Mena Suvari’s Tattoos

Okay, we’ve got to be honest, we have pretty much no idea what Mena Suvari’s tattoos mean, but we do know what and where they are. The American Reunion star has been out of the spotlight for the last few years, but she’s kept busy as a fashion designer and blogger, and by getting some pretty prominent ink. She has what appears to be “13″ or a “B” on her chest, the words “WORD SOUND POWER” on her back, a lion on her neck, and she recently got some sort of script writing above the lion. Suvari seems to have been bitten by the tattoo bug, and they’re slowly becoming part of her public image, so look for her to keep getting inked for years to come.

Inked Up: Guess The Celebrity Tattoo

Do you think you know your celebrity tattoo’s? Check out these celebrity tatt's and guess who you think they are - answers at the bottom of the post (no cheating!).

We have discovered some interesting facts about tattoo’s:

- Winston Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, had a snake tattooed on her wrist.
It became fashionable in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for aristocrats, including women, to be tattooed. At the time, tattooing was very expensive and people paid large sums for their designs. Later, as the costs were reduced, tattooing was adopted by the lower classes and the practice fell out of favour with the social elite. 

- The tattooing machine is based on the design of the doorbell.
- Early forms of tattoo removal included the injection or application of wine, lime, garlic or pigeon excrement!

Being rather responsible folk at GO City Girl, before you head off to have a tattoo, here are a few common mistakes to avoid: 

1. Getting tattoo too early in life.  Tattoos that people get even before they are 18 are most likely to be regretted later. If you are young and want a cartoon character think about how your dad would look with a Hello Kitty tattoo. It is worth to wait and think for longer.
2. Wrong choice of design due to rush.

3. Wrong choice of tattooist due lack of research. Often choice of design is good but quality of work is poor. 

4. Tattoo of a name of a person that is not your child.

5. Starting a tattoo and not finishing it due to financial troubles. It is not cool to be walking around with unfinished tattoo for a year, it is better to save up and then make yourself an appointment.

6. Leaving tattoos that need attention (reworking/cover up) for way too long. 

7. Getting tattoo aftercare advice from friends rather your tattooist.

8. Getting tattoos by friends and family especially on forearms.

9. Letting somebody drunk or on drugs to scar you for life or being drunk yourself when approaching tattooist. Some tattooists do not care and are willing to do something stupid on you as long as you pay.

10. Letting a tattooist do what he/she wants rather then what you want. You are the one that is responsible for yourself so think for yourself.

So when looking for a tattooist it is key to :

- Ask someone you know who has had a tattoo where they would recommend

- Visit as many tattooists as you can. Ask to see a portfolio of their work and certificates of training and hygiene/first aid. Take someone along with you if this makes it easier to ask.

- Trust your instincts. Does the place feel, look and smell clean? Can you trust the tattooist? Are they open to questions? Do they explain things well? If you're not sure - leave.
You could also use our "Think before you ink" service before you go the whole way 

The answers to which celebrites the tattoos above belong to:

1.Audrina Patridge (The Hills)

2.Angelina Jolie/ Mike Tyson

3.Jessica Alba/ Victoria Beckham

4.Amy Winehouse/ Megan Fox

5.Gemma Arterton/ Nicole Ritchie

6.Lady Gaga/ David beckham

7. Rihanna/ Pharrel Williams

Michael Phelps’ Tattoos

As if we didn’t have to worry about our girlfriends staring at his stomach enough, Olympic Champion Michael Phelps has two tattoos on his man-kini line (life long goal of working “man-kini” into an article: check). The 14 time Olympic Gold Medalist has the Olympic rings on the right hip, and an “M” for Maryland. Many people often confuse the “M” for that of the University of Michigan, but seeing as how Phelps was born, raised, and still lives in Baltimore County, Maryland, we think it’s a safer bet to assume that the “M” represents the Old Line State (they should really change it to something crabcake related). Seeing as how his image is already tarnished by his bong incident from a few years ago, we don’t think Phelps will be getting any more ink until after the 2012 Olympics. When he does, we’re going to guess that he goes with something on forearm. Or maybe a Whizz Temporary Tattoo which is 100% waterproof!!

David Beckham And Celebrity Tattoos

  You must be aware of the fact that how sports star and actors have been widely influenced by the idea of tattooing on their bodies. They treat this concept as a must have style in their life. Whatever designs they make are termed as celebrity tattoos, which are always treated to be the hot favorite styles in the industries. It is true that not all of them can carry such styles with their attitude and personality. So, it is always recommended that you choose the superstar who carries his personality the best.  

