Author: Jorjie Abell

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The Design: Lip Piercings!

Lip piercings are arguably the piercing that has such a range of options for placement. From the lower lip to the top, singles and pairs, whatever you like we can probably make it happen.

Now, lip piercings are still anatomy dependent and there is a lot for your piercer to consider when helping choose placement, however the antomy checks will vary depending on the type of placement and piercing you choose.

Single “Standard” Lip Piercing:

I’ve put the word “standard” into quotation marks beause we are going to talk through all the different placements of a single lip piercing that passes through the inside to the outside of the lip. There are so many to talk through! Some piercing placements even have fun names, although you don’t need to know those names in order to get the piercing.

For a standard lip piercing your piercer will be checking the anatomy on the inside of the lip, for where your frenulum sits, and will also be checking their markings on the outside aswell so that when you are relaxed, the back of the labret is sitting in a comfortable place that does not rest directly on your teeth. If you’re planning rings in the future, be sure to let your piercer know, so they can mark up appropriately. Initially, these should be pierced with straight labrets. Rings in fresh piercings can cause a lot of irritation.

Labret: Center of the bottom lip, sitting below the lipline.

Philtrum or Medusa: Centre of your upper lip, resting just above your cupids bow.

Side labret: Sitting one one side of the bottom lip, below your lipline. Often seen paired together as snakebites!

Monroe: Pierced above the upper lipline on the left hand side.

Madonna: Pierced above the upper lipline on the right hand side.

  • Labret – Pierced by Gemma
  • Angle view of a Philtrum – Pierced by Gemma
  • Philtrum – Pierced by Jay

Vertical Lips:

Vertical lip piercings are exactly what they sound like! They are pierced with curved barbells, passing through vertically top to bottom of the lip. For this piercing, your piercer should be checking for the prominence of the lip, that will allow the curve to sit comfortably. This means that your lip needs to stick out enough, and be full enough, to support jewellery. Not everyone can have all vertical lip piercings.

Traditional Vertical Labret: Pierced vertically through the centre of the bottom lip.

Upper Vertical Labret: Pierced vertically through the centre of the top lip. Also known as a jestrum.

We’ve recently seen an increase of vertical lip piercings, especially being paired together, and they just look badass.

Paired Vertical Labrets: Two vertical labrets paired together on the lower lip. Typically seen close together, and on either side of the lip.

Paired Upper Vertical Labrets: Two vertical labrets paired together on the upper lip. Typically seen with a bit of distance between them, just on the outer edges of the cupids bow. Also known as angel fangs.

  • Paired vertical labrets – Pierced by Breo
  • ‘Angel Fangs’ – pierced by Gemma
  • Vertical Labret – Pierced by Gemma
  • Jays Jestrum – Pierced by Gemma
  • Labret – Pierced by Jay

Pairs, Doubles and All the Fancy Names!:

Over the years, piercings have gathered all sorts of commonly used slang names, but lip piercings by far are notoriously known by their slang names, especially when it comes to multiples!

Dolphin Bites: Two lower labrets pierced below the lipline of the bottom lip, quite centered and close together.

Snake Bites: Paired labrets pierced below the lipline of the bottom lip, but quite seperated/typically seen either side.

Shark Bites: Double and paired labrets either side of the bottom lipline. (Think of them as double snake bites!)

Spider Bites: Paired labrets, pierced one one side of the bottom lip.

Angel Bites: Paired labrets pierced above the top lipline, typically seperated eitherside of the cupids bow.

Canine Bites: Paired upper and lower lips. Think of Angel Bites and Snake Bites.

Now of course these aren’t all the possibilities of lip piercings. These guys have been around for years, and will hopefully be around for many more!

  • ‘Snake Bites’ – Pierced by Breo
  • ‘Dolphin Bites’ + Philtrum – Pierced by Breo
  • ‘Spider Bites’ – Pierced by Breo
  • Dolphin Bites – Pierced by Gemma
  • Snake Bites and Labret, paired with a Jestrum and Angel Bites.
  • Angel Fangs Pierced by Jay. Snakebites and Dahlias also Pictured.

The Fun and the Rare:

Theres a few more we havent touched on yet. The ‘Ashley’ and ‘Inverse Labrets’, large gauge, and low/highbrets.

The Ashley – A piercing that passes through the centre of the bottom lip, horizontally. Can be seen as pairs or by itself. Highly anatomy dependant, and either a curved or straight barbell. Your piercer should be looking for a ‘full’ and ‘prominent’ lip that would support a bar passing through.

Inverse Vertical Labrets – Very similar to a vertical labret, only it sits on the inside of the lip rather than the outer. Usually pierced with curved barbells.

Large Gauge Lip Piercings – Of course, just like any other piercing, we can pierce lips at a higher gauge too! An absolute perfect way to start if you wanted to stretch in the future.

