2011 is gone, but this year has left many stories to tell, and many tattoos to be remembered! They are recorded forever in the skin of the different celebrities that have had them done, but they are for all of us to admire… or to regret! Some are permanent, some of them are history, but created so much online gossip that deserve a place on our list. Come and see, these are the top five celebrity tattoos of the year 2011.

#5: Demi Lovato’s “faith” tattoo

The former Disney Channel star and singer of “All Night Long”, who is 19 years old, surprised her fans recently when she showed off her latest ink on her right forearm. It is the word “faith”. It is not the first motivational message she decides to spell on her body, since she previously got the words “Stay Strong” tattooed on her wrists. Demi Lovato shocked her dad by revealing the brand new ink during a concert in Pennsylvannia, as she exposed to the camera the word Faith, adorning her forearm. It was no big deal, she laughed about his reaction in Twitter. According to the singer, this tattoo is a tribute to her fans, who supported her last year when she went to rehab: “it’s something that my fans were actually drawing on their wrists while I was still in treatment.”

#4 Justin Bieber’s Jesus tattoo

2011 was definitely the best year for Justin Bieber’s career! And, as if media wasn’t talking about him enough, he got himself a tattoo. During a vacation in Hawaii with his sweetheart Selena Gomez (see below), Justin Bieber was spotted with a new tattoo under his armpit, which was later discovered to be the word Yeshua (Jesus) written in Hebrew. It is not the first tattoo for Justin: he also has a seagull around his stomach that is a family tattoo, representing the book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, by author Richard Bach. Say what you want: I like Justin and I think these tattoos combine the “tough guy” kind of look with his angelical charisma!

#3: Lindsay Lohan’s lyrics tattoo

She has appeared more times on the media because of her substance abuse problems than because of her inks. Still, the press didn’t miss Lindsay’s new tattoo. She surprised everyone when she decided to get lyrics from… Billy Joel! It goes: “Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife I feel like I’m in the prime of my life”. They are lyrics from the 1989 song “I Go to Extremes”. And it is clearly visible on her rib cage. Apparently, the song represents the place in life where Lindsay is right now, she claims she’s in the prime of her life (not so sure about it, although… extremes… yeah, on a second thought we couldn’t agree more!). Nobody didn’t know Lindsay Lohan was such a big fan of the “Piano Man” –who happens to be from Long Island, just like her-; but well, she is!

#2 Katy Perry’s smiling peppermint sweet tattoo

The “I kissed a girl” singer even went through a whole photography session while having the tattoo inked! She had her new piece of body art tattooed on her right ankle backstage, while she was on her “California Dreams” world tour, just before the San Francisco gig. A mobile tattoo artist inscribe the peppermint with big eyelashes design, and the pictures reflect the pain and agony poor Katy had to go through! She truly deserves to be on our list, right? The finished tattoo was later unveiled on Twitter by Perry herself, and she revealed it is a companion piece to another of her inks, the strawberry on her left ankle. Katy is a huge fan of tattoos, and she was really exited about getting this one done. Her new tattoo, as well as her husband’s (Russell Brand got the logo of the West Ham United) was created by legendary tattoo artist Bang Bang. But, is it the last one? She’s always considering new ideas for ink: “I nearly got a huge tattoo of Freddie Mercury’s face on my back a few years ago. It’s probably for the best that I didn’t get it done, but I still want to do it.”

#1: Flea’s cute birthday tattoo

The bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is famous for his many tattoos, that cover his body, especially his arms and legs. For his 49th birthday, on October 15th, he decided to get a new one, but not just any tattoo. He got his right forearm inked with a beautiful princess of blonde, long hair, a gold crown, and dreamy eyes. And if you think that looks more like a tattoo a five year old girl would get… you are just about right! Flea’s new tattoo was designed by no other than his own daughter Sunny Bebop, and inked by Henk Schiffmacher. We think it is very cute, and a detail that shows what a loving father Flea must be! And, according to what he twitted on his account forty minutes after having the tattoo inked, “All the best tattoos are drawn by five year olds!”

Bonus Track: Selena Gomez’s fake “Justin” tattoo

Back in September, Selena caused a huge sensation when she lift her hand and revealed the inked-on name of “Justin,” together with a heart below, in her wrist right under her right palm. At the time, she was performing in Las Vegas. What was the big deal? Well, for a start, Justin Bieber and she are just kids, so getting her boyfriend’s name tattooed was a major risk! Some said it was sweet, most though it was just stupid. It was just a matter of time before Selena confirmed that was not a real tattoo, it was just henna, which the singer adores since she had got other tattoos as well. However, she caused a huge sensation with this public statement, so her “fake” tattoo should definitely be mentioned among the top celebrity tattoos of 2011.

OMG! I cannot believe how amazing white ink tattoos are! I just discovered this new kind of tattoos, believe it or not, I had never heard about them before, but now I can’t wait to have my first white ink tattoo on my skin… I consider myself a real tattoo fan. I think I know a little bit about tattoos. However, these incredible tattoos are brand new to me. Therefore, I did a little research and here’s what I found out.

What are white ink tattoos?

White ink tattoos are a new technique of body art. They are gaining adepts all over the world because they look rather special. In fact, most white ink tattoos are not as noticeable as regular tattoos, and they look like little scars (they kind of remind me Harry Potter’s hand when he was punished with that magic pen that would scratch his skin LOL).

While most tattoo designs are created by beginning with a black outline (which defines the shape and look of the tattoo), this new kind of tattoo doesn’t follow the regular tattoo process. The tattoo is completely drawn with white ink (no black outline and, of course, no colors). This way, the skin gets imprinted with a pale, ghostly image that looks more as the pale shadow of a tattoo. A white ink tattoo is very subtle and beautiful! So if you don’t want your tattoo to be screaming from your skin, but you’d rather have it as a soft whisper, a white ink tattoo may be the right way to go.

But do you actually see white ink tattoos?

Well, there is absolutely no point in going through all the painful procedure of tattooing your skin if nobody’s going to realize about the tattoo, right? Of course white ink tattoos are visible, but you have to look much closer in order to fully appreciate their beauty. This turns white ink tattoos into wonderful alternatives for people who want a tattoo but are concerned about showing it off too much (perhaps because of the dress codes in certain work places).

Which are some designs available?

As with regular tattoos, you can choose your favorite design, of course! Tribal designs, stars, Celtic, Egyptian… they will all look great. Most of the pictures I’ve seen online happen to be text, inscriptions; probably some very personal thoughts one may choose to have tattooed, but not necessarily want to share with the rest of the world. For example, on the inside of Lindsay Lohan’s wrist there’s a small white ink tattoo that says “breathe”. I also believe these tattoos are ideal for romantic occasions, such as getting engaged or married –they could make some very original wedding ring tattoos.

How are white ink tattoos made?

Photo Credit By photosbyjds ~ My family is my anchor they keep me from floating away ~

White ink tattoos are made from a thick, high quality ink which is specially designed to stick out by itself. It is not the same white ink that it is used for mixing shades of colors. As with other tattoos, the tattoo artist may use a stencil or just do the design freehand. According to reviews, a white ink tattoo may take more than one pass over the area in order to guarantee that the white ink sinks completely into the skin, because it is not as easily absorbed as other colors.

Shall I have a white ink tattoo made?

Of course, this is up to you! However, here’s a quick piece of advice. Although white ink tattoos are getting quite popular, they don’t look great on everybody. People with darker skin tones are not able to absorb as much white ink as needed for the tattoo to stand out, and worse, they might even experience an unfortunate reaction, much more frequently than with black ink. As a result, after all the procedure, you might still end with no tattoo! So it is best to go for white ink tattoos when you have a pale skin so white ink tattoos might not be for me after all…

Besides, you should be careful when selecting the place for your new tattoo, since white ink shouldn’t be exposed to the sun. Avoid getting your face or your hands tattooed in white.

Photo Credit By britta.r.walker@gmail.com ~ White sparrow tattoo 3 days old ~

Last but not least…

Before getting tattooed, make sure you absolutely want something on your skin that is going to last forever (although white ink tattoos tend to fade eventually, as new layers of skin grow). Make sure you choose a tattoo artist that has plenty of experience in this modern tattoo design, even when he or she may charge some more money that the amateur.

Photo Credit By dance addict

What shall I have tattooed: a design or an inscription? How about you? What do you think about white ink tattoos?

We all know tattoos last a lifetime, but even if they didn’t, we would always keep Kat Von D tattoos, since they are true works of art! Hers are the most original, exclusive designs, and everyone would like to wear them proudly on some visible place… at least, if everyone could afford them (but by then, they wouldn’t be so exclusive, would they?).

In case you have been living in a bubble and you still don’t know who is Kat Von D, let’s just turn on the TV and watch! Ok, ok, don’t fetch for the remote, I’ll be a good girl and tell you LOL Kat Von D is a Mexican-American tattoo artist and a TV star. Kat Von D was born in Monterrey, Mexico, in March of 1982 (no need to do the maths, she’s 29, and yes, she’s one of the youngest tattoo artists that becomes world wide famous). Her actual name is Katherine Von Drachenberg and both her parents are Argentinean, but with German and Italian ascendance. Is all this ethnical mixture the reason for Kat Von D’s originality and artistic vision? Perhaps!

By the time Kat Von D was 4, she moved to Colton, California. From a very young age she learned to play the piano. She was 14 when she got her first tattoo (a J, dedicated to her first love), and that same year, she quit school to pursue a career as a tattooist. She worked in many different tattoo stores and became quite known. Her big break was the show Miami Ink, because it was because of it that she became a celebrity. Now she hosts her own TV show, very similar to the previous one, but as she moved to Los Angeles in 2006, the show is called LA Ink instead.

The TV show is a reality show that takes place in her own tattoo shop in West Hollywood, High Voltage. Not only she is a celebrity, Kat Von D is also the tattoo artist that celebrities choose for themselves! So far, she has tattooed many, including Dave Navarro, Mira Sorvino, Jason Mraz, Papa Roach, Gas Lipstick, Kerry King, Nikki Sixx, Sebastian Bach, Lady Gaga… is anyone keeping the count?

Kat Von D has shared her life experience with the world through two books. High Voltage Tattoo was the first (published in 2009). It is “a graphic perspective on today’s global tattoo culture”. By reading this book, fans got to know all about her life and career, as well as artistic vision. Kat Von D also explores her influences and what inspires her. Many pictures of her shop and work tools, and her tattoo designs, were also included. The book turned out to be a best seller since it is a true tattoo Bible. A year later she published The Tattoo Chronicles, a diary in which she gives her personal insights about the whole tattoo phenomenon that had her as a main character. As for business, everything is going so well for Kat Von D. She has extended her creativity into a line of cosmetics of her own, created together with Sephora.

It is hard to imagine Kat Von D without tattoos. Of course, many of her fabulous designs are inked on herself! Some of her tattoos are the inscription T.a (meaning True love always) on the fingers of her right hand; “mi vida loca” on her back; Hollywood (her favorite city) on her stomach; on her left hand there’s the Heartgram (symbol of her favorite gothic rock band, HIM); the ray of High Voltage Tattoo. She also has tattoos dedicated to her loved ones: her mother, her father, her sister Carolin, her ex-boyfriend Nikki Sixx, her brother, a flower with Oliver written on it (her ex-husband’s name)… There are more, of course, and there will probably be still more until Kat Von D runs out of space!

We may all agree, even those who don’t have any tattoos, that Kat Von D without tattoos wouldn’t quite be herself: for a tattoo artist, tattoos are her life. In some way, she has turned her skin a picture of her whole life, filling every little corner with memories and tributes. Tattoo fans claim that it is hard to stop: once you’ve had you first tattoo, there’s no reason for not adding a new one.

If you like tattoos and you visit LA, then you’d definitely have to stop by High Voltage. Of course, if you want to get a tattoo from Kat Von D’s own hands, you have to get ready to wait! Make an appointment some months in advance and be ready to pay what you would pay for a true work of art. Unlike jewelry, no one will ever steal thin one from you!

How about you? Do you like Kat Von D Tattoos? Would you get a tattoo of one of her designs? Do you think she has way too many tattoos on herself, or does she look perfect the way she is? Which of Kat Von D Tattoos would you pick for yourself, and where would you place it?

Check Out Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair

Art is beauty, right? And there’s nothing as beautiful as the human body in all its glory! Therefore, body painting was meant to emerge as an art form. However, not everyone understands that body art is, indeed, an artistic expression. Here we are going to explain what body painting really is, and how it can truly be an artistic creation, at least when used well.

Body painting probably has begun thousands of years ago, when the cavemen discover how they could make their skin look more beautiful (or scarier) by applying paint on it. Tribes from all around the world have practiced different forms of body pain and face paint: as part of rituals, as a form of expressing their political or religious power, and for attracting members of the opposite sex.