When it comes to choosing the celebrity star, each has his/her preferences and choices. Some might like the megastar’s style of acting or playing, while others might get attracted towards his tattoo designs. If you are allured by the concept of tattooing then check out the tight t-shirt, blonde hair football-star David Beckham. After looking at him, you will be simply mesmerized by the tattoo designs he has made on his body parts. He is known for his impressive physique, his immaculate performance and last but not the least the number of tattoos.

The idea of making tattoos came to his mind a little before when Brooklyn was born. Brooklyn is none other than Beckham’s first child. He says that whatever he does is always related to the people of his life, especially his wife and sons. The celebrity tattoos made on his body is mostly related to his expression and feeling towards his wife Victoria and their boys. He started making this art by engraving the name of Brooklyn, his first boy child. This is done crossways at his lower back. This way he imprinted the names of his other sons on his body parts. After Brooklyn, it was Romeo that actually sits on his neck, just beneath the base. Cruz, the name of Beckham’s son has been placed right below the winged figure at the back.

When it comes to celebrity tattoos, none can just miss out the famous style icon David Beckham. It was in the year 1999, when David went under the needle. Then a year later in 2000, he made Guardian Angel at his upper back. It was a giant angel design that was made in purpose to watch just over Brooklyn’s name little inches below. Following, he made a tattoo in Hindi on his left inner arm. This design was none other than his beloved wife’s name ‘Victoria’. As he considered the English lettering too ordinary, he decided to do Hindi script. Soon in 2002, David added the name of his second son just above the guardian angel design. Shortly after this, he engraved the number 7 in roman numerals on his right inner arm. This is just not the end of the tattoo designs made by the superstar on his body parts.

Celebrity tattoos are there in good numbers in the body art galleries. All you need to do is choose your favorite superstar and learn about their tattoo designs in details. However, other than taking interest in celebrity or actor tattoos, if you are keen to make some other form of body art designs then tribal tattoos can be the ideal option.

Whatever kind of tattoo art design you make on your body, make sure you hire a good and genuine artists who will carefully ink the designs on your body. Why not try our "Think Before You Ink" Service at Whizz Temporary tattoos

Zac Efron Gets Another Tattoo

Zack Efron just keeps getting further and further away from his High School Musicalpersona; part of that departure has been his getting of not one, not two, but now threetattoos! He’s a real tattooed person now! Good for him, although as of right now, we have almost no idea what he got done earlier this month in Los Angeles. Rumor has it that the ink, which is directly connected to his other inner-biceps tattoo, is related to his new relationship, but no one really knows yet. All we know is that he now has three very visibletattoos, and that makes the Lucky One and Lorax star a whole lot cooler in our book. At this point, if he goes out and gets himself a big ole’ forearm piece, we’re going to have to start actually supporting him…wow, we really hope that he doesn’t do that, because he may be getting a little better, but his movies still look like something our girlfriends’ teddy bears would throw up if they ate too many rainbows.

The tattoos that tattoo artists love and hate

More people have more tattoos in more places than ever before.  If you're considering getting inked, choosing the design is now the hardest part, and we've spoken to some of the world's top tattoo artists to find out more about the tattoos they love and the ones they're not so keen on. 

Tribal feudsAbove: Mike Tyson, Robbie Williams and Cheryl Cole all sport tribal markings.

"I'm not a big fan of doing Tribal work and cover ups," says top tattoo artist Louis Molloy, resident artist at Manchester's Middleton Tattoo studio, and the star of TV show London Ink. "Also, because of some of the work I've done on celebrities, I've gained a good reputation for doing religious-themed work but I feel that I've done so much over the past 10 to 12 years that it no longer holds the same appeal. I most often get requests for religious-inspired work - not because people are overtly religious but more that they like the 'look'."

Colour codes
Indeed, while that Celtic cross or tribal etching may have seemed like a good idea at the time, in ten years time will you really feel the same?  The colour, position and size of your tattoo will all affect the ease with which it can be removed, if, God forbid, you decide that your visit to the tattoo parlour was one you'd rather forget. Part of the reason more people are opting to get inked is the wider range of colours available - black is no longer the only option. The bad news? These brighter colours are also the hardest to remove.

"Red, green and blue are the hardest colours to remove from a tattoo," says Louis. "The reason for this is that the current laser technology works on the light spectrum. These colours are the ones that the laser has trouble "seeing" because the wavelengths of the colour spectrum are all different and most lasers can only work at certain wavelengths. It may seem strange but black is the easiest colour to remove."

The name gameAbove: Angelina Jolie, Katie Price and Melanie Griffin have all been branded with their lovers names.

It pays to be equally cautious when it comes to names. You may well have met his parents, moved into his house and even snuck your make up into his bathroom cabinet, but is a permanent piece of body art really the best way to declare your undying love for your other half? If things turn sour, the tattoo will be a painful reminder of a failed relationship.