Lowbrets/Highbrets – Typically these are just labret piercings pierced either much lower than the lipline, or much higher! Its a hybrid word of ‘high’ or ‘low’ and ‘labret’! Super cool.

  • Large gauge lowbret – Pierced by Breo.
  • Large Gauge Lowbrets – Pierced by Aiden
  • ‘Ashley’ piercing – Pierced by Aiden
  • Large Gauge Labret – Pierced by Aiden

Above is photos of Andre’s inverse vertical labrets that he had pierced many years ago and has healed them beautfiully.

We’d absolutely love to do more lip piercings at Rogue, so don’t hesitate to contact us or book in to discuss ideas or placements!

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The Design: Eyebrow Piercings!

Eyebrow piercings have been around for longer than I have! These guys come into fashion every few years, although at Rogue we absolutely love them all the time. These are of course anatomy dependant piercings (like most piercings), and so are a lot of the styles we’re going to show you as there are a variety of different ways eyebrows can be pierced.

During the initial healing period, you may also notice some bruising around the eye/eyebrow. Some people bruise more than others, so the bruising can range in severity from person to person. You can read all about aftercare here!

Traditional Eyebrow Piercing:

Traditional eyebrow piercings are the most common variety of an eyebrow piercing you will see, they are typically pierced around the ‘arch’ of the eyebrow. When checking for suitable anatomy, your piercer is looking for a prominent ‘shelf’ of the eyebrow ridge, that would comfortably support the jewellery and heal well. We’re basically assessing wether or not you have enough tissue to safely and comfortably heal.

  • A traditional eyebrow – Pierced by Aiden.
  • Pierced by Gemma – A classic look.
  • Anodised purple curve – Pierced by Breo

Pairs, Doubles and Racks:

People love symmetry, and just like any other piercing, eyebrows have seen to follow the trend of being matched up and we are absolutely here for it! Wether that be two piericngs on one side, or one on each, it is definitely the way to make a statement.

Brow racks are super cool, yet quite rare to come across. Not only are they super anatomy dependant, they’re unfortunately not insanely common. Eyebrow racks are made of of multiple piercings across the ridge of the eyebrow and they look incredible.

  • Paired eyebrows – pierced by Breo
  • Double brow piercings – The left pierced by Breo, the right pierced by Jay

Centred/Inner Eyebrow Piercings:

Centred brow piercings are pierced across the centre of the brow ridge, typically pierced inline with the pupil. Inner brows are pierced around the start of the brow, often in line with the inner corner/tearduct of the eye.

These guys are super cool, but super anatomy dependant, as it requires you to have enough tissue across the central ridge of your brow bone. This is less common than traditional brow piercings.

  • A perfect set of matching inner/centred brow piercings.

Surface Eyebrow Piericngs:

Now talking about surface eyebrows might be considered a little bit of cheating for this blog, as they dont pass through the defined brow ridge we have spoken about, but rather they sit above or below the ‘tail’ of the brow. They are pierced with a internally threaded surface bar, and can be decorated with a range of jewellery!

  • A well healed surface eyebrow – Pierced by Aiden
  • A fresh surface eyebrow piercing – Pierced by Breo

These piercings are absolutely classic, and can be pierced in a a variety of ways. To start your own piercing projects, or even to discuss the possibilities before making any commitments, click here to book with any member of Rogue!

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The Design: Navel piercings!

This is a series about the designs of piercings, such as placement, jewellery options available and what you should expect to see and experience when you get a new piercing. Every single piercing is different and complex, and so different from person to person. More experienced piercers might be faster, and it might be easier for them to recognise what your body specifically needs compared to an apprentice for example, however relevant checks will still need to be taken. Let’s kickstart the series by talking about navel piercings!

Checking Your Navel Anatomy

Navel piercings are completely anatomy dependent, for both viability and the type of jewellery they require. There are so many options available. Your piercer should be absolutely checking your anatomy before they pierce you.

To assess your anatomy, your piercer might ask you to stand, bend forwards, lay down and sit to see how your navel moves. They will be watching to see how your navel moves, and wether there will be space to comfortably allow jewellery to sit.

Your piercer may also feel ‘into’ your navel to assess the depth, and definition of the lip of the navel. There are lots of navel piercing options available, so lets have a look at each option!

Anatomy – Traditional and Floating Navel Piercing:

Traditional navel piercings are often the most common piercings you might see. Traditional navel piercings are pierced centrally through the upper ‘lip’ of the navel. Your jewellery will be that classic design with a small gem on the top, and a larger gemstone on the bottom.

These piercings require specific anatomy. First off all you need to have a defined ‘shelf’ or ‘lip’ at the top of the navel that the jewellery can pass through (similiar to a rook or a vertical lip for example). It also depends on where the muscles in your stomach lay. Often as we bend, sit, and lay down in every day life our abdomen moves with us. What we’re looking for in a traditional navel is that the navel stays open and doesn’t collapse (fold flat), during movement. This leaves lots of open space for that larger gem on the bottom to sit comfortably without causing pressure.

