Nose Piercings (2003 & 2010)
The first time that I got my nose pierced was in 2003. I got it done in a jewelry store in Brampton (Ontario, Canada) with a gun. I was surprised that it did not hurt at all - only my left eye (the side that I got my nose pierced on) watered a bit. I loved the way it looked, but I wanted to change it & was too impatient to wait & let it heal, so I changed my stud once. That went well & in a week or 2 I got bored again, so I decided it was time for another change. This time my nose was in the process of healing & as soon as I took my stud out, it closed up. I kept trying to put the other one in for an hour (perhaps, even more) & I actually cried when it wouldn't go in. Ever since then I knew I was going to get it done again, but I just didn't know when.
Webcam picture from 2003. You can't really see the stud but it's a silver flower with a pink stone in the center.
Webcam picture from 2003. You can't really see the stud but it's a silver flower with a pink stone in the center.

One day while mum & I were in the market, we decided it was time. We ended up asking the people at a jewelry store, but they would have to call the guy who does the piercing to the store. Instead of waiting, we asked them to take us to the guy who does it on the street.
When we got to the location, I was more worried about the lack of hygiene and sanitation than how painful it would be. I wish I could have taken a picture of this guy's booth. His booth was a table with his tools laid out in the open. I was too busy staring at all of that & didn't pay much attention to my aunt standing by who came to see me get my nose pierced or to the guy & my mum speaking about & marking the spot on my nose before he pierces it. He didn't put on any gloves either!
2010 - a few months after getting my nose pierced & I still love the way the nose ring looks on me, so I'm not ready to take it out just yet.
The guy pierced my nose with the wire that I currently have in my nose. Yup, he just took the wire and pierced my nose with it directly - without sharpening it or warming the tip much. & let me tell you, it HURT! I wasn't expecting that much pain because when I got my nose pierced with the gun, it did not hurt at all. Boy, was I wrong. It's not exactly a fast process as compared to getting it done by the gun either. It takes a good 1-2 minutes because the guy first has to pierce your nose, then trim & turn the wire to knot/close it & make it a complete circle. & then he turns the whole ring around so that the ends of the wire which are in a knot are hidden. It pretty much hurt to smile after that. I was also told to apply warm coconut oil 2 or 3 times a day on it for a few days & turn it when I do this, so that it heals properly. For the first few days it hurt when I turned it but then it didn't hurt at all.

2010 - This part of my nose ring is hidden on the inside. This is the "knot" that I was speaking about above. I haven't found another thin nose ring that I can put on again when I feel like it (I'm picky), so I'm wearing this one for as long as I can.

One thing that you might notice is that I like a nose ring/stud that shows. In the picture from 2003, I'm wearing something that's quite big & obviously, the nose ring stands out as well. I'm not a big fan of tiny little studs that hardly show, but that's just me.
I thought I'd blog about this because when I tell people that I got my nose pierced with the wire that's currently in my nose, I get weird looks & I don't feel like turning it & showing them the "knot" because that's just weird & others walking by would think I'm picking my nose or something... yeah, no thanks.
Thank you to anyone who has ever mentioned that the nose ring suits me.