That Time I Made A Temporary Bad Decision...

I got a tattoo! Okay, not really.

I've been wanting to get a tattoo for a long time and just haven't committed yet. I've had it drawn up for years. But it's going to hurt and be expensive and of course permanent. So I have to decide if I really want it FOREVER...

Then I saw this ad on Instagram for a company called inkbox (I swear I'm not getting paid for this) that you can get your design as a temporary ink tattoo. They use chemicals and a stencil, so it won't rub off weirdly after two days. 

This is the tattoo that I wanted to get: 

Because I love Conan O'Brien, particularly when he was host of Late Night. 

Mine isn't actually that creative. I stole the basic design from his band's podium thingies.

This is what I ended up purchasing: 

If I get a real tattoo, it won't have the weird gaps. That was a requirement of the Inkbox because they use stencil technology. Yes. For some reason, I said "technology." I needed to cut out 1mm spaces in each shape to make it work. I was okay with the result.

I opened my package in my dimly lit living room.

 I actually am attempting to cheat a little and fit two tattoos into the shape of the one layout option. 

The kit came with gloves, the "inkbox" (stencil/ink), an alcohol wipe, instructions, and a "cloth." I don't know what's on the cloth but it's something liquid. 

^This is the stencil/sticky side of the inkbox.

The first thing I did was cut my two tattoos apart. No, this is not a normal step. I was able to see the design on the underside of the inkbox. I then used duct tape to tape off the exposed edge of the inkbox. So I wouldn't get a big smudgy line on my arm. 

I peeled off the backing to the stencil and Husband helped me position it on my arm. 

Then I peeled off the ink cover to reveal the "inkbox!"

Husband opened the alcohol wipe and wiped the surface of the inkbox. I don't know what that does. but that's what it said to do.

I cut open my "cloth" pouch. The instructions say to just do a corner, but I needed to save part of the cloth for my bonus tattoo, so I cut it all the way open, cut off a third of it to save, and then microwaved it. 

After I removed the warm cloth, I put the extra piece back in the pouch and duct taped it shut. 

The next step was to hold the cloth on the inkbox for 30 seconds, as hard as you can. So Husband did that.

I then had to maintain pressure to it for 15 minutes, adjusting where I applied the pressure. I took over for that part.

After 15 mintues, it was done! I peeled back the inkbox to reveal my successful tattoo!

 I love it!

I then had to wait 5 minutes for the ink to dry and then had to wash off the excess ink with soap and water.

 Now it looks worse, but as the instructions say, it takes up to 36 hours to fully develop.

And here it is! Yeah, it's a little blurry. I couldn't get my phone to focus on it. And because I'm a bit OCD, I filled in the gaps with a pen. It was a little darker after the initial 24 hours. This is day 5. We'll see how long it lasts if I avoid washing my arm. 

This was a great trial. I know that I want it to be smaller, but otherwise, like it. And surprisingly it took a little bit to get used to it. So I'll maybe also find out if I really want it long term. 

They are pretty pricey. So I can't use this as a semi-long-term solution to my lack of commitment. But it's fun. They do have some pre-existing designs you can buy that I imagine are less expensive than a custom one, but there wasn't anything I wanted except for my design. 

I was a little surprised that it came out dark blue, not black. Which I was fine with, possibly preferred. 

They also have free hand ink (a bottle that squeezes out ink) but I'm bad at drawing on my arm so that didn't sound like the best option.