If the navel does collapse, it means that the larger gemstone on the bottom is going to cause the jewellery to be pushed up and outwards, which can cause irritation and rejection. This is when we might recommend a floating navel. Floating navels are very similar to traditional, as they are pierced centrally with the body, through that ‘upper’ lip. However, that collapsing of the navel means that the larger gemstone on the bottom is not sustainable, so we change jewellery styles!

The top gemstone is designed to be the centerpiece, and can be super large or decorative. We swap the bottom ball to either a nice flat disk, an ‘M&M’ disk, or a smaller ball. At your downsize appointment, we use a shorter bar that creates a really comfortable, snug fit. Depending on the anatomy we can also create a tucked-away, ‘invisible’ look of the bottom ball/disk. This is why it’s called a floating navel – It looks as though the top gem is simply floating in place.

The third type of anatomy you might see is an ‘outie’. Outie navels are caused by a remnant of umbilical cord or hernia which sticks out of the body. Unfortunately, this type of navel that is unsafe to pierce. A standard navel is pierced through only skin and a little soft tissue, but an outie would be pierced through quite a lot of complex internal tissue. This piercing would be unstable, and any issues such as infection could quickly become quite serious. Because of this, we do not pierce outie navels. However, read on too see some other cool options or get in touch with us to discuss your options!

  • Floating navel pierced by Jay.
  • Traditional navel pierced by Gemma.
  • Floating navel pierced by Breo.
  • Floating navel pierced by Breo.
  • Traditional navel – jewellery upgrade
  • Floating navel pierced by Breo. Note the scarring from an endoscopic procedure.

Lower/Offset Navel Piercing:

Navel piercings can also be fun to move around and pierce in a variety of placements. As long as your anatomy allows for it, we can do all kinds of fun things!

For example, lower navels! These guys are pierced through the bottom ‘ledge’ of the navel rather than the top, and are essentially ‘upside down.’ These are super cute and fun, and can be styled in a variety of ways. However, they are incredbily anatomy dependant and it’s much rarer to have the anatomy for them. In terms of anatomy, we are looking for the same sort of things as a traditional navel. We are looking for that well defined ‘lip’ or ‘shelf’ for that bar to pass through. If we have this, we’re probably good to go! We’re also looking at the movement of the navel and wether or not it collapses. If it does, again your piercer will possibly use either a small ball or a disk for the inside end.

Side-set navels are also super cool. Often these are paired with an already existing navel piercing, but can be pierced without! It’s all about personal choice. These guys are pierced as a pair and ‘off centre’, commonly at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. We’re still following the same anatomy rules by making sure we have that well defined lip, but we are making sure there is enough space and enough ledge to support the two piercings in opposing placements. Typically because they’re pierced as a pair, the inside jewellery will use either smaller balls or disks, to leave plenty of room for the movement of day-to-day life.

Lower navel pierced by Breo.

Large Gauge Navels:

Large gauge navels are not the most common, however they do look absolutely amazing when we see them! Large gauge navels can either be pierced initially at a larger gauge, or they can be stretched! There are also so many ways to style them! From glass plugs, to BCRs, to stacked rings! Initially, these guys will be pierced with a curved barbell just like a standard gauge navel piercing. After the first 3-6 months you can change and play around with the different styles, and after around a year is when you can look at stacking! For stacking you want to make sure the piercing channel is very well healed.

  • The process of a large guage navel piercing by Aiden.
  • Holier Than Thou piercer Kitty, rocking a gorgeous stack with chains and a moonstone cab.

If you would like to ask us more questions about the navel piercing, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Rogue has over 30 years of piercing experience, and work at the highest standards of both skill and hygiene. If you would like to book in for a navel piercing with us, just hit this link!

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2023 – Recap!

It is officially June, which means we are officially halfway through the year! It won’t be too long before halloween and Christmas come sneaking around that corner to suprise us. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets have a little look at some of the amazing things the members of Rogue have done this year.

Aiden, is of course, our Rogues longest standing member of staff, mainly becuase he is the owner and runs the show, and we wouldn’t be here without him. It’s been a busy year for him, between mentoring Jay and Gemma and teaching them all the new practices, aswell as running new events, travelling Europe and planning for this years confernces tto both attend and teach, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t stopped. However, during all of this time, he has produced some beautiful piercings.

  • A stunning large guage septum, pierced at 2.4mm.
  • With cheeks being one of Aiden’s specialty, it was only right to show this shining set.
  • Some more large guage work, with these incredible lowbrets pierced for the wonderful Phoebe.
  • A perfect nsotril and septum duo, shining bright with a BVLA pairing.

