Bele

b e lĂŠ Volume 1 Issue 1

perspective:

May 2011

The beauty behind ink Get ready for

summer!

boat and beach days makeup essentials

Truth revealed

one stylist’s story

Editor’s letter

Express yourself Working in a salon for the past two and a half years has given me the opportunity to learn a lot about the way people think about themselves. Some women let others’ opinions rule their beauty decisions. My advice is to embrace your features, trust your instincts and express yourself the way you want (and a little research never hurt anyone). This issue not only reveals the beauty of tattoos, but stresses the importance of using sunscreen and features the latest beauty trends for everyday looks and summer fishing trips.

Get a head start on summer this year.

Plan vacations, stock up on sunscreen, take advantage of the colorful season and get inspired to try something new. Whether you go sky diving, rock climbing, a trip along the Pacific Coast Highway or an international flight to France, take the time to create your best summer beauty look. Happy travels!

Taylor Gaudens on the cover

b elé Volume 1 Issue 1

perspective:

May 2011

The beauty behind ink Get ready for

summer!

boat and beach days makeup essentials

2

Truth revealed

one stylist’s story

Cover models Tara McCarty

and Keeley Sheehan on Fort De Soto Beach, Florida at sunset. Perfect for a day of sun and fun, this protected park has a lot to offer. Go camping, have a cookout, go kayaking, or spend the day in the sand. It is the go-to place if you are looking for a day of relaxation without all the tourists.

Voted “Top Beach in America” in 2009, this serene beach and park offers something for everyone. website: www.fortdesoto.com

belé EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Taylor Gaudens DESIGN CONSULTANT

Xiaopeng Wang ADVERTISING MANAGER

Taylor Gaudens SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR

Tara McCarty BEAUTY EDITOR

Taylor Gaudens STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Aimee Alexander Melissa Gaudens Morgan Gaudens STAFF WRITER

Melissa Gaudens CONTRIBUTORS

Morgan Gaudens Brittany Long

contact www.bele.com facebook.com/bele twitter @belemag All content is original. Copyright ® 2011. All Rights Reserved.

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OPI Black Shatter

opi.com

In this issue

8 Cleanse

Explore the factors of organic makeup and this season’s best friend, SPF.

10 Exfoliate

Summer is here and so are the newest beauty trends! Get the latest information to update your beauty routine.

14 Moisturize 16 20 4

Protect

Treat

Read the truth about this fancy-shmancy salon, through the hairstylist’s eyes.

Get ready for a summer boating trip or a vacation at the beach with tips from our “Beauty on a boat” photo story.

Six ladies tell us what lies beneath their tattoos and their perspective of beauty.

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essie.com

aquage.com

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aquage

Cleanse

Madi is wearing all mineral based makeup. Bold purple eyes and a shimmery pink lip color is a sexy night look. The pigments are perfect for summer . Photo by Taylor Gaudens

Breathable makeup Weighing the benefits of organic and mineral makeup

Mineral makeup has been on the market for several years. Many companies are producing their own lines to keep up with the of having beneficial ingredients for the skin.

The benefits of most mineral makeup are the absence of parabens, a preservative and bonding agent used in nearly every beauty product. Some people are allergic to paraben, and in the past, it was difficult for women to find makeup without it.

Mineral makeup lacks moisture, common in traditional makeup, making it more sanitary to use. It gives the makeup about a two to three year shelf life, as opposed to traditional makeup’s average of six months.

Other benefits of mineral makeup include: oil absorption, lightweight and is often recommended by dermatologists.

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The finely-ground minerals adhere to the skin, but is not absorbed into the skin.

This means that the makeup does not clog pores. The lightweight feel of the makeup allows your skin to “breathe” and gives the skin a more natural look.

With every pro, there is a con. The benefits of mineral makeup seem to be more healthy for your skin, but the lack of moisture in mineral makeup makes it harder to blend (enter: girl with unsightly, your-makeup-is-too-dark-for-you and terribly blended look). The moistuzre in traditional makeup seems to be good in this case; however, moisture encourages bacteria to grow, and can cause the makeup to settle into lines and wrinkles (enhancing flaws) and clogging pores.

Although traditional makeup may contain minerals, it also has harmful in-

gredients like alcohol, talc and fragrances that can irritate the skin. Mineral makeup can also irritate the skin, but like with most beauty products, it is different with every user.