This doesn't just mean tattoos of his name either. "Any form of "love" declaration should not be taken lightly," warns Louis. "Even if it's some form of cryptic image, if the couple split up there will always be a reminder." 

So what type of tattoo does Louis love to do most? "My favourite style of work is Japanese because the designs work very well on the body - I'm currently looking at work that was done in the Meiji period of art in Japan (1860 - 1912). This was the time when the art in Japan was a big influence to artists in the west - impressionists and designers like Morris and Mackintosh - and I'm trying to create works that come somewhere in between the two worlds."

No pain, no gainAbove: If you have a low threshold for pain, you'll want avoid getting a tattoo on your ankle, shoulder or top …

We all have different pain thresholds, but when it comes to tattoos, those with lower ones might consider avoiding certain areas, although Louis admits that there are also those who love the endorphin-induced high they experience while getting a tattoo done. "Generally, bony areas are the most painful to work on. However, no tattoo could ever be described as painless - for the most part the pain is bearable and sometimes with the release of endorphins people will often describe the experience as pleasurable."

If you've got a friend with multiple tattoos, there's a good chance the following thought has popped into your head as you've admired his or her body art: "But what about when you get old?" In reality, no tattoo is going to stay the same, whether it's due to pregnancy, weight gain or loss or age-related sagging, but them again, if you truly love your tattoo, the fact that it's changed shape slightly probably won't be too much of a concern. "I think the truth is that most old people who are tattooed couldn't care less because the tattoos become a part of you," says Louis. "If you're worried about this, areas to avoid would be breasts and the stomach on men and women. The best places would be the arms and shoulder blades."

What to consider before you get inked

For the same reasons, it's also worth avoiding tattoos which express personal opinion (you may well currently love the Wanted, but will you really feel the same when you're ninety?). Remember that the tattoo artist wielding the needle is there to create your desired tattoo, and isn't obliged to tell you that you might be about to make the worst decision of your life.

"Extreme tattoos being done are down to the discretion of the artists," says Louis. "We are supposed to live in a free society where people can express their views or opinions however they wish but doing it as a tattoo is not always a wise thing to do. 

Just because a tattooist does this kind of work does not mean that they agree with the views in question." Indeed Tyler Borich at American Electric tattoo salon, which featured on Miami Ink, makes a very good point. 

"My old boss once said to me, 'If someone wants the world to know that they're a racist then great. Why not help warn everyone?' I agree."  A similar thing could be said for those considering a Wanted tattoo...

Motocross Legend To Open Tattoo Parlor In Lake Elsinore

“The Godfather of Freestyle Motocross” will bring his famous name and his love of body art to Lake Elsinore.

Tuesday night, the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission unanimously approved a request by American Freestyle Motocross champ Mike Metzger to operate a tattoo business inside a 1,800-square-foot leased space in Westlake Village Commercial Center at 31712 Casino Drive.

Without reservation, the commission approved a conditional use permit for the business, which Metzger plans to call Mob Syndicate Tattoo after his motocross moniker.

The shop, which Metzger hopes to open within two months, will offer tattoos and body piercings, as well as the FMX star’s mixed-media paintings.

Metzger’s name is legendary. He is an international celebrity in his sport, having headlined at top events like the X-Games and doing media-grabbing Evel Knievel-like stunts such as setting a Guinness World Record in 2006 with a 125-foot jump that included a back flip over a fountain at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He’s also made many television appearances and is featured in a video game.

At 36, Metzger said he still rides but the thrill isn’t what it was.

“I come back from a ride and it’s not the same,” he said.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Metzger explained that he has been tattooing for 18 years, and has been painting since childhood. His family moved to the area when he was young, and he now resides in Canyon Lake, he said.

Metzger explained that he looked at possible locations in Murrieta and Temecula for his business, but felt Lake Elsinore -- with its Dream Extreme motto that promotes action sports -- was the ideal spot.

He said the December opening of the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park also appealed to him.

“I love Lake Elsinore,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a better place for this business.”

During the meeting, commissioner Rick Morsch said he had spoken to tenants at the Westlake Village Commercial Center, which includes, among other businesses, Don Jose Mexican Restaurant and Lotions & Lace adult store.

“They are all very supportive,” Morsch said, noting that the center’s landlord was excited about the possibility of bringing in the famous tenant.

A father of five, Metzger said the tattoo business is a lucrative post-FMX opportunity, and he explained that the timing is right: In 2010, Metzger experienced two near-death crashes that left him hospitalized in ICU for weeks.

“I smashed myself really badly,” he said.

He’s also lost some famous friends to riding. In 2009, fellow motocross freestyler Jeremy Lusk died days following a crash, and last November rider Jim McNeil was also killed in a crash.

Metzger lives on as a FMX legend, but he said he’s looking ahead to Mob Syndicate Tattoo.

“I’m ready to go.”