Kat, our manager and jewellery specialist, has had a hard job this year. With BVLA’s wait times slowly reducing, and all of our jewellery orders arriving within such close proximity of each together, they have done nothing but work hard at fulfilling custom orders, and decorating our displays and cabinets, and keeping the studio as tidy and as spectacular as it is! They’re also planning to teach two classes this year at the UKAPP conference in September, alongside studying their masters and sitting exams. Kat also got the brilliant news that they were accepted for a scholarship by Lynn Loheide for the APP conference in Vegas, in which they will be travelling our and fulfilling in 2024! As always Kat has helped clients choose some of the most stunning pieces of jewellery for their custom set ups.

  • Rose Cut, Black Onyx prongs were the perfect choise for this set of high nostrils.
  • This BVLA septum ring is possibly the most beautiful piece of jewelerry Rogue has ever had in it’s hands.
  • Yet again, BVLA pulled through with this Crown Marquise charm.
  • ANd how could we show off Kats curations without showcasing this grogeous long term project.

Breo has had such a fun year. From heavy genital work, to large gauge piercings, and all the fun and crazy custom scaffolds and anodising, Breo has truly been the wizard of Rogue in 2023. From piercing to piercing he has continued to surprise us and showcase his skills and knowledge. Breo has also got to do his own bit of travelling to Madrid for the Spanish APPE. He is also joining the teacher group this year at UKAPP as he is working on teaching his first ever class! We’re so excited.

  • A super cool large-guage labret!
  • A beautiful forehead surface bar, adorned with the cutest Inari fauxpals.
  • Breo showing off his wizardry with this completely customised scaffold.
  • Something we wouldn’t offer regularly, but was perfect for this client, a super well placed and pierced ‘Rhino@ piercing.

Let’s talk about Gemma! The junior piercer of Rogue who joined us nearly 18 months ago, who has continued to prove her worth and skills to us time after time. Following in Aiden’s footsteps, she also is off on her travels next week, to Vegas! Gemma got awarded the legacy scholarship to the officicial APP conference in Las Vegas! During her time there she will help volunteer, attend parties, learn all the new things, and hopefully treat herself to something shiny. This year Gemma has been working on genital piercings, from the most common to some that we only see once a century (an exaggeration of course, but still incredibly rare to perform). She has done more and more large gauge work. Now while I can’t post a lot of Gemma’s incredible work here, I can showcase some!

  • This ‘Athena’ from BVLA was a two point jewellery, and was pierced perfectly be Gemma!
  • A second forward helix added above an exisiting one, creating a stunning combination.
  • A pair of well placed lower lip piercings, rocking some Inari Opals.
  • This ‘snonch’ was pierced so perfectly, with the ‘Live To Tell’ sitting flush against the skin.

And Jay, our apprentice, has been absolutely smashing her apprentice work this year. They are officially ticking off piercing ater piercing during their apprenticeship and producing some amazing work. They’ve also started working closely with clients to create long term projects and curations. Jay also got an exciting invitation from Claudia at Inari Organics, who offered Jay a temporary role to help assist as a jewellery vendor at the 2023 Manchester Trade Show. As Jay creeps closer to the final year of their apprenticeship, their skills only grow.

  • Jay’s second ever tongue piercing, completely supervised by Aiden.
  • Paired conches, pierced at 2mm and 2.4mm. Jay’s first intro to large guage work.
  • A beautiful ear curation, designed between Jay and their Client.
  • The perfect angle of a shiny new helix piercing.

Theres only 6 more months left of 2023, including more conferences, more travelling, more piercings, and more opportunities. Follow along with us for another exciting and fun-filled 6 months!

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Keep Calm, and Carry on Healing!

Getting a new piercing can be quite a nervous time, and no matter how well your piercer might explain your aftercare to you, or how much they explain what can happen, it is super easy to forget everything you’ve been told in that moment! So here is a blog about everything you should and can expect after your brand new piercing and during the healing phase!

The First Few Days

The first thing you can expect from your new piercing is redness around the area, and it might feel sore and sensitive. We’ve just created a litte wound in your body, so there is going to be a rush of blood to the area to try and heal it! This redness and soreness can be expected for quite a few weeks (even a few months), but typically can start to settle in a matter of hours or days.

You might also experience a little spot of bleeding. Again, this might only happen for the first few days, but can happen at any point of the initial healing stage. As the body heals the wound it will form a protective layer, like a scab, around the jewellery. This should stop any bleeding, however when cleaning, this scab can be knocked or pulled away which may cause the bleeding to restart. If this happens the best thing to do is clean it very gently, and leave it alone. If you experience bleeding that keeps restarting when you clean your piercing, it is best to leave it completely alone and do not actively clean the piercing for 48 hours to allow it to fully settle and seal. Some piercings, such as nasal or genital piercings, may be prone to slightly heavier bleeding. This is because there is a lot of blood flow and vasculature in the area, which increases your chances of spotting.