On the other side, some argue that mineral and organic makeup is a scam and it is nothing different from traditional makeup. Of course, the makeup companies do not agree, so it is left up to the users to decide. To go with what you know, or try something new?

If you decide to purchase mineral and organic makeup over traditional makeup, look for “all natural” on the label, NOT “from nature” or “natural beauty,” to ensure you are getting what you want.é

—Taylor Gaudens

Play on the beach all day, every day, but the most important thing is to apply sunscreen to your face and body. Even when it is overcast or cloudy, some UV rays still shine through the clouds. Protect yourself from premature aging, sunburn, wrinkly skin and skin cancer by wearing sunscreen everyday, rain or shine. Photo by Melissa Gaudens

Protect your skin Winter, spring, summer, or fall, always apply SPF Spring popped up like a flower and now, summer is here! The weather changed and we will continue to get away with wearing shorts and sandals for the next nine months. Shedding our winter layers and exposing our skin to the sun on a daily basis can be quite dangerous. It is important to wear SPF everyday, even when it is cloudy and rainy.

There are a few easy ways to save your skin from cancer. Use makeup or moisturizer with SPF (there are a lot to choose from, Neutrogena and Dermologica have great tinted moisturizers). Many brands of self tanners have SPF in them, so if you use one without sun protectors, consider switching to one that does. You can find a variety of lotions and sprays at Sephora like DuWop Revolotion SPF 15 and Clarins Self Tanning Milk SPF 6. Choose a tinted lip balm to protect your lips. Popular brands are Bliss Superbalm SPF 15 and Burt’s Bees SPF 8.

Don’t neglect your hair, especially if you color or highlight your tresses. Try Capri Sun-Shield spray or Sparkling Shield from Redken’s Color Extend Sun

collection and share a little SPF love with your strands. Oversized, floppy hats are a necessity for summer. Get a cute one from a local beach store. Hats are awesome because they work double time by protecting your hair and your face.

When applying your SPF, doctors and dermatologists recommend a tablespoon of sunscreen for your face and neck and two ounces for your body (enough to fill a shot glass). Try to avoid long periods of time in the sun, especially during the summer months and between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The newest trend on the market is clothing made with SPF fabric or additives. Solartex Sun Gear has a great line of clothing for every size. They make everything from bathing suits, active wear and hats and accessories with an SPF 50 rating.

Prevent ugly age spots, wrinkles and even skin cancer by lathering up every day. Just a few extra minutes in the morning to apply some SPF will save you a lot of health issues in the future. é

—Taylor Gaudens

The dangers of sun exposure Learn the most important facts about the sun before you go sans-SPF. UVA rays cause skin aging $ and wrinkling.

UVB rays burn the skin, $ cause cataracts and affects

the immune system.

Both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin cancer.

Tanning beds aren’t good for you and they never have been. In fact, they are more harmful than the sun (don’t believe the “base tan”—getting a tan before spending a week on a cruise—nonsense).

$ $

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Exfoliate

Spring into

Get your best look for summer with the latest beauty trends. This summer’s wardrobe focuses on neutrals, with pops of color from accessories and makeup.

See what’s hot from head to toe.

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Illustration by Taylor Gaudens

makeup

Bold ‘n bright

Pump up your beauty routine with pinks, corals and floral fragrances Spring is the season of romance. Summer is the season of baring it all and showing skin. Bring out the roses, whites, wedges, and florals and get ready for sunshine.

Summer often brings bold colors, so consider changing it up and choose a neutral makeup palette. To take your look up a notch, try hot pinks or bold reds in lip color, blush and if you want something totally daring, try wearing fuchsia eye shadow at night. When using bolder colors, only pick one feature to enhance. Choose red lips and keep the eyes and cheeks soft and neutral. If you are not fan of pink and you are not in the mood to wear read, try coral or peach eye shadow, blush or lip gloss. The fairer your skin, the lighter your pigments should be.

Physician’s Formula has a great variety to choose from and they have new “mood boosting makeup” in a blush and bronzer (about $14).

The makeup has plant extracts that “mimic the effect of endorphins.” Even if their claim is a bunch of nonsense, it still may be fun to try.

Covergirl’s new line, NatureLuxe, has great and affordable foundations (about $10). The lip colors are sheer perfect for a romantic summer look (about $7).

Florals aren’t only for clothes and makeup.

