R-E-S-P-E-C-T part1

Dear Mocha 

This is going to be a short post but it will be the first of three. My topic today is obviously respect but specifically respecting your parents. I know this not a topic most people dont want to hear. They feel like they already know this topic, but just hear me out. 

Your parents provide you with so much even if you feel like they do nothing for you but give you a headache. But if you really sat back and thought about what they've provided you with you'd have a lot to be thankful for. For starters the roof over your head and the food in your belly and Im sure much more. But this post isn't about being thankful but about respect and with that said your parents deserve it. We all don't always agree with them, I know. And they are human and they make mistakes. But as long as they provide for you, even if it's just a roof over your head they deserve your respect. 

If you can't respect someone as deserving as your mother or father or guardian for that matter, how will you be able to practice respect to your future boss or your friends or even yourself. 

Being disrespectful to your parents says a lot about you. It shows your true colors to be disrespectful to people who want the best for you. Really think about that and even if your relationship is rocky with your parents or you don't always get along they still deserve your respect. 

Galaxy Chic Palette from BH

Hello hello

I recently purchased my first palette from BH cosmetics that I've been wanting for awhile. It's called the Galaxy Chic Palette.  Doesn't the name sound beautiful already?? Well I've seen it used in a few makeup tutorials and it seemed like it had metallic colors in all different shades and it's baked, basically I needed it. I finally got it a couple weeks ago so I thought Id share it with you. First let me say BH Cosmetics is awesome and so inexpensive. You have to order online because it's not sold in stores. But they have all different palettes and colors and products at such a reasonable price. This was my first purchase and I'm sure it won't be my last. 

Here is what the palette looked like.

Ooooohhhh awww I loved the nice big mirror. Here is a better close up of the colors. 

Love! The colors are unique with all the variations and swirls of color in each. I did some swatches on my arm to give you an idea of what the colors actually look like. 

It took two pictures the first is in natural lighting and the second with flash. I did do two swatches of Asteroid because I was in shock that it came out blue and brown. 

And just for kicks here is the first look I did with my new palette! 

If you are interested you can purchase the Galaxy Chic pallete here: 

 http://www.bhcosmetics.com/products/galaxy-chic

It's currently $14.95 but I got it for less. BH does tons of sales so keep an eye out it will probably get marked down!

Choosing your friends.

Dear Mocha, 

Over the weekend I was confronted with several situations about friendship that got my thinking. Not only in situations that other people opened up to me but also in my own life. I have done a post about friendship before and this post is like a branch from that. Last time I talked about how friends can influence your life in negative and positive ways. This time I want to talk more about letting go of those friends who are not conducive to a happy life. When thinking about the people in my life and the things that were brought to my attention a quote from Amy Poehler came to mind, well honestly a few came to mind but we will focus on this one. 

"Only hang around people that are positive and make you feel good. Anybody who doesn't make you feel good, kick them to the curb. And the earlier you start in your life the better.  The minute anyone makes you feel weird and non-included or not supported, you know, either beat it or tell them to beat it."

- Amy Poehler 

Well said BFF in my head. She has a point, a good point. If there are people in your life who are not positive and supportive maybe you should consider the idea of them not being in your life. I've had similar conversations about this before on many different occasions. Im not a fan of saying 'hey get out of my life you're negative and I have no room for you'. I know plenty of people that would be 100 percent ok with saying that. However, I know I could never because I couldn't intentionally hurt someone like that. Maybe that's what some people need to hear!  However you want to handle it, one thing is for sure.. Now listen closely or read closely I should say. Life is too short to live your life surrounded by negative people who only bring you down. Surround yourself with people who are positive and supportive. Surround yourself with people who you can discuss your ideas and dreams and will support them. Most importantly surround yourself with people who make you happy. If they don't then as Amy a Poehler said "kick then to the curb"

You are lovely and you deserve to be happy. And someone who doesn't make you happy isn't a friend. Don't you forget that. 

Below is the Link the the other post about friendship if you are interested

http://ahteablog.blogspot.com/2014/01/friends-for-better.html

Happy St Patricks Day!

Dear Mocha 

Happy St Patrick's day!! I love St Patrick's day just because I love embracing my Irish heritage. Yes I am a quarter Irish, I know I don't look it. Tonight I'll be making my traditional corn beef, cabbage and potatoes like I do every year for St Patrick's day. We celebrated Saturday with a good ol' fashion pub crawl. The worlds largest actually. Rich and Bennett's 14th annual St Patty's Day pub crawl. This year the record is 19,108 people! We had so much fun! We got to go to places we've never been before in Charlotte and meet all kinds of people. I've started a YouTube channel were I'll hopefully be making videos that might take awhile but for now I uploaded my "vlog" from the pub crawl. It's not the best quality because I shot and editing the whole thing on my phone. Shot and edited. Amateur haha. I didn't take pictures or a video of every bar but you get the idea.  