The First Few Weeks

You’re also going to experience some swelling! Now, every body and every piercing can swell differently. Some piercings, such as oral piercings (think tongues and lips), can swell a little bit more than a helix piercing.

Swelling can differ for a number of reasons! These reasons consist but are not limited to: temperature, humidity, alcohol, medications, and hormones. Swelling typically lasts around 4-6 weeks, however it may last longer depending on your personal situation, lifestyle and immune state. We are not medical practitioners so cannot prescribe any medications, however certain anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen or Aspirin may be considered beneficial to take the edge off of the swelling. Cool compresses (with cold water, not ice) can also bring down swelling. For oral piercings, sipping cold water is definitely helpful to soothe that initial swelling! Your initial piercing should always have a longer bar to accomodate for swelling, which we recommend booking in for a checkup to downsize after a period of time.

  • Jestrum piercing by Gemma – Note the longer bar to allow for swelling.
  • A Bridge Pierced by Jay
  • A Navel Pierced by Breo
  • A Double Vertical Helix Pierced by Breo

The First Few Months

Drainage and crusties! Love them or hate them, the chances of you experiencing a build up of dried piercing discharge or ‘crusties’, is quite high. As your piercing heals you might notice some fluid (typically clear or a light yellowish colour) draining from the site. This is just lypmh fluid and is completely normal! You might notice some dry ‘scabs’ around the jewellery that can easily be wiped away after cleaning or showering. You can experience crusting around the piercings from day one, and some piercings can crust for up to a year! For the first 4-6 weeks you just want to clean with sterile saline solution twice a day. Once the crusting slows down you can drop to once a day, and when the crusting is minimal or has stopped, general shower hygiene is perfect to maintain your general piercing hygiene.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes, you may experience piercing bumps, irritation bumps, or fluid/drainage bumps. These can happen for a variety of reasons, and are quite normal! Things like snags, bumps and knocks can cause an irritation bump to appear. Poor angles, poor quality jewellery, and improper aftercare are also some (but not all) causes of these pesky bumps. Moisture is the biggest reason for a fluid bump. Typically we see this when piercings aren’t being dried properly after cleaning or showering, or when wet hair is left to dry over the area.

These common and easily resolved lumps and bumps are often mistaken for keloids or infections, which is why we have wrote quite a few handy dandy blogs about them. Both keloids and infections are incredibly rare – We always recommend booking a checkup with us to confirm the cause of your issues, and we can then direct you onto your GP or a Dermatologist if required.

If you are concerned that any of your healing, or any piercing is not feeling right, we’d recommend popping to your local piercer who can help troubleshoot in person. If you are struggling getting to a local piercer, we have a great guide all about troubleshooting your piercings!

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Apprentice Piercings!

Learning how to pierce is definitely a key part of a piercing apprenticeship, but how do we ensure that these piercings are going to be safe and viable for the piercee, and why is it a good idea to trust an apprentice with your new piercing?

Learning the Basics

Lets discuss the lead up to the piercing first. When an apprentice does their first ever piercing on the public, they are not going into it blind. In Jay’s case, they spent a long time watching and learning how the studio runs. Talking through the different types of piercings, the anatomy of the body, the healing times. They became a shadow, watching their mentor (Aiden) and other members of the team pierce their clients. Jay was talked through different piercing methods, and how each one worked, and which ones would be the most suitable to start with.

They then had to practice getting hands-on with piercing foam, paper, and fruit such as oranges and bananas. This was all done to have a feel of how the needles worked, and talk through more technical ideas in a 3D space. The fruit also helped Jay get a ‘feel’ of what piercing skin would feel like. This was how the first 6 months of Jays apprenticeship ran!

Jay practicing needle work on an orange.

In February 2022, Jay got to pick up their first needle, and do their first piercing. They started with a mid helix on Aiden (their mentor), which came out pretty good. The entire process was watched and directed by Aiden. Jay then got to do a classic Helix on their manager, Kat, which was also directed and watched over by Aiden. This was then also followed by a conch piercing on Gemma. After a lot of hands-on practice, we then started opening Jays apprentice piercings to the public. We knew they were ready!

Why Choose an Apprentice Piercing?

Booking a piercing with an apprentice can be a little nerve wracking. You’re trusting a ‘trainee’ to alter your body. Its okay to be nervous or have questions! To say ‘thank you’ for your trust, we offer a 50% discount on the piercing fee.

We always have to expect minor flaws with first piercings, and that they might not always be 100% perfect, however no matter what, we will never let you leave the studio with a piercing that we are not 100% happy with.

It’s so important that people are willing to trust an apprentice with their body. Without you guys, they would never learn! Sure, they can definitely learn some skills piercing fruit and cardboard, or even sillicone, but it’s just not the same.

  • Jay’s first ever piercing on Aiden.
  • The same piercing, with jewellery inserted.

