I’d write one last blog post before I start packing and get out of here. By the way, I will be posting as much as possible during my trip, and I will be twittering frequently, so if you want up-to-the-minute London shopping updates, you can follow me on Twitter. I have really neglected my Twitter account, I only this week figured out how to use the # sign, so I am going to work on improving my tweeting skills while I am away. Hopefully I can get my follower numbers up, they are pathetic right now.

New Wave Tattoo

Anyway, while I was getting my nails done the other day, I was thinking about how crazy it is that there aren’t more developments in the world of nail embellishment. I know the gels and the acrylics are good for length, and there are a million nail polishes and embellishments you can get, but why isn’t there something that is a bit more permanent and natural? That got me thinking about the nail tattoos I got a few years ago, and I thought it was time for me to write a post about New Wave Tattoo, and the owner Lal Hardy, and my tattooist, Adam Collins.

Lal Hardy's Work

When I was 16 I got a silly star tattooed on the small of my back. It is so embarrassing to see the huge numbers of people that have stars tattooed somewhere on their body. And I have seen at least five other people with stars tattooed on the small of the back. I had knows for some time I wanted to get another tattoo, a bigger one, and after about ten years I figured out what I wanted. I say it is a good idea to spend about ten years thinking about a tattoo before you get it…you are less likely to make a mistake. Anyway, I decided to get a rather large tattoo on my back, which would incorporate the star, and take up the entire of my lower back.

Adam Collin's Work

I did my research, and learnt that Lal Hardy’s studio was the place to go in London, and Adam was highly recommended. Here’s why I knew they were good:

1. It was three months before I could get an appointment with Adam. (If I’d wanted Lal, it would have been six months.) Fact:  a good tattooist will be booked up well in advance. A crappy one will have three openings next week.
2. Their parlour is in Muswell Hill, which is North London, nowhere near a tube station, a good ten minutes walk from the bus stop, and on a residential street near absolutely nothing, except the news agent next door. Any normal business would fail, in the middle of nowhere, on a residential street, totally off the beaten track. But only a bloody good tattooist can hide up in the middle of North London, and still have line ups of people waiting to get an appointment.
3. Their work is amazing. They are a bit intimidating at the start, like most tattooists, but deep down are genuinely nice guys. And they take serious pride in their work. When I calculated the amount of time Adam spent on my tattoo, compared to the amount I paid him, I realized this is not a money making business (they don’t charge for artwork, or retouching) and therefore it must be a labour of love. Just don’t ask for a Tasmanian devil, because he hates doing those.

Tattoos are very commonplace in Vancouver, which I found surprising when I got here. Although there’s been a tattoo trend in recent years (David Beckham probably has something to do with that), I think, on average, there are a lot in Vancouver. I was planning on having mine expanded, although I don’t think I can bear the pain (which is quite bad on the back), and since I can only handle 3 hours at time, it will probably mean another six months of tattoo appointments, which is also quite annoying, since I’ll be in the constant cycle of “in pain cause I just had a tattoo” to “my tattoo is healing and I’m itching like hell” to “I’m about get to more work done on my tattoo”. It consumes your life.

Lal Hardy's Work

Here are a couple of my tips on tattoos.

1. Get recommendations. A good tattooist will be booked up well in advance which is a good thing. You have to be patient.
2. Don’t turn up and say “I want the tattoo that (enter tacky celebrity name here) has.” Get your own damn tattoo, its pathetic to copy someone else’s.
3. It is not polite to turn up with an exact rendition of the artwork you want. Note that the reason a tattooist is referred to as a tattoo artist, not a “Needle guy who copies pictures onto bodies” is because they are artists. Its good to have an idea of what you want, and visuals to refer to, but let the tattooist get involved in the design. They are the experts, and you should choose your tattooist based on their previous work , which means you want them to inject some of their own style into the piece.
4. If you are young, like under the age of 20, I’d suggest you hold off tattooing your whole entire body until you are a bit older. A few are ok, but its depressing to meet 18 year olds who already have sleeves and plans for more. Tattoos are permanent, and its hard to tell what you are going to be feeling when you are 40. Maybe you’ll want to have some skin left on your arms. Or at least enough room to tattoo your kids’ names.
5. Only tattoo names of family and dead people. Well, that’s my opinion. I have a friend who has had to get so many girlfriends names covered up, its getting ridiculous.
6. Be brave. If you are going to get a tattoo, don’t get a wimpy one. Commit to it, and get something serious, and meaningful. And do not get a slag tag (a Celtic motif on a female’s lower back.)

Finally, on to the nail tattoos. Lal Hardy did these for me for fun, while I was visiting their stand at the International Tattoo Convention a few years ago. They are done with a very fine needle, that penetrates the first few layers of the nail. They grow out with the nail, and they don’t hurt at all. The problem I had with them is that my nails were so weak, the started to break when the tattoo reached the tip. But the idea is fantastic.

This was one of my nail tattoos, but I had a second one that was much nicer, that I don't have a photograph of. It was a flower. The tattoo just grows out with your nail.

*Sorry this was posted incomplete due to Blackberry problems… I have now added images and links!