LIFESTYLE: What to do in Paris for a weekend

As a birthday treat, hubby took me for a long weekend to Paris... i know, lucky girl.
So i thought I'd  share some of my hints and tips for a trip to Paris, and share some of my photos. 

TATTOOS: The sternum tattoo - the new fashion statement

If you're  like me, you'll love looking at tattoos on Pinterest and Instagram,  and being inspired by others tattoo work.

 
And you will have noticed over the years that there tends to be a trend within tattoos,  especially in the more mainstream community.  The 90's saw the rise of the tribal armband,  and the 00s saw a lot of love for the lower back or affectionately  named 'tramp stamp'. 

Recently I've noticed a trend in sternum or under-boob tattoos. They are cropping up on Instagram and Pinterest in all sorts of styles, from neo-traditional full colour,  to intricate black and white dot work.

LIFESTYLE: Look around my home

My little flat shared with my husband and two cats is my favourite place to be. It is filled with mementoes from our lives together. As we are currently looking for a new house to buy, it seemed the right time to share what my last rented flat looks like, before we take the leap to a grown up house!

I like to think of my flat as a cross between an art gallery and a natural museum. Of course we have the usual family photographs, especially from our wedding and bits and pieces from our travels.

TATTOOS: Do Tattoos Hurt?

It's the age old question, a question that still to this day is not completely answered. It's deeply personal and every person you meet will have a different answer.

Do tattoos hurt?

In short, in my opinion, yes.

But there's so much more to it. Yes they are painful. You have to remember you have a needle, or in the case of shading,  several needles repeatedly penetrating your skin through to the dermis. That process hardly screams pain-free.

But it's not as bad as it sounds. Yes needles are going into your skin, but so do the ones in acupuncture and you don't feel those at all.

The first 10 minutes are pretty tough as your body adjusts to the pain and your adrenaline kicks in. But once you settle and a relax (tensing up makes the entire thing worse) it is easier to take the pain.

Of course I am talking about tattoos that a going to take longer than an hour. The most I've sat in one session is five and a half hours of actual tattooing time. It wasn't easy. It is physically draining. And different parts of the body are different in terms of pain.

Those fun infographics on Pinterest of the pain for different parts of the body aren't completely wrong - although every one will have a different opinion. I think foot tattoos are hard work and incredibly painful and uncomfortable,  where as a girl I lived next door to in halls at university was the complete opposite and had no problems with her foot.

It is also the cleaning process that causes some pain. Wiping that fresh wound repeated is intensely sore and irritating - though it is required. 

General consensus is that it is more annoying and uncomfortable than actual pain. It's a scratchy feeling that gets annoying, plus coupled with an unusual sitting/laying position (you're usually contorted in some way for a long sitting) and hours of being in a similar position, the whole process drains you.

My tips for dealing with the pain:

• Distraction - watch a film on a tablet or read - keeping your mind occupied will keep you from focusing on the pain and discomfort
• Relax - try focused steady breathing to get through the tougher parts
• Talk - also works in the same way as a film, keeping your mind on other things
• Use Bactine - now this stuff is amazing. One of my tattooists uses this on her clients as she tends to do a lot of whole day sessions and this makes the whole thing easier. Spray on a open wound - i.e. after one layer of shading and it completely numbs the area - but you can only use it on areas already tattooed so you'll have to sit the linework old school.

Don't worry - they aren't as bad as this Youtube Video!

All in all, it's not going to be like being licked by a puppy, but it isn't so bad that you'll be traumatised for life either. 

How do you feel about the pain of tattoos?
And how do you deal with the pain?

*image from Pinterest

LIFESTYLE: My Raremoments Boudoir Shoot Experience

I recently won a facebook competition for a boudoir shoot at a local photo studio called Rare Moments Photography and thought I would share my experience with you. 

I've never done anything like it before and thought hey, you only live once right. After a pretty shit start to the year, I felt like my luck was starting to change and maybe things were on the up so why not try something a little out of my comfort zone. After feeling pretty down about myself and feeling let down by my body, I wanted to gain my old confidence back, and prove to myself I'm still the woman I was last year,  if not better!

Arriving into the very scenic Petersfield I found the studio pretty quickly. I was instantly welcomed in and seated and having a chat with one of the girls on reception. Shortly after commenced hair and make up.

Not going to lie I felt glammed up after Casey was finished with me. If only I could look that sophisticated everyday.

Then onto the shoot. My photographer was amazing.  Put me totally at ease, completely comfortable and made the entire experience relaxed and most importantly.... fun. I couldn't hold all the poses (credit to models everywhere) and I was sweating like mad as it was a hot Saturday and even the HUGE fan was giving up on itself! The whole photo experience was fab. I would definitely do it again!

They have a slightly different set up compared to most studios. Viewings are done on a different day to the shoot. I think its quite good personally.  It keeps the anticipation going longer, and you're more likely to stay with in budget as you're not still riding your glam high from being a model for an hour.

On arrival to our ordering appointment we were met by the lovely staff and shown to a private room with a sofa (and sweets) to be shown my images. First was a slideshow set to music of all my photos. I was pretty impressed not going to lie, especially with the lovely and confidence boosting comments. 

Then we went through the images one by one using a traffic light system, green yes, amber maybe and red no. This eventually whittled us down to 13 images. We then got down to 8 final images in digital files. As with all photo studios the images are not cheap, but I was given a price list on leaving from my shoot so I was prepared. 

It was not the easiest decision getting the numbers down.

"Rare Moments did an amazing job. I'm so happy with the photos, and I really hadn't anticipated loving them as much as I do.
The entire experience was amazing. I felt empowered, beautiful, comfortable, confident and proud of myself. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to treat themselves and boost their self-love and body confidence. "

You can find Rare Moments Boudoir Photography on Facebook or see their website.
*copyright is owned by Rare Moments Boudoir and images cannot be replicated without prior permission