Life in Ink the Beauty of a Work in Progress

Those of you who follow our blog on a regular basis will probably recognize our team member, Cat.  You might remember her getting funky with some cocktail rings, showing off her dark side with a perfectly poisoned apple, or being pierced in front of the camera with a wonderful smile.

 

What you might not recognize though, is her lovely new tattoo.  Now when you take a look, don’t be confused; this tattoo isn’t finished.  It seems as though the plan is to fill in this stunning array of flowery blooms with shades of purple, ranging from lavenders and violets, to a pinkish tone.  The thing is that our fabulous friend isn’t in any huge hurry.



While she may subscribe to a retro rockabilly type fashion sense that could be commonly recognizable, our Cat is truly a one of a kind gal, and many things about her look are incredibly unique.  Every mod she gets has special meaning, like her recent Monroe piercing, lovingly perforated in honor of one of her idols, Marilyn Monroe.  Or her long-standing nose piercing, made with a safety pin and pure adrenaline when she was just 14 years old (certainly not recommended). And if you look very closely, you’ll notice that this new set of ink actually covers an old one, bearing a poetic phrase (quoted by the way, from cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show) that our resident sweetheart plans to get re-inked in a larger size.

 

So Cat waits, with an almost zen-like patience that can only be derived from the acceptance that, like life, the decoration of the human body is a constant work in progress, another step towards completion.  With every new addition, the skin is less altered than made whole.  And just like the person it’s a part of, it will continue to grow and change, picking up new scars along the way, each more memorable than the last.

Masters of Body Modification

Unstoppable is exactly the name that you might think of when you lay eyes on a guy like Pauly Unstoppable.  Even in the United States, it’s extremely rare to see someone who has multiple facial mods, especially at a regular job, but that’s exactly what Pauly is.  A hairdresser by trade, celebrity is something that seems to have happened naturally to such a normal guy.

 

Originally from Canada and living in Indiana, Pauly is still in his twenties and is arguably considered the most modified person in the world.  Often referred to as “the king of extreme body modification,” his mods include several piercings, multiple stretches, tattooing, an ocular tattoo (on the white of his eye), different types of implants, scarification, branding, nullification, tongue splitting, and several other things.
 

Oddly enough, the nickname “Unstoppable” is less a reference to his super mods, and more a confirmation of his super-human luck.  Pauly has reportedly survived being hit by a car, shot, and even set on fire, and was once in a coma for over two weeks.  And that’s not to mention having several painful modification procedures, and managing to overcome the stigma of his somewhat odd looks in favor of a creative and professional career.  He’s also been credited as the first person ever to receive an eyeball tattoo.  Talk about being truly unstoppable.



In recent years, Pauly has had his awesomely large stretched earlobes reconstructed, going from over 3 inches in diameter to an average shape.  He’s also discontinued the stretching of his nostril piercings, which had reportedly reached almost an inch and a half.  He is still recognized often when out and about, and asked for photos or autographs.

Life in Ink From Inception to Impression

 

If you’ve ever contacted BodyCandy, you may have spoken to a woman who has one of the coolest tattoos on the planet without even realizing it.  I’m talking about our team member Nicole, and this, my all time favorite of her many lively and colorful tattoos

Nicole has a very vibrant personality, and has told me before that she definitely loves color.  The thing that really struck me though about this particular piece of body mod is that, like so many great works of art, it seems to have taken on a life of its own.  The idea started with just a short and simple explanation by miss Nicole of what she was thinking and how she wanted it portrayed, and then, like magic, she and her talented tattoo artist took a giant leap forward and turned her vision into an entire leg sleeve!

I’m told that it started with the artist using marker to sketch this design out over her calf.  Then the outline of the piece was inked, and following that a series of sessions in which the color was filled.  Now, things like this don’t just happen overnight.  We’re talking about multiple sessions, worth big bucks, and culminating in hours of cumulative tattoo work.  And although this particular idea grew larger than expected and took on a life of its own, it bears mention that tattoos should be carefully thought out and planned, like this one still certainly was.

  

 

So if you’re thinking that this piece still looks a tad unfinished, we’ll let you in on some insider information about where it’s going next.  Rumor has it that our colorful friend the octopus is eventually going to be holding (wait for it), an interesting umbrella.

: