Things&Ink

June 12, 2016

7 reasons you should date someone with tattoos

Swiping through Tinder gives you a rough breakdown of some of the stereotypical suitors out there looking for love – you’ve got the urban fishing fans, the lads who think they’ll catch the girls of their dreams by having a car as a profile picture, the lover of pictures with sedated tigers in Thailand and then, just when you’re getting RSS from swiping left, you stumble across the lad who’s had quite the love affair with tattoo needles.

People with ink are hot. That’s not up for debate. Here are all the reasons why you should date boys and girls covered in tattoos.

1. They look good naked
You may be able to see a glimpse of their tattoos peeking through their shirt but you’ve got to witness them fully naked to truly appreciate the art inked across their body. Most people will agree that tattooed bodies are far more interesting naked than blank canvases and, if you date someone with tatts, you might be lucky enough to see why this is true.

2. They have good stories
“Oh this silly one? My mate was a bit drunk and had his tattoo needles around so we played noughts and crosses on my leg with it!” Yes, not all tattoos are carefully planned and amongst all the artistic creations and colourful sleeves, you’ll stumble across and a comical one and your date will have a hilarious story attached to it for you to enjoy.

3. They’re artistic
Whether they’ve expressed themselves through images, song lyrics or their own designs, having tattoos indicates having a creative and artistic nature which bodes well for potential romantic gestures and birthday gifts. Win!

4. They’re committed
If someone has signed up to having a vintage pin-up girl plastered across their arm for the rest of their life, they’re not exactly riddled with commitment issues and may not go running after one date through to fear of ‘things moving too fast’.

5. They can handle pain
So hopefully you won’t have to hear hours of whining if they ever accidentally stand on a plug.

6. They’re likely to have an interesting job
Even though it’s 2016, many companies have strict rules on tattoos for their employees, so if you’re dating someone who’s inked, it’s quite likely that they will work in a cool industry. Which means your ‘How was your day at work?’ won’t be answered with a painfully boring tale of how Jill in Accounts has ordered the wrong printer paper again or something equally tedious.

7. They’re less judgemental
Having probably spent years of people having preconceived ideas about them purely based on the fact they’re inked, most people with tattoos will be very wary to be judgemental of others based on their appearance.

June 9, 2016June 15, 2016

The girls take a trip to Not Another Salon

Editor-in-chief Alice Snape and Managing Editor Keely Reichardt got treated to a revolution in haircare known as INNOluxe by the fabulously extravagant gang at Not Another Salon in east London.

Based on Brick Lane in London, the aptly named Not Another Salon is owned by Sophia Hilton, whose background is in hair education, teaching in over seven countries and winning prestigious awards such as the L’Oréal C olour Trophy in 2013. (look out for an interview with Sophia on the blog very soon)

The salon is like no other… stepping through the door is like entering into a psychedelic fantasy where people’s hair-colour dreams come true! The attention to detail is next to none… from the multi-coloured plastic wine glasses and water bottles, to the pick ‘n’ mix sweetie style bowls at the reception desk for you to pick up an assortment of kitsch and kawaii hair accessories.

Alice and Keely were there to experience a new deep-conditioning product, Innoluxe. (You may have heard of Olaplex, which gained vast media attention after Kim Kardashian went from dark to platinum blonde over night.) Innoluxe actually rebonds the hair follicles and saves the structure of our hair when bleaching and colouring by using advanced protein technology. (Read more here)

Keely gives us her experience of using Innoluxe and a little step by step of the treament…
“I have always dyed my hair a very dark brown – almost black – for most of my adult life (my natural hair colour is dark brown) but I always hankered towards being blonde. After a bleaching disaster a few years ago, I have avoided bleach at all costs… until the invention of these re-bonding hair products!

Keely having a head massage with her treatment

“The Innoluxe ‘in salon’ treatment is done in two stages, the first stage is an oil and water combination that is applied all over the hair and then left for about 10 minutes. The second stage is the actual Innoluxe, which restructures and re-bonds the follicles of the hair and this is then left on for about 20 minutes. For those who have severely damaged hair, the staff at Not Another Salon recommend the ‘in salon’ treatment every two weeks for up to six weeks.

Keely relaxing in the chill out room while the Innoluxe works its magic

“I naturally have very dry hair so having it bleached is probably not the best thing for it, but after my Innouxe treatment my hair feels as if it has never even had a sniff of bleach! The texture and overall appearance is soft, shiny and bouncy (definitely helped by the fabulous blow dry) and it feels as if the Innoluxe has literally brought my hair back to life again.”

Keely’s hair before Innoluxe

Keely’s hair after Innoluxe and a blow dry

Alice enjoyed the treatment too:
“It really is all in the name. Getting a treatment at Not Another Salon is like a girly sleepover on acid (the decor is like Pop Art come to life, a little like the staff too). It felt like Keely and I were in salon owner Sophia’s bedroom, and as we got our treatments, we all chatted away about hair (obvs), relationships and weddings – I recently got engaged so I loved hearing about Sophia’s south London wedding for inspiration!

“It was stylist Hattie who worked the Innoluxe magic on my recently highlighted hair. I am naturally dark blonde (don’t dare call me mousey brown) and have just come out of a two-year break from the all-over bleach that used to be my go-to look. The bleach break was to allow my hair to grow – I have always dreamed of long, flowing, healthy-looking hair, and bleach never seemed conducive to that. However all that may be about to change…

It’s all in the detail… pink water bottles and wine glasses at Not Another Salon. And editor Alice’s bouncy blow dry

“Innoluxe is a dream invention for those who want colour, particularly bleach, without the damage. My hair felt baby soft after the treatment. So good, in fact, that I may be back to that bleach some day soon. And if I do, I know where I’ll be heading!”

Alice in the colourful waiting room while the Innoluxe treatment takes effect

Before

After, Innoluxe rocks!

Not Another Salon, 188 Brick Ln, London E1 6SA #antifactory

June 8, 2016

Oh Bones Illustration

25-year-old Brit is an illustrator, writer and musician from London. We chatted to Brit about her dark gothic archaeology inspired drawings and her tattoos…

Inspired by Things&Ink Brit created this self portrait just for us…

Do you have a background in art? How and when did you start drawing? I don’t have a background in art at all, I began drawing at university when I was studying archaeology – In the labs we had to draw the artefacts and bones. It was there I noticed that my drawings were good and not going so badly. I then graduated and moved to Amsterdam to do an MA in archaeology and I started drawing for an hour a day and thought, this is much better than being in a library studying. So I didn’t do the MA and continued drawing instead!

What inspires you? Being an archaeologist inspired me the most because I spent years researching the human psyche and behaviour throughout time. My speciality is death and burial, and I guess that often comes across in my art work. I also love poetry, which inspires my art quite a lot and along with every illustration, I write a poem.

What medium do you use? How do you create each piece? I use both digital and non-digital. I love using fine line pens and Indian ink to create my work. I like things to be imperfect because that way you seen the human in it.

What kinds of things do you draw? Usually I will draw people, disembodied limbs, plants – anything really. I almost always draw around a poem or song I’ve written, to give some visuals to my other artwork in my music and writing. I like it all to be one big art piece – audio, visual and written.

Describe your style? Tailored, black, kind of like an old fashioned 1920’s boy!

Do you admire any other artists, do they influence your work? I usually admire artists whose work is nothing like mine! It’s nice to clear my head of anything remotely like my work now and again, so I really like the work of Gordon Armstrong and Robert Saeheng they’re really great. But I also like old school artists like Patti Smith, her word work really inspires me in my own poetry and in-turn in the art I create around the words.

Can you tell us about your tattoos? I don’t have too many tattoos, definitely under 30 but most of them I love, even though some of them are definitely bad prison style ones. I have some plants, pinky promise hands, trouble making pigeons, dead fish, skulls, love letters, words. Everything! My first one was was just a small one on my foot in Hebrew, nothing too interesting!

How do tattoos make you feel?
My tattoos mean a lot, I’m sure a lot of people say that. Because most of my work is visual, it’s a way that I express myself, so I really do try and add some depth to the things I get tattooed! But sometimes you have so many tattoos there’s only so much meaning behind all of them – some don’t mean a whole lot, but there’s always a good memory behind getting it tattooed.

Do you do commissions? I do commissions, I do ink originals and screen prints for sale on my shop, but I also do a lot of album cover work, tattoo designs and logo designs.

Where can people buy your art? They can head over to ohbones.com and find my shop that way, I will be stocking up for the summer soon, so there’ll be some new T shirts and badges!

June 7, 2016

Music Review: Brian Wilson 50th Anniversary of ‘Pet Sounds’

Check out what happened when our guest music blogger Verity Vincent had the pleasure of catching Brian Wilson for Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary world tour at Bristol’s Colston Hall .

If you often frequent gigs you’ll be privy to the feeling of suspense before the band or artist takes to the stage. While waiting for Brian Wilson to appear at Bristol’s Colston Hall, questions started circulating inside my head, about what was in store for the evening. But before we knew it, Brian strolled on stage in the most nonchalant manner, receiving a wave of applause and nearly a standing ovation before he’d said a word.

The 11 piece band readied themselves for what would be a 2 ½ hour display of incredible musical ability. Standing alongside Wilson was fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine and son Matt Jardine, who performed as an honorary member of the band throughout the 1980s.

This worldwide tour comes in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of ‘Pet Sounds’, one of the most influential albums ever made. Changing the face of pop music and beyond. In a 2001 all-star tribute to Brian Wilson, Elton John expressed how revolutionary it was for him to be one of the first artists to move the root note of the chord and play with the 3^rd or the 5^th on the bass. He pushed boundaries and created music that no one saw coming. It was an extraordinary thing, to be in a room of people that appreciated and respected Brian Wilson in the same way.

The first half of the show threw out hit after hit memory-inducing songs like California Girl, I Get Around, Little Deuce Coupe and Don’t Worry Baby – with Matt Jardine taking lead vocals. Matt has that falsetto Beach Boys tone down to a fine art and it’s a glorious thing to watch.

Wilson seemed relaxed and happy to offer his fans a slice of the music history that he’s built. At 73 years old he’s comfortable enough to sit on stage and do what he needs to do without filling the gaps. When the band takes over, they take over and Brian is only too happy to sit back and take it all in. He introduces each of his songs and thanks the audience every time.

Toward the end of the first set, music veteran Blondie Chaplin made an appearance to perform Wild Honey, Funky Pretty and Sail On, Sailor. Having previously toured with The Rolling Stones, Blondie added a sprinkling of rock n roll in the form of insane guitar riffs.

After the break, it was time for Pet Sounds. Opening track Wouldn’t It Be Nice saw Matt Jardine take lead vocals once again in a perfect rendition. Moving through the album, other highlights were Sloop John B (met with a roaring cheer) and God Only Knows. As Brian left the stage toward the end of the closing track Caroline, No we wondered whether that was it? Would there be an encore? Surely that won’t be his big send off, slinking off the stage while the band concluded the album?

As the stage went dark and the crowd continued to cheer, Brian and company returned for quite possibly the most epic encore I have ever witnessed. Good Vibrations would have been enough on its own but carrying on to play Help Me, Rhonda; Barbara Ann and Surfin’ USA, among others, spurred the crowd to cram forward in a final burst of energy that filled the venue.

Closing with Love & Mercy, Brian quite rightly feels proud of his movie title track. In 2014 the biopic was released, starring Paul Dano and John Cusack in a dual performance documenting Brian’s life from the 1960s – 80s. The film has helped to relay both the astounding musical ability and the personal struggles that he faced throughout his life and career. Judging by the age range in the audience this evening it has also helped to reach new audiences spanning 50 decades.

Leaving with an almost morbid thought, I only hope that when Wilson is no longer with us that he is remembered justly. It’s unlikely that the media would apply a Prince or Bowie sized furore to his passing, but as one of the greatest musical minds of our generation, I hope that this tour cements him as just that. I’d encourage anyone to experience the magic of Brian Wilson’s music live, it will truly be an experience you’ll keep with you forever.

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016

Fashion Pearls of Wisdom: Got Sleeves

Our columnist Natalie McCreesh aka Pearl, is a fashion lecturer, freelance writer and creator of Fashion Pearls of Wisdom. In this post she’ll be talking about how getting her arms tattooed was a big deal…

I never thought I’d get my arms tattooed. It had never been in my plan. But then again when I first started getting tattooed I never thought I’d be even close to heavily tattooed, even when I started to get large scale pieces I never foresaw the next. For me getting tattooed has been a process, my tattoos are something which evolve- a collaboration between my own ideas and those of the artists I work with. Even now I don’t have a final vision in mind, I still don’t know if I will end up with a full body suit or not. I have a very wait-and-see attitude I guess. I know I will get two half sleeves and my sides tattooed to connect my back piece into more of a traditional style Japanese half-body suit. But my legs are a random mix of different styles, do I keep them looking separate or do I sleeve them? I’m going off the point; the point of having my arms tattooed being a big deal for me.

I think it’s a huge deal as even though over half my body is tattooed I still don’t feel that I look that heavily tattooed, not from the front anyway. Clothed most people wouldn’t even know I was tattooed. The arms are so visible though, there is no hiding. I have over thought my arms a lot, possibly too much which is why it took me until the age of 34 to have them done. I had also decided that I wanted them to stop at the top of the arm and not go over onto the shoulder and certainly not the chest. So now I have the outline down of my first sleeve, it stops at the elbow and creeps over my shoulder onto my chest. Yeah about that, once my artist had drawn it on, we tried a few different ways of laying it out; it’s just what looked best. I didn’t give it a second thought. Now it’s done it just feels right and I’ve no idea why I was stressing out about it so much in the first place. When I first started to get large tattoos it would take me a while to get used to them, suddenly having something alien on my skin. Now with each tattoo I feel a little bit more like myself with each addition. My sleeve is only half done but it feels like it has always been there.