Hi, this is me, the sister who wants the cartilage piercing..
I did see some things about Claires that made me a little afraid of going and I don't know any other place that does piercings + is clean looking. I would like the piercing, but I'm beginning to be scared.
I would like to know, how do they do the needle proccess? I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to that. I've seen how they do it at Claires (I was there when Aitb had her ears pierced); I've heard about needle, but the only thing that comes to my mind are those painful descriptions of using a sewing needle on a cold potato or something . (And how much does this proccess hurt?)
But, if my options are limited, should I go to Claires and do the salt water thing, or just not get a piercing...

The needle process is very simple - they clean the area, check for veins, and then quickly pierce and slide the jewelry in (in a matter of seconds). It hurts less because the needle is very sharp and does no damage to the surrounding area, unlike other methods. It's nothing like being stuck with a sewing needle, I promise

If you can't find anywhere in your area to get it done and still want a piercing I'm not going to say never, ever go to Claire's, just keep in mind that you might have to be more careful with the aftercare and it might take longer to heal.

My friend's sister did her own ear peircing with a needle and a lemon. I don't think it got infected, but I freak out when I accidently stick myself a sewing needle, so I have no idea how she could do it.

I know when I got my nose pierced, with a professional piercing needle, it's not like a sewing needle at all, it has the piercing attached to the top end, so when you pierce the skin and pull the needle thru, the piercing just follows suit, then you keep pulling the needle out the side and the piercing stays in. Um, hope that wasn't too graphic

Is there any hope of wearing lipstick for a girl who can't seem to stop biting her lip? I never wear it because it all just ends up on my teeth. I've heard about "lip stain" but I don't know much about it.

~Riella

Ith, try lipstain! There's tons of drugstore brands that make it--I've used the Revlon stuff and it shouldn't come off by biting your lip. I mean eventually it will wear off but certainly not as easily as lipstick. Just be careful because bright colors are REALLY bright. Go with something subtle, and test it first if you can.

Thank-you Shantih and Val! (I really appreciate your balanced views as opposed to some really negative reviews of guns vs. needles from half of the people who haven't even used a gun on their ear before and so their arguments [yes, arguments, not information to help a poor girl out ] are just copy+paste and seem to have this mean tone to it.)
I was able to call a parlor nearby who answered my questions pretty well, and they have a good reputation. The price is probably the only thing that might make this a little difficult.
Other than that, I'll just wait and see which God provides.

Thank-you, again.

(@Val, No, the description wasn't graphic at all. Very informative so... now I know what the proccess is and have a much better mental picture than a sewing needle.)

Ith, try lipstain! There's tons of drugstore brands that make it--I've used the Revlon stuff and it shouldn't come off by biting your lip. I mean eventually it will wear off but certainly not as easily as lipstick. Just be careful because bright colors are REALLY bright. Go with something subtle, and test it first if you can.

How long does lipstain generally last? And is there any way to take it off? Plus, is there any danger with lipstain of any kind? Like damage it can cause? I've heard some makeup can damage skin, cause wrinkles, etc. Is there any bad effects lip stain can cause?

~Riella

I've heard from makeup artists that lipstain damages your lips. They said something about drying them out. Can't remember which new book I read that in though...

Last week was the first week I could switch out my earrings, but my ears were so sore! I cleaned them properly and even took homeopathic remedies to help the piercings heal, so can't imagine what would have happened if I failed to do those things... But this week, there's next to no soreness in the piercing, so I got to wear my new dangles.

The soreness seemed to be mostly a "new skin" sort of soreness. There was a bit of tender flesh feeling, but it seemed to be mostly skin deep. Anyone else find this to be true? Could it perhaps have been avoided if I hadn't had it done with a gun?

I definetly haven't found lipstain to be drying, or more drying then anything else...however if you do find it so it can be easily remeded by putting some clear gloss, or lip balm over top. You'll want to put the lipstain onto fairly dry lips first though so it really "gets on".

I haven't heard anything about it being damaging to your lips...I can't remember exactly how long mine lasted. It's not like it just stays on forever and ever, it WILL wear off and will need to be reapplied, it just stays on longer then glosses or lipsticks. In fact, you could layer a lipstain/lipstick or gloss for ultimate coverage. I think if you'd JUST put it on it would probably come off with a combination of rubbing/licking really hard or just facial soap/makeup remover. Otherwise, by the end of the night/day without any touchups it wouldn't need much to get the rest of it off.

I've never heard a lip product being damaging to your lips before. I mean drying out is normal with any lipstick, but I've never heard of any real damage.

Ithilwen, if I want my lipstick to last longer, I apply a coat of lipstick, then dab it with a tissue. Some of it comes off but it still leaves some. Then reapply the lipstick and more gently this time dap with a tissue until the excess color comes off. This always works for me. I heard putting a tissue over yours lips and then dabbing on a bit of powder keeps the lipstick on longer too. I don't know if this works or not because I dont have any powder to use.

Or you could use the longevity of your lipstick as an incentive to try not to bite your lips? Every time I'm tired and I don't want to keep rubbing my eyes, I put on eyeliner so I stay a little bit more alert because I don't want to rub my eyes and mess them up. Ah the things I do for beauty...

I bought lip stain for a play once, and I eventually stopped using it - I don't know if it did damage, but it did make my lips very, very, VERY dried out. I'm not sure if that was just the certain brand - my lips do dry out very easily at times, but not as much as that.

Soo, I got my hair cut today. My boyfriend has been telling me repeatedly for the past few weeks not to cut my hair, so naturally that's exactly what I did.

Here's some before and after pictures.
Before:

After:

I actually couldn't get an appointment with my normal hairstylist because I go back to school in a week, so I decided ehh whatever, it's just hair. So I went to this really sketchy place that had really dirty floors, an outdated register, everything covered in dust, and I'm pretty sure the shears and things were rusty. But ehhh whatever...It was cheap. And considering my shopping addiction and almost empty bank account, it was also necessary.

That's super cute, MD. I like how it frames your face. For a sketch place, they did a pretty nice job! Nice luck.

I haven't cut my hair in ages because I'm growing it out, but my bangs still won't fit in a ponytail. It's very annoying-- I hate how all of the wispies keep falling out from under different bits of hair.

I almost never wear make-up except for nail polish and special occasions.

Right now my hair is about shoulder length though I'd like to keep it longer. It's a pain though because it's really thick, curly, and the top is coarse. (And that's an understatement.) Usually I wear it in a pony tail, but I love being able to braid it when it's long. I've had it straightened a few times and I like it, but being a nature girl- I prefer my natural look

Yeah I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. I've been playing around with shampoos, conditioners, and anti-frizz products for eons just trying to make it manageable.

As for nail polish, I like anything sparkly, purple, blue, or glow in the dark.