Every apprentice piercing done by Jay is directed by a head piercer. Aiden, as Jay’s mentor, has been present for most of these. Other piercers have kindly gifted their time to help Jay learn! Breo, Gemma, David Angeles, and Andre Nalin have all spent some of their time at Rogue helping Jay learn the skills they need. This means that every apprentice piercing Jay has completed, has been completely supervised by a well experienced piercer. This means there are always two piercers working together on your piercing, while also building up Jay’s skillset and confidence to be an excellent piercer when working independently.

If you’re questioning wether or not to trust an apprentice piercer, check out their portfolio! Have a look at the work they are already producing. Go in for a chat with them, and discuss their work. Ask questions. Get a piercing that they are already fully capable of performing independently. It’s important that you can establish a good relationship with your piercer, and that you can trust them.

If you wish to book in with Jay for any of their apprentice deals, you can book here. You can also contact Jay via email to discuss any ideas for piercings or discuss what they are currently offering, or are planning to learn.

jay@roguepiercing.co.uk

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What to Expect at your Piercing!

So, you’ve either booked a piercing appointment with us, or you’re considering booking one. Either way, we’re super excited to have you on board! However, what should you expect at your appointment, and should you bring anything? There’s a lot of questions you might have. So, let’s discuss the process of getting pierced at Rogue.

So first things first, book your appointment! Rogue is an appointment only studio, we do not offer walk-ins. You can book via our website here, for any day or time that suits you! You can even choose which piercer you would like to book with if you have a preference! While you’re going through the booking system, make sure you read those pesky terms and conditions! Once you’re all booked, you may want to browse our online webstore too view the hundreds of jewellery options we have! This is definitely a choice though – Most of your appointment time is dedicated to guiding you to your perfect jewellery.

  • ‘Mini AJ’ BVLA
  • ‘Tiny Quadbead’ Anatometal
  • ‘Ray of Light’ BVLA
  • ‘Trio’ Anatometal
  • ‘French Kiss’ BVLA

The Day of Your Appointment

Now, it’s the day of you’re appointment! Make sure you’ve had a good breakfast/lunch before your appointment , and avoid caffiene! Caffiene is a stimulant and increase your blood flow. It can also boost anxiety if you’re feeling quite nervous! You’ll need to bring your photographic ID, such as a passport, driving license, or citizen card. Also check your emails! In your confirmation email there will be a link to your consent form. Give it a read and sign it as long as you agree and understand each point. If there is anything you need to ask, or anything you need us to know, then wait to complete the form at your appointment.

Once you arrive we will confirm your appointment with you, check your ID and check your consent form. We only accept valid photo ID. This may be something like a passport, provisional/driving licence, or for the kiddo’s – a citizens card. If you are over the age of 16, you will need your own ID, and your parent cannot sign for you. If you are under the age of 16, you will need to bring your parent or legal guardian witrh you, and you will both be required to have photographic ID. We may also ask for a birth certificate. (Due to insurance, we can not accept copies, or photographs of your ID. It does need to be a physical copy!)

Once all the boring stuff is out of the way, we will then discuss jewellery choices with you. We will show you all our cabinets and discuss ideas on your goal! There are hundreds of pierces to choose from, and our staff will help narrow down the choices for you! Once your piece (or pieces!) have been chosen, we set them up to be sterilised. During this time, your piercer will set up what they require, such as gloves and tools, and our counter staff will talk you through your aftercare advice, and answer any questions you may have.

The Piercing

You then get to go through to the piercing room and do the exciting bit! Your piercing experience can change depending on who you book with – Everyone is different! All our piercers work quite similarly, and are equally skilled, but they all have their own unique way of piercing. This is where the magic lies. For example, Breo likes to really slow down and walk you through the entirety of his process. Aiden will show you his tools and jewellery, and will take time to chat and get to know you. Gemma is super friendly and is amazing at keeping you calm. Jay is super full of energy and makes the process super fun and bouncy!

As soon as your piercing has happened, and both you and your piercer are happy, you get to come back out to reception, where you’ll be met with smiling faces! We’ll go throught the checkout, give you some cool stickers, and if you allow us to, we might take some super cool macro photos for our social media!

  • High Lobe – Breo
  • Inverse lip – Aiden
  • Conch – Jay
  • Paired Nostrils – Gemma
  • Septum – Breo
  • Trio Lobe – Aiden
  • Septum- Gemma
  • Philtrum – Jay

And thats it, we’re done! The next stage is your checkup appointment, which is super important. If you do literally nothing else with your piercing, come back for your checkup to ensure a smooth healing process and a beautiful end result! The checkup date depends on your piercing – This could be anywhere from 7 days to 6 weeks. Check your aftercare leaflet and pay attention during your aftercare speech to make sure you are on time.