Many perfumes that debut in the summer are a

light scent of floral, as opposed to fall and winter perfumes. Light and airy is the key, if it’s your thing.

The difference in the types of fragrances is the amount of concentration of the ingredients. Perfume has the rarest and most concentrated ingredients and lasts the longest amount of time. Eau de parfum has the second most concentration of ingredients, then eau de toilette and lastly, body splash, which contains the least amount of concentrated ingredients. As the strengths weaken, the product must be reapplied to reach the same potency as when initially applied.

As far as prices go, you get what you pay for. All four types of scents contain alcohol, with perfume having the least amount and body splash with the most. Even though the knockoffs may smell similar, they don’t last as long.

Fragrances do not last as long on dry skin as it does on moisturized skin, for best results with any fragrance, be sure to apply lotion regularly.

With a fresh face of light, romantic makeup, and smelling like a flower, you’ll be sure to pull any summer look together. é

—Taylor Gaudens

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Exfoliate The OPI Katy Perry collection. Polish names are (from left to right) Last Friday Night, The One That Got Away, Teenage Dream and Not Like the Movies. Photo by Aimee Alexander

Textured nails Designers, celebrities and brand name collections new for summer

Exit all dingy browns and plums, feverish reds and New Year’s giltzes and golds. Enter shiny, holographic, sparkly and shattered! Spring is here and your hands are more than ready to breathe some warm air.

The name-brand polishes popular this season are OPI’s Katy Perry collection, the designer Jason Wu’s Creative Nail Design collection and China Glaze’s “Tronica” collection.

Don’t get your hopes too high with the names of the Katy Perry collection.

You won’t be able to wear any “California Gurls” on your nails, but you can let everyone see your super sparkly pink “Teenage Dream.” The coolest polish is “Black Shatter.” Apply one coat over any (dried) polish, and as it dries, the black polish begins to crack, leaving a textured, “shat-

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tered” effect.

Tennis-player-turned-nail-technician Serena Williams has her own OPI collection, “Grand Slam”, yet to be released in its entirety. The debut polish from the collection, “Simply Smashing,” is tennis ball yellow-green and it is paired with “Black Shatter” which just may give off a Halloween effect. Despite the fluorescent shimmer, it looks better in the bottle than on your hand. But, no prejudgments here, the other three colors are to debut soon.

“Tronica” by China Glaze was inspired by the movie “Tron: Legacy.” The futuristic colors and holographics from the movie translate nicely into this full collection of pinks, greens, purples, blues and metallics. Futuristic fashion hit it big when the “Zenon” movies came out. So if you didn’t see or didn’t like “Tron: Legacy” just remi-

nisce in the throwback to 1999.

If you aren’t into shimmer and stage glitter on your fingers and toes, try the CND collection from Jason Wu. With similar hues and much less sparkle, you can go from office to weekend without whipping out acetone and cotton balls.

This collection also has its own “effect” called “Anna” and resembles tweed. The line is set to release in May. These “shatter” polishes may be old news, but they’ve resurfaced. So why not embrace the comeback and “shatter” everything from nails to stereotypes. é

—Taylor Gaudens

Banana Boat www.bananaboat.com

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Good for your skin

Moisturize

Find anything you would ever want in this salon. toolboxes, different colored chairs, bizarre paintings and a slew of hairproducts and tools. Photo by Taylor Gaudens

Mish-mashed salon

An accurate account of a day in the life of a hairstylist

The Salon

The theme of the salon is blue and white, but you wouldn’t really guess that from seeing the red and black tool boxes we use to store makeup. Cement baby blue floors, scuffed up and splattered with hair color, and a royal blue couch, big enough for four rowdy kids, are the prominent features of this “retro” salon.

Four black chairs sit on the four black mats, centered in front of a wall covered by large mirrors. The unforgiving white fluorescent lights hover over these mirrors bring out any and every imperfection and (gasp!) wrinkle on anyone who dares to look at her reflection. This light seems to be a strategic retail tactic to sell makeup to cover those unsightly flaws.

A mish mash of blue, black, clear, and brown chairs, blue stations that are actually tool boxes, aren’t convincing that we

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are a high end salon. This décor reflects the owner’s sporadic nature. A three foot tall picture of a coffee cup with steam (spotted with cow spots) and a bunch of yellow and blue cow heads that all have pink mouths, adds to the bizarreness of the place. On the opposite side of the salon, a hot-pink painting, textured with black outlines, iconic picture of Twiggy, is attached to the ugly white wall. At the waxing station, tie-dyed royal blue and white faux velvet curtains cover the mysterious fuse box. The curtains totally complement the tan and navy blue tiled floor that was slapped on the cement, which of course balances the slate colored tile under the window that faces the street.