Even today, body painting is a practice related to seduction: erotic body painting is one of the most common forms of expression in this art. Body painting on women is more frequent than in men, perhaps because the shapes of the female body get enhanced by applying artistic designs. Nude body painting is common for women, but relative infrequent on men, who usually keep their underwear on.

There are certain prejudices surrounding body painting. Some people may reject it because they consider it some way of fancy porn. This shows ignorance and lack of judgment, as there are many extraordinary designs of incredible beauty, and many respected artists have turned to body painting in search of a new form of artistic expression. Of course, there are as many different body paintings as there are people!

Some of them are classy, artistic expressions that use the natural forms of the human body in order to create a really artistic design which later gets immortalized thanks to photography. Some others, on the other hand, can be vulgar and even offensive for some people. That sometimes causes rejection of the whole body art painting concept, but for the wrong reasons. In some point, every form of artistic expression has been corrupted by some, but that doesn’t mean we should reject art as a whole!

Some may see body painting as an alternative to tattoos. In both cases, the human skin is the support for an artistic, colorful design. However, the main difference is that while tattoos are permanent, and somehow become a part of a person’s identity, body painting is temporary. That is why it is so common to see full body painting in photographs and exhibitions, and few people would risk tattooing all of their bodies.

Check Out Sports Illustrated: In the Paint

There are many body painting festivals around the world which bring together people who have discovered the beauty and true value of this unique artistic expression. But body painting hasn’t been used in art only. As it happens with tattoos, body painting may have different meanings: it has a military use, and it is very popular in sports. Many have found another way of expressing their identity and their beliefs through body painting.

I think people have been waiting to see Jennifer Aniston getting tattooed ever since Rachel –her world famous character from Friends- got tattooed a cute, sexy heart on her hips. However, the sexy actress didn’t have a tattoo until a few weeks ago, when she was spotted by the cameras during a walk in New York City, revealing a brand-new tattoo on the inside of her right foot. I think the inside of your feet is a great place for getting tattooed for the first time, since you don’t necessarily need to show it all the time, you can cover it with boots or stockings.

Jennifer Aniston tattoo is an inscription and it reads “Norman”. Of course, being Jennifer Aniston as known for her failed romances as for her acting talent, everybody begun questioning who might be Norman! After a lot of speculation, Jennifer Aniston got us all out of the mystery when she explained it to James Lipton during an interview for Inside the Actors Studio. She claims it is her favorite word. Norman was the name of her beloved dog, a Welsh corgi-terrier mix that died last May. Although he was already 15 years old, a nice age for a dog, Jennifer Aniston almost cried when talking about her diseased pet.

To me, it all seems a little silly. I mean, I understand the love for animals. But getting your pet’s name on a tattoo? Seriously? And why exactly getting inked for the first time right now, Jen? Perhaps it has lots to do with the fact that things are getting serious with her new boyfriend, movie star Justin Theroux, the prototype of a bad boy… is Jennifer Aniston trying to catch up with her sweetheart? You’ve got work to do, girl, Justin has many tattoos which suit him! They are wearing rings that match, they are showing themselves in public… apparently, the relationship is growing, and Jennifer Aniston tattoo would be the way to prove Justin her true love.

About Norman, seriously, when my dog got run over I cried for days… but if I were to tattoo all my cats’ names I would run out of space! Although, I once saw a girl who had her cat’s paw tattooed on her shoulder. And it wasn’t just any cat’s paw, it was hers! She told me how she had spilled chocolate pudding on the floor so the cat would ink her paw on it, and later the girl made the cat stamp her paw on a white sheet of paper. The reason she picked chocolate pudding was that she knew the cat would lick herself after getting dirty, and the girl was aware of the fact that common ink could be potentially damaging for her pet. I know it may sound silly but it all kind of made sense to me by then…

After all, who am I to judge Jennifer Aniston on her weird first tattoo? After all, I tattooed my own name for my first tattoo and people think it is strange LOL

Don’t we all love Rihanna Tattoos? Among all the other famous celebrity tattoos, I don’t think there is anyone more enthusiastic than Rihanna. She has an amazing collection of personal, little ink figures, pictures and phrases tattooed all over her body, from head to toes! Ok, ok, so some of them are better than others (I personally dislike the gun she got on her right side, and from what I’ve heard, she decided to get it done after being hit by her ex boyfriend). But when it comes to originality, Rihanna has no match!