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BVLA Top Picks – March 2023

We are currently offering our biggest ever collection of BVLA in the studio, and are expecting even more to arrive in the coming weeks! Here we are going to do a little overview of some of our favourite pieces, all of which are available to purchase online and in-studio for both fresh piercings and healed piercing upgrades!

The Mini AJ

Mini AJ

Jay has had their eyes on a Mini AJ from the minute they saw it on the BVLA website, and Kat has outdone themselves with this stunning mix of Labradorite and White Sapphires yet into 14k Yellow Gold. Absolutely stunning.

We would love to see this piece in a conch piercing! The fan shape will really be amplified by the curve of the ear – And give it plenty of space to shine.

The Trillion Half-Bezel

The Trillion Half Bezel

Following in the footsteps of the Mini AJ, is the Trillion Half Bezel. Again, these pieces made us fall madly in love the minute we saw them. Love at first sight some would call it. And with even more Labradordite in yellow gold, you can see why these guys have had to make it into our list of favourites. These would look absolutely stunning atop a navel or jestrum piercing, for the adventurous!

The Beaded Marquise

‘Beaded Marquise’ Threadless End

These are such a popular design, and you can really see why. They are so incredibly neat. The bezel, the beading… Everything works together perfectly to make a beautiful piece that looks amazing in lobe, helix and faux rook placements!

The Miel

The Miel

Rose-Cut Green Tourmaline: it definitely knows how to catch your eye! Every single turn under the light allows different colours to shine through, from deep moss tones through to chartreuse bright greens. We have just one of these left in stock in this colourway, and we would love to see it in a philtrum or labret piercing!

Gemstone Feature: Chrysoprase

Round Cab prongs and a Marquise Seam Ring.

Continuing with the green, is the absolute ultimate neon green: Chrysoprase. We are absolutely hoping to see these guys leave as a full set. We would absolutely love to offer to waive the piercing fees for a set of paired nostril piercings and a septum piercing! Just get in contact via email and we can book you in!

Gemstone Feature: Oregon Sunstone

  • Round Cab Prong.

Now Oregon Sunstone has made Jay fall fast and hard. It’s beautiful, soft, feminine, and absolutely mesmerising. You also can’t go wrong with a Cab Prong. Classics are a classic for a reason! This design has just a little bit of intricacy in the setting, while still letting the gemstone speak for itself.

BVLA are the pinnacle of body jewellery – With over 800 different designs to choose from, which you can personalise with 500 gemstones, the choice can be a little overwhelming! We are here to guide you through the entire process from start to finish, suggesting pieces and curating your own slice of the BVLA pie.

If you want to get your own custom piece, email Kat at kat@roguepiercing.co.uk to get the ball rolling on wearing your own dream body jewellery collection.

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Green flags for clients?

We always see a lot of ‘red flags’ posts, and what to not look for in a piercing studio, or how to not be a ‘Karen’ or ‘bad client’. But what do these mean? What should we be doing as clients? What are the green flags studios are looking for? We have previously spoken about what you should look for in studios aswell, which you can read here!

The first one is that we are looking for clients to be respectful. This doesn’t just mean we want you to not shout at us and swear at us when something doesn’t go the way you thought it might have, or if a mistake was made. But it also means you’re being respectful in the way you may phrase things. As a high standard studio we may understand that sometimes you may be shocked by our prices, or something is a little out of budget. Instead of saying ‘you’re too expensive’ or ‘I can get it for cheaper’, we are quite understanding if you simply state that it’s out of your budget tellingl us your budget. This means we can work with you to find something equally as amazing in your price bracket! We want to work with you, not against you.

Clients who aren’t afraid to ask questions are also a ‘green flag’. Wether its a question about aftercare, jewellery quality,or piercing possibilities we’re always happy to answer. Quality piercing studios would rather you ask too many questions and be happy and knowdlegable than walk away feeling unsatisfied and confused.

Respecting our time. This is a big one, and especially for studios that are appointment only. We want our clients to be on time to their appointment as we run a schedule. Missing half of your appointment might mean we won’t be able to continue, or run late into the next appointment. Being on time (or even a few minutes early) means your appointment will go smooth, and our piercers aren’t rushing or feeling stressed about time managment.

Understanding that this is our job, and not expecting us to work for free. This slightly follows on from respecting our time. We have set working hours, and it is absolutely fine to message us outside of those times, but please don’t expect a reply after we close. We have personal lives too! This also relates to in studio hours, wether it’s a ‘small jewellery change’, the piercing itself, us sitting with us to talk about curations or jewellery ideas, there may be a small fee! Even though these appointments might be short, it still takes up time in our calenders and our working hours. You woudn’t expect a lawyer to spend 20 minutes discussing work without payment, please don’t expect us to!

Listening to your aftercare advice! Clients who follow our aftercare advice, andcome back for their downsize are often less likely to come back with irritation bumps, or other issues. Please don’t touch, poke, fiddle or play with your piercings, use anything other than a sterile saline solution, or switch out your piercings to early. These are all ‘red flags’ and means your piercings are more likely to take longer to heal, or are more prone to lumps and bumps along your healing journey.

