Nice to meet you!

Oh hey there! I guess it's time to formally introduce myself and let you guys get to know a little bit more about me, and why I became a piercer. My name is Bree, I'm in my mid 30s. I'm a Leo (Pisces moon, Cancer rising), no kids, just cats. I like bones, trinkets, and crafting of all sorts. I've been a cosplayer since 2004. I did competition cosplay from 2016-1019. I like video games, making things, and learning new things. At the time of this blog post, I've been piercing for about 4 years.

I have a background in beauty/skincare (about 9-10 years) and I spent 5 years in aerospace. My mom is a nurse, so things like blood don't really bother me too much. I feel like my years of aesthetic placement of cosmetics as well as the precision required for being an assembly mechanic/machinist really set me up for success to understand the finer nuances of piercing.

-Soft TW here for mention of light body dysmorphia and depression-

I got into the cosmetics world because I enjoy being able to change your face to reflect how you feel on the inside, or how you want to be perceived. From the time I was very small, I hated my nose and wanted a nose job. Not very healthy for a 11-year-old, but there we were. Cosmetics let me play around with that, and when I was 19 my mom had to convince me to get my nose pierced. I was terrified, but it wasn't that bad. I saw my nose with the little gem I had picked out (2mm, champagne colored CZ) and I was thrilled with how it looked. "Maybe my nose IS okay" Many years later, I decided I was brave enough to get my septum pierced. I loved it, I thought I'd peaked, hit my final form. It wasn't until I went into Qdoba and the guy working behind the counter told me "Your nose is really cute". My friends, the absolute stranger validation I got from that. I rode that high for WEEKS...until covid happened and we all had to start masking. (Nobody could see my cute nose now! But much better to be healthy!)

During the shutdown, I had some serious depression spells. I didn't work for about 100 days.

I always fall in and out of love with the beauty industry. Doing little girls' Unicorn Princess Fairy Makeup was always such a blast. Women who were new to womanhood, being able to help them find their footing and show them my favorite tips and tricks was such a wonderful feeling.

I do really enjoy the ritual of makeup application, but every woman walking in that store, telling me to "Look at (me), fix what's wrong with me"...it's incredibly disheartening. I felt like I couldn't be what people needed me to be anymore.

I have always lived my life with a 'you won't know if you hate it unless you try it' sort of mindset. What else could I do to feel like I was making a difference? At this point, I had about 14 piercings of my own. So, I found a copy of The Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel. I devoured it. I wanted to see if I had the stomach for it, if it was even something I thought I could do. I went to my favorite shop, during early March 2021. I asked if they were hiring and what their process was like as an apprentice. I interviewed shortly after and started in May. It was a lot of hard work and lots to memorize, but I succeeded. I left that shop in January 2024 for a shop that was a lot closer to home, and I've been at my current shop ever since. For me, this felt like the next perfect step. It's still a level of aesthetics, I love the challenge of anatomy and angularity, and I still get to help people feel at home in their bodies, regardless of age, gender identity, and background. With that, Foxglove Piercings was born. I picked the name because I love foxes as well as foxglove. Foxglove is great for bees and is also poisonous, which leans well into my cottage goth vibe. That pretty much catches you up on my lore of becoming a piercer! I hope it wasn't too long of a ramble, and it helps you to understand a little bit more of why I do what I do :) I look forward to sharing information with you about piercings, healing, and everything in between !

• Bree