In such a modern place, we must play very modern music. Think again.

The 80’s music that booms through the speakers reveals the age that our clients

try so hard to hide.

The Clients

Foils, color, shampoo, conditioner, flat irons and blow dryers. Enough hairspray for even a pageant queen to choke on. Typical things you’d find in a salon.

On the other end, we see four-karat diamond earrings, Macbook air laptops, and enough iPhones to generate electricity for a town in a third world country. All dance their way in and out of the salon on a daily basis.

The clientele consists of those that live in $5 million houses that overlook the bay or $13 million 400 Beach Drive condos and cruise around in brand new Range Rovers. Eyelash extensions, chemical peels, face lifts, breast augmentations, and Botox are everyday activities for our clients. Their “errands” consist of buying groceries, paying a maid to do

laundry for the family, writing $14,000 checks per child each year for prep-school tuition, and remodeling their houses while everyone else in the country is trying to keep theirs from foreclosure. Do they have jobs? Yeah right. They thrive off of their millionaire husbands and investmentsturned-mailbox money.

A news anchor, a singer, a radio personality, actors and socialites frequent the salon at least every three weeks. Their tips are consistent and their gossip is juicy. Their lives seem to be so important, but still they succumb to giggling about petty scandals.

It is crazy to me that I have witnessed, on more than four accounts, the influence men have on their wives’ image. Some of these women come in every three weeks to get their gray hair covered, be platinum blond and go without haircuts to grow their hair long like it was when they were 25. Whether they admit it or not, younger wannabe trophy wives are lining up to steal their rings and claim their prized homes.

Our elite clientele has luxurious and expensive cars that are so precious that they don’t want to park in the garage with all the other crappy cars. Yet, they will let a 19 year-old drive them around the block.

Works for me! I have the opportunity to drive a slew of Cadillacs, BMWs and Lexuses. I love driving their cars and dreaming of being rich and famous, pretending that I am attending the next red carpet event in their spiffy rides.

The Experience

The smell of ammonia clears my sinuses when I mix the hair color. The rising at the crack-of-dawn Friday and Saturday mornings are especially fun, trying to provide clients with my bubbly personality I seemed to have left at that party the night before. The ammonia helps me out more than my coffee to wake me up.

Attempting to balance the social life of a college student and work in a very serious environment isn’t

so easy.

We dress in all black to look sophisticated, but we wear cotton for comfort.

For a place dedicated to style, the shoes I have to wear to prevent back, foot and knee pain, are the ugliest ones in my closet. Their professional look is canceled out by the awkwardness they cause. I am always knocking things over. In the middle of styling a client, I can manage to drop a clip, misplace a comb, trip over my hideous black Dr. Scholl’s shoes and knock over four bottles of curling products, two tubes of gel and a can of hairspray.

TheVerdict

The salon is a place of contradictions. I enjoy the whole experience of working in a salon, sometimes. It should be a place of consistency and happiness, but that seems like it would be asking too much; kind of like when a client with jet black hair wants to be platinum blonde in an hour, virtually impossible. It is more of a boss covering up her lack of knowledge, clients whose husbands run banks but can’t calculate a 20 percent tip, and the stylists plastering a fake smile to prove they like the environment they work in. é

—Taylor Gaudens

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Protect

Beauty on a boat

Planning a summer vacation in the tropics? The most important thing this season is protecting yourself from head to toe. We show you our best beauty tips for a boating trip, cruise or a day on the beach.

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—Melissa Gaudens and Morgan Gaudens

1

Hair

The high speeds of the boat plus the wind equal one ratty head of hair, day or night.

Create a French braid or a bun so your hair doesn’t fly around, impairing your vision. Pair the braid or bun with a hat and protect your hair from the sun.

2

Nails

It is important to use a good lotion to moisturize nails before a day on the boat. If you plan to go fishing, your hands will be in and out of salt water, which dehydrates your nails and nails, so get a Shellac manicure (by CND) before your trip. Make sure to use conditioning cuticle oil along with an enriching lotion to keep your hands and nails healthy and nourished.