Her love for tattoos begun back in 2006. The first one on the list is the music note she has on her foot, of course this tattoo was inspired by her music career, which was starting by that time (although Rihanna claims music is in her D.N.A.). The pisces sign behind her right ear was later done during a trip to Tokyo, where she met a famous Brazilian tattoo artist.

One of her most famous tattoos was the Sanskrit prayer going down her right hip. The thing is that it was supposed to say “Forgiveness, Honesty, Suppression and Control”. But guess what? It got misspelled! And there’s no correction fluid when it comes to tattoos. Perhaps something like that is unavoidable when you are as impulsive with your tattoos as Rihanna seems to be. She admits tattoos are like an addiction for her: “I am so intrigued by tattoos. It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don’t care.”

Rihanna Tattoos include some other phrases: there is an Arabic phrase on her ribcage area, that means Freedom in God’, the motto “Never a failure, always a lesson”, which is placed near her right shoulder and was written in reverse writing, so she can read it every time she looks at her image in a mirror. One of her newest tattoos goes “rebelle fleur” which means “rebellious flower” in French, and it is placed on her neck.

My personal favourite among Rihanna Tattoos is the lovely ‘shhh tattoo’ she has on her right index finger. I don’t know exactly why she had that one done, but it has been copied by many people since then, including some celebrities, like Lily Allen and Lindsay Lohan (speaking about her, I believe Lindsay Lohan tattoos are also nice and surprisingly discrete!). As for myself, I’m not fond of the idea of repeating the tattoo someone else has, but I have to admit that if I could choose one of Rihanna Tattoos for myself I’d pick the ‘shhh’ because I find it so cute! I also love the trail of stars going down her back, because I find it so sexy!

Anyway, these are just some of Rihanna Tattoos, so far I’ve counted fifteen but it wouldn’t be surprising if one of these days she comes out showing something new. I’m pretty sure there are more Rihanna tattoos on the way!

Rihanna Tattoos Pictures

Lady GaGa face implants have honestly shocked me! Every time I’m about to write a new post about Lady GaGa, a part of me refuses to do so. Haven’t we seen enough after all? Apparently not! This artist has always something new to shock the audience!

Last February, everyone was talking about Lady GaGa face implants, which she showed off in Jay Leno’s TV show. What exactly were those strange horns coming off her face and shoulders? Were they some kind of make up or were they the real thing? Is it possible for Lady Gaga to have gone beyond the tattoos, and done so much to her body?

To be completely honest with you, even though I love Lady GaGa, I admire her style and I believe Lady GaGa tattoos are gorgeous, I wasn’t really excited about Lady GaGa face implants. In fact, I found them quite disgusting. While I believe tattoos are decorative, and that a good tattoo can enhance a person’s beauty, I’m not fond of subdermal implantation (the name of this technique for putting shapes under the skin of any part of the body). This body modification trend is growing popular in many parts of the world. Perhaps, I’ll get use to it eventually, but I don’t think I’d ever consider having one done myself… Besides, it seems quite painful!

Lady Gaga Face Implants

At first, Lady GaGa face implants had everyone wondering whether they were real or not. Her spokesperson refused to answer right away. In conclusion? Lady GaGa face implants were the topic of discussion everywhere! I must admit that as a marketing strategy she had a point. Later, it became public knowledge that the angular augmentations she had done to her face were part of the production for the photo shoot for her latest album, Born This Way (as it was the unicorn tattoo on her upper left tight that she showed at the 2010 Video Music Awards).

However, even though she admitted the implants were not for real, she also said she had considered making them permanent. It was her boyfriend, bar manager and musician Carl Luc, who persuaded her not to. Lady GaGa began dating him back in 2005. The couple split when she became famous, but they were reunited a year ago. Let me say, while I believe a woman shouldn’t listen to her boyfriend when it comes to her personal appearance (because she owns her body and she has the right to do anything she likes) in the case of Lady GaGa face implants I’m very glad Carl got away with it this time!

Lady GaGa face implants were compared to the look of French artist Orlan, who has gone through several plastic surgeries to modify her face in an artistic way. Lady GaGa said she’s all an inspiration for her. And to the ones who were pissed off by her face implants, she answered that it’s an artistic expression just like any other.

Lady GaGa face implants, love them or hate them?