Not assuming we’re also tattoo artists. Now tattoo artists are amazing, and do some quite incredible work, but that doesn’t mean this is the end goal for everybody. Piercing and tattooing are completely seperate worlds, and the work is so different. Body piercers are piercers because they want to be piercers. They enjoy what they do, and they don’t see it as a gateway into tattooing. It’s really disheartening when clients assume we also tattoo, because our work is just as important. (However, if you are visiting Rogue and are interested in some amazing artwork for your skin, please check out Revenant Tattoo and pick up one of her leaflets or business cards.)

Rogue and Revenant Halloween Special!

We absolutely adore each and every one of ourt clients, wether you only come the once, or you come every single day. We couldn’t do it without you, and you are all very much part of Rogue as we are.

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All I want for Christmas, is…. Gold?

With the Christmas season officially upon us, I’m sure we’re all starting to feel the stress that comes with trying to find that perfect Christmas gift to wrap and sit under the tree. And if you have someone special in your life who loves body jewellery or body piercings, it might be trickier than you think to just pick up some pretty jewellery and encase it in a pretty box. But do not worry, as I have written this guide to help you achieve that wonderful gift for when Santa arrives this year.

So, what is there to really know? 

Well first of all, body jewellery does not come in a standard size. Every piercing, and every person will require a specific size of jewellery for a comfortable fitting. This is because bodies are not uniform. For example, you wouldn’t wear a size 5 pair of shoes if you were a size 3, they’d be too big!

To help us find you the right sizing, we need to know a few factors. The thickness/gauge needed, as we might provide a size too thick or thin! (Helix piercings can be pierced anywhere from 16g/1.2mm to 4g/5mm and more!) 

We also need to know the length for studs, or diameter for rings, as anything too long or short can cause discomfort, snagging, pressure, pinching, tilted angles, or possible migration. 

And then there is the style of threading. At Rogue, we mostly use threadless jewellery as we find it more secure, and easier to work with in and outside of the studio. However, some piercings require an internally threaded piece, such as inner oral piercings, as if the jewellery becomes loose, you do not want a pin poking about. Your loved one may also have a personal preference, for example they may already have a vast collection of interchangeable threadless jewellery, or they might prefer threaded pieces.

BVLA 14CT YELLOW GOLD MOON

So, how can you find this information?

Well, of course there is always straight up asking and being honest with your loved one who may give you the direct answers. Or you could bring them into your local studio to choose their own gift, but where is the fun in that?

Piercers love helping out, it’s our job! You might be able to find a reason to bring your loved one into the studio and our piercers will discretely find out all of this information for you! We can take them into a private room for a quick check-up, or ask for some photos of their nicely healed piercing, or even talk about the new jewellery that has just arrived! Just make sure your piercer has prior knowledge, with either an email or a quick phone call! We want to help make your Christmas extra special! 

Can you order something specifically, not in our cabinets?

The answer is yes, and no. At Rogue, we take a huge amount of custom orders for all of our suppliers, and they are getting bigger each time. However, if you are looking for Christmas presents, probably not. Most of our suppliers have a long wait time from the date we place the order. Depending who we order from, our current estimates are 4-30 weeks. For example, BVLA’s current ship time is 6 months. If you want to place custom orders for Christmas presents, I’d definitely start looking in spring/summer time. 

So, why all this trouble? Surely you can just return it if it’s wrong, right?

Unfortunately not, all body jewellery is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. This is because jewellery is very intimate with each person as it passes through the body. And when it leaves the studio in a nice little box, we have no way to know what has happened to it. Now yes, it may have just sat in a tidy little box, but it also may have been dropped and scratched or damaged. It may have also been in touch with body fluids, such as blood. We can never be certain, and therefore we have to be cautious for the safety of our staff, studio and clients!

Returns aren’t accepted for body jewellery because of health and safety. We wish no harm on anybody, and reusing jewellery is a health hazard. If worn for long enough, a biofilm of your body’s bacteria will form around the jewellery, which means it is yours forever. Body jewellery is often designed intrinsically, and isn’t very easy to deep clean.

Okay, what other options are available!

GIFT CARDS! Gift cards are a fantastic idea, as they give your loved one full creative control. At Rogue, you can buy gift cards directly from us starting at £20. This allows your loved one to choose between new jewellery or a new piercing as well! 

A lot of people may feel gift cards are an easy way out of a Christmas present, but if you know your loved one is going to enjoy it, and use it, then why not! It’s not always easy to fake an excuse to come into a store, or choose the right gemstones or style. It can be a lot of pressure or a lot of money, to get something wrong. This is why gift cards can be super useful. 

Your Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be completely complicated! There are many options available to achieve that big smile and hug at Christmas. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Happy Holidays!