Tattoos can be a polarizing topic. Some people love them, some people hate them, others fall somewhere in between – and all with varying degrees of conviction. I happen to fall into the stringently-love-them camp. My only real reservation regarding tattoos is the fear of them later dictating job or educational opportunities. However, the increase of artists offering UV and white ink presents an accessible, subtler way to express yourself just the same. After completing enough ground research on artists that had experience working with it, and reading up on the ink itself, there was only one conclusion: I NEEDED THIS.
My generation is often known for their gravitation toward instant gratification, I am no exception. So it helped that I’d already had my tattoos in question picked out for quite some time (I kid you not, my tattoo pinboard on pinterest is labeled “Ink Me Up Scotty“). Being a bit of a Trekkie and overall NASA fangirl, I promptly saw Thor at Captain Jack’s Tattoo and got “Ad Astra Per Aspera” on my collarbone, and the Starfleet insignia behind my ear. What can I say, my nerd game is strong.
During the healing process of my first couple tattoos I used the widely-acclaimed Aquaphor, and in search of something that absorbed better: coconut oil – which I ended up liking a lot better than the Aquaphor. It applied nicer, smelled better, and kept the tattoo super moisturized and not itchy. I normally have multiple jars of coconut oil laying around the house, but I got home from getting my tattoos to find that I was completely out. Boo. I did however, have a rollerball of Tarte Maracuja Oil sitting amongst my beauty products. My thought of ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ was framed with the knowledge that it didn’t include mineral oil (’cause boo closed comedones) and that Tarte products are made without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. The fact that it was conveniently packaged in a rollerball and made it super easy to apply to the area behind my ear? Even better. I generally just carried the rollerball around with me and applied it whenever the tattoos felt either too dry or too itchy.
The photo on the far left was taken the day after I got the tattoos done, while the two on the right were taken a few weeks later. I did buy a small UV light keychain, however I unfortunately do not have a larger one that shows the whole tattoo(s) lit up. Maybe I’ll do a short vine or instagram video of it instead if there is enough interest. Overall I am extremely happy with how everything healed, and the roller ball of maracuja oil experiment appeared fruitful. Though obviously it requires further trials – for which I volunteer myself for. You know, for science [=
Speaking of science, and my general adoration of citations, if you would like to learn more about UV ink / blacklight tattoos you can read more about what was used here.
Shop this post: Tarte Maracuja Oil.
♡Em