Just a reminder 

*Drink responsibly know your limits

*Dont drink and drive. 

You have your septum pierced?!

I have my septum pierced and I've had it pierced for a few months now. When I first got it I had quite the combination of negative and positive reaction and from the expected people. 

But I didn't get my septum pierced for anyone but me. I didn't do it to impress anyone or even shock anyone. Believe it or not I just like it.  Why? You may ask. Well I'd be happy to tell you. A septum ring on pretty girls seems like such a juxtaposition in the eyes of society. I think thats why I find/found it so alluring. Not that Im gorgeous but I still think its a juxtaposition. <-- if you don't know what that word means look it up it's one of my favorite words. Also I love that I can hide it. When I got it done it was free so there's that also. 

Some basic FAQ about my septum:

Did it hurt? 

Yes. I'm not going to try and act tough it hurt. But it was a quick pain unlike tattoos. There was some necessary force put behind that needle to get it through that piece of skin. Once it was through it was done though and I bleed which was freaky. Sorry if I just grossed you out. 

Does it feel weird in my nose? 

Not really most of the time I don't feel it. The ring I had before this one was a little too long/not wide enough so I felt that one more. That ring was also really irritating to take in and out. 

Do boogers and snot get on it? 

Well it's in my nose so yes. But I'm very careful with my piercing and clean it often. If I have a cold or a runny nose I'm extra careful about cleaning it.

Is it hard to blow my nose? 

It was at first but not any more since I'm used to it being there. It's easier to have it down and blow though. And this smaller ring makes it much easier also. 

Is it easy to change?

Relatively. It does feel weird though. 

What size ring do I have? 

It's a 16 gauge 5/16" circular barbell currently in rose gold :) 

If you have anymore questions about my septum ring let me know! 

It's OK to Make Yourself Happy

Dear Mocha, 

This post is super late! And it's going to be short. I'm sorry! I had some ideas about posts this week but not really a Monday post. So based on an up coming post I want to tell you it's ok to make yourself happy. It's ok to do things for yourself. Sometimes I get wrapped up in what I need to do for others. I almost stop being myself to please others. It's ok to be happy and it's ok to be yourself. don't lose yourself for others. You only live once, make the best if this life. Do what makes you happy. 

So you want a Tattoo

I wanted to post this earlier in the week but here we are on Friday. Better late than never! 

There should be some kind of thought process before getting a tattoo and also some things you should just know before getting a tattoo. I am not a tattoo artist or expert these are just my (hopefully) helpful advice especially if it's your first tattoo or maybe you just want more advice before getting another one. 

So here we go! 

First and foremost what are you getting? There definitely should be some thought here. I think people especially young people get tattoos because they just really want one and disregard the fact that they are permanent! Don't fall victim a spur of the moment "oh I got that when I was young and dumb" tattoo. I'm not saying each tattoo needs to be deep and meaningful but you at least need to be sure you want it forever. Honestly if you're not sure of what you want you shouldn't get a tattoo. BECAUSE ITS PERMANENT! 

Also when figuring out what you want you really need to think about how it's going to look in 20 years. As you age your skin will change and age and so will your tattoo. A big mistake I see with a lot of tattoos is they get them too small. People get these itty bitty tattoos and expect in a few years that it will still look the same. If you get tiny words tattooed on you I'm telling you give it a few years and that E will look like an O. 

Also consider where you're getting it. If you're a female and get something around the stomach area and plan being pregnant one day you should also plan on your tattoo stretching also. 

Second thing you need to consider is the shop and the tattoo artist. First I'll start with the shop. If you walk in and feel uncomfortable walk out. Seriously. I mean most tattoo shops aren't going to feel like a spa but you shouldn't be uncomfortable. If they are not willing to satisfy their customer by at least being welcoming then what makes you think they will be willing to put effort into your tattoo. You are allowed to ask questions about licenses, cleanliness or even their clean room. For the love of all things holy, do not get tattooed on someone's home. Just think about it. Your skin gets punctured  thousands of times per tattoo and each puncture can get infected. It's so dangerous and not worth it. Don't go to a kitchen scratcher. Support a good shop and good artists. 

As far as tattoo artist it's your responsibility to research the artist. Look at their portfolio look at what they've done before. Look at what they are and are not capable of. It's ok to be picky here BECAUSE ITS PERMANENT! Find someone who cares about what they do. If you plan on getting this awesome tattoo and it isn't executed correctly because you didn't research your artist. Then shame on you! Once you find a tattoo artist you like and trust, listen to them. If they say this needs to be bigger or this needs to be changed they are just trying to help get you the best tattoo it can be. 