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Protect

3

Skin

The sun, wind and salt water dry your skin out, so moisturize your skin the night before your trip. UV rays damage the collagen in your skin, causing premature aging. No one like looking like a lobster. Healthy skin is happy skin.

Don’t forget to bring a long-sleeved shirt on the boat. When the boat speed increases, so does the wind.

Especially if you are on the boat early in the morning, it can get chilly. A shirt will help protect your skin from the sun’s rays all day long. For authentic fishing shirts, try Colombia sportswear clothing. This isn’t just your man’s kind of clothing, they have shirts for ladies.

Boating on a whim?

Just grab your favorite long-sleeved t-shirt before boarding.

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4

Feet

Summer weather calls for feet to be exposed, especially at the beach, so treat your feet to a pedicure.

To avoid tearing up the bottoms of your freshly painted toes, protect your feet and wear flip flops on the boat and all weekend long.

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Face

Your face is always exposed to UV rays, so make sure to apply SPF, wear hat and sunglasses. The reflection of the sun off the water makes the rays even stronger. Your lips can get burned, too. Trade sticky lipgloss for smooth chapstick with SPF, so any stray hairs whipping in the wind don’t get stuck on your lips.

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Treat

The beauty behind ink Tattoos are longer associated with ex-cons or rebellious teenagers. Inspried by the season focused on bare skin, we sat down with a few tatted ladies to learn the meaning behind their permanent, walking artwork.

—Taylor Gaudens

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W

hat’s in a tattoo? A deeper meaning, something hilarious, or just a simple accessory? These ladies tell all about their tattoos.

Belé: What is your tattoo?

Nati: My tattoo is of a design I found in one of those fake stick-on tattoo sheets they sell at Claire’s. It’s just a random design.

Kelsie: I have “be the change” tattooed on the inside of my right wrist.

Brittany: I have three tattoos all located on my neck, a feather with bird feet, an owl and a dandelion.

Belé: If a stranger walked up to you and looked at your tattoo(s), would he or she be able to decipher it?

Tara: Most people know what it is, unless I’m wearing shoes that partially cover it up. Then their imaginations go wild.

Belé: What’s the reason you decided to get a tattoo?

Nati: I always loved tattoos. I think it’s such a great way to express yourself. It’s like accessorizing yourself permanently with something you think of as important, pretty or that you just like. There wasn’t really a reason why I decided to get a tattoo, it was just something I liked and wanted to get done.

Kelsie: My sister and I had talked for years about getting a tattoo together. We both randomly decided that we loved the meaning behind “you must be the change you wish to see in the world.” So, we decided to get “be the change” as our tattoo.

It was both of our first tattoos, and we went together to get them done. Hers is on the inside of her left wrist. She wanted to get that wrist done because when we hold hands, the tattoos are next to each other.

Brittany: The dandelion is from my favorite scene in Beauty and the Beast when Belle runs into the field.

Belé: How did you decide where to get that tattoo on your body?

Nati: My tattoo is in my lower back (which, on a side note, not being American, I only found out was called a “tramp stamp” after it was done. But I still believe it’s only a “tramp stamp” if it’s a fairy or a tribal design Anywho, I got my tattoo in 2005 when the trend of lower back tattoos was starting and low rise jeans were all the rage. I thought it was a cute place to have it

and I could hide it for a future job.

Tara: I think I felt like having sea turtles on my foot would sort of represent the

“It’s like accessorizing yourself permanently.”

—Nati beachy side of myself. Barefoot on the beach with my turtles out sounds kind of like how I’d like to be every day.

Belé: Is there a meaning behind your tattoo?

Kelsie: It means something to me, because I know that my sister has the same thing, and we had such a blast getting them together. Every time I look at it, I am reminded of her, and reminded of the fact that, if there is something I don’t like in the world, I have the power to change it.

Tara: I decided to get a tattoo because I felt like it was a good time to get one, for the right reasons. The turtles are different sizes, so the smaller one represents me and the larger one my dad. It was right when I started college, so it was sort of a step toward independence, but I always wanted to keep my dad close. He’s a big part of my life.

Belé: What do you think is society’s overall connotations of having a tattoo? In what ways has it changed over the years?

Nati: I think the whole idea of people with tattoos being outcasts in society or excons is pretty old. Maybe I just don’t associate with such people but I think today tattoos are so common, there really isn’t much of a stigma against them anymore. I remember in high school talking about get-

Belé: Is it easy to cover up your tattoo?