Last thing I want to touch on is after your tattoo. Take care of it. Sun is the worst thing for a tattoo. So invest in a good high SPF sun tan lotion. Ask your tattoo artist about after care information if they didn't already give you something. Ask whatever questions you need to about after care and the healing process. 
Take care if it! 

What you really need to take away from this post is: 

1. Tattoos are PERMANENT 

2. Don't go too small 

3. Be sure of what you want

4. Your skin ages so will your tattoo 

5. Find a good shop your feel comfortable with

6. Find a good artist you trust

7. Be willing to work with your artist 

8. Take care of you tattoo  

9. Don't go to a kitchen scratcher 

10. BECAUSE ITS PERMANENT! 

My Skin Art Collection

Dear Mocha 

Today marks the first day in a week of tattoo themed posts. This is something we've (and by we I mean me and Mocha) talked about recently. This year my little sister will officially be not so little anymore. Mocha will be eighteen. 18. Which is the legal age for getting a tattoo.  It also happens to be the age I got my first tattoo. I am very much a fan of tattoos. I'm all for a permanent expression of art on your skin. I'll get more into that later. So to kick this week off I'm going to show you my 5 tattoos and an explanation of why I got them. So here is my tattoos story. 

First tattoo I ever got was a sacred heart on the top of my left arm. 

Yup that's 18 year old me in 2009 really stoked about my first tattoo.

I got this and every tattoo I've ever gotten at Trinity Tattoo Company in South Carolina. At the time I worked there on the weekends. It's a safe, clean, and enjoyable place to get tattooed. Not to mention the owners are pretty awesome. I got it on the top of my arm because of two reasons. 
1) It was a place that could be easily hidden or easily shown which ever is appropriate. 
2) It's a good first place as far as pain level. All tattoos hurt if someone says it doesn't they are lying. The arm however isn't as bad as most places. 

And last but not least what is it and what does it mean to me. I am a christian and sacred heart is a christian symbol. I wanted my first tattoo to be something that means a lot to me  and my faith means everything to me. I didn't want something that was corny or over done. I wanted it to me simple and to the point. What my sacred heart means to me, is the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Simple and black and grey. I found the design in the tattoo shop and re-drew it and I got what I drew tattooed on me. 

Next tattoo wasn't actually a "new" tattoo it was an addition to the first one. 

Here is a picture of it today. 

After I got my first tattoo I immediately wanted more. And after working in a tattoo shop and seeing so many big and beautiful tattoos and a couple comments about me looking like Tila Tequila (who has a heart on her arm) I had to add to my current one. So in the fall of 2010 I added to my sacred heart. I love traditional tattoos and I really like traditional roses. I looked at a lot of sacred hearts designs and drew what I wanted added on based on what I liked from others. Me and the tattoo artist worked together to come up with the finished design. I went from a very simple sacred heart to and very unique sacred heart. I am very satisfied with this tattoo. Still to this day, 4 years later, I still get complements from people saying they cant believe how long Ive had it.

Ok here is officially tattoo number 2

This is a crown of Charlotte. Where I currently live and it is also where I went to college. It is where I lived on my own for the first time. Its where I learned to stand on my own two feet. If I stay here forever or move away this city will always have a very special place in my heart. It is also where I lived with one of my best friends who has the same crown on her foot. It was a good commemorative tattoo for this city, my friends, and the fun/crazy times we had and continue to have. 

Tattoo number 3 and 4:

 I go these at the same time in May 2011

The first says Mickey on the right side of my left middle finger

The other is Goofy's hat on the other side of that same finger

These are for my grandfather. Growing up I was and still am a huge Disney fan and it mostly started because of him. My grandfather means a lot to me so I decided to pay tribute to him. He gave me the nickname Mickey. He also loved Goofy. So that's pretty self explanatory. These both are not the best tattoos I have mostly because of location. I don't regret these tattoos but just wanted to point out there that I am aware of this. 

Tattoo number 5

My biggest and latest tattoo. 2013

This tattoo I got for my family mainly my dads side. My grandmother loves light houses and I have been wanting a large traditional piece which is why I got it on my thigh. It's a large canvas and I just think it's a cool place. I loved the idea of a light house being the light that guides you home. It seems like a perfect metaphor for how I feel about my family. Same with the compass, its something else representing the direction my family provides me. I have a supportive family that has provided me strong people to look up to my entire life. This tattoo I drew also. I actually have the first original draft for this tattoo. 

If you have the ability to draw your own tattoo I highly recommend it. Even if its just a basic drawing that can be brought to a tattoo artist to perfect. Ill talk about that more later. 

My collection of skin art is continuing to grow and as it does Ill continue to update.