Nicole: Extremely.

They’re both on my back. Alkaline Trio is right under my neck, so even my hair covers it. You can’t really see Casper either, unless I’m wearing a tank top. I love my tattoos because I can hide them or show them, whatever I feel like.

Tara: It can be easy.

If I really need to cover it up, I wear socks and full-covering sneakers.

Most of the time, in a professional environment I will leave it partially showing. I like to kind of push what’s appropriate. Not that it’s vulgar or anything, but just to see if someone tells me I need to cover it up.

Brittany Long’s first tattoo reminds is of favorite movie scene. Photo by Gabrielle Frazier

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Treat

ting a tattoo and everyone (family, friends) would tell me, “How are you going to get a job? No one will hire you like that” but today it seems like that’s not the mindset anymore.

Kelsie: I think that tattoos are far more common these days, and there isn’t as much of a stigma attached to people who have visible tattoos. I think before, people who had tattoos were seen as rebellious, but now it’s part of the cultural norm.

Tara: I think society has become more accepting of tattoos, but it still will be quick to judge someone on the content, placement and quality of someone’s tattoos.

that it was a red, melting candle so that changed her perception a little bit.

Belé:If you could go back in time to when you decided to get a tattoo, would you go through with it?

Nati: Absolutely. In fact, I can’t wait to get more! People focus so much on the permanent factor of the decision to get a tattoo (and I do believe it should be a thought-out decision) but think about how many other decisions we make in life that have permanent consequences. Getting a tattoo is not different, at least to me, to any of those.

of my tattoo as a piece of jewelry that I never have to take off and don’t have to worry about losing. It is a representation of who I am, out there for the world to see.

It makes me feel pretty.

Belé: What kind of reactions do you get about your tattoo(s)?

Belé: What makes a beautiful tattoo?

Belé: In general, what is your perception of beauty and tattoos?

Nati: My perception of beauty in tattoos is whether it suits you. Whether it’s a sleeve or just a small little thing, does it suit someone’s personality? Is it something that they got because it reflects who they are or is it there because that’s who they wish they were?

Of course there are well-made tattoos by good, professional artists and the ones that look crooked and unprofessional made my amateurs and that has an effect on the aesthetics of it but mostly I think the beauty of tattoos is defined by whether it’s a reflection of someone’s personality.

Kelsie: Personally, I think tattoos are beautiful. I think

“Having meaning behind it makes it more beautiful.”

—Brittany

Angela: I know a lot of people don’t respect/like tattoos. For example, my mom. But, I’ve always done things for me and not for other people, so I try not to let that bother me. I think tattoos are becoming a little more accepted than they used to be, but I think for them to be completely accepted, we have a long way to go.

Nicole: My friends think my Alkaline Trio one is bad ass. My grandma was really surprised, but not entirely shocked, haha. She cringed at the fact that it’s a skull, but she knows it’s something that meant a lot to me. When my mom first saw it she asked me if I was depressed because of “the blood.” I informed her

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Nati: I think the concept of beauty in tattoos can be just as subjective as the concept of beauty itself. Getting a tattoo to remember someone or an event or anything that has special meaning to them could be considered beautiful as an action,

although not necessarily aesthetically (personally, I’m not a fan of portraits as a tattoo but I do think the action of getting someone special’s face tattoed on you to remember them is beautiful).

Kelsie: I think tattoos are beautiful if they are done right. Sometimes they can look tacky, and often I don’t understand what possesses people to decide to put something on their body forever.

Belé: Do you find beauty in the messages, both literal and figurative of tattoos?

Kelsie: I do. I believe that you shouldn’t get a tattoo unless it means something to you, or represents a piece of who you are.

Nicole: As far as beauty goes, nobody can really judge someone else’s tattoo. It’s something you do for yourself, and you should appreciate others’ tattoos because it shows a part of them.

Angela: I think tattoos are beautiful, especially when they’re done well and mean something. Even if people looking at the tattoo don’t understand the tattoo, if you understand it, then I think that is beautiful. Tattoos with meaning are much more attractive, to me, than tattoos of random things. é

Kelsie McClain-Vosburgh and her sisters’ matching wrist tattoos. Photo by Marc Vosburgh

SPERRY T O P - S I D ER

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An American original since 1935

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