At this point in time, I think it’s got to be safe to say that everyone’s gotten a glimpse at some ads for Inbox Temporary Tattoos right? I’ve heard about them when I was in high school and have been wanting to try them for years, and finally got the chance to. Here’s how it went.
Inkbox, I believe, is a Toronto-based company and focused on temporary tattoos that last weeks. When I was a teen going through a bevy of hormones, I really wanted to try some of these. The design that I had my eye on was a group of birds in flight, which is similar to the tattoo that Tris got in the movie/book Divergent. I was a major bookworm so if any novel mentioned a tattoo – even in passing – I was totally on board.
The problem is that I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain/being hurt, when I got my second ear piercing at 14 or 16, I about cried at the Claire’s store counter. So I really didn’t think I could ever bear an hour to two in a tattoo parlour to get something done.
Many possibilities were opened when I learned of Inkbox, but the main thing that really prevented me from purchasing anything back then was:
- They were a bit of a splurdge
- They had charged in USD
I remember that they charged in USD and that was why a friend and I never really went through with the order, but I can’t tell you when they changed that because they charged in CAD when I ordered. They also offer free shipping over $35! I’ve also noticed that they do run a fair amount of promotions/deals throughout the year.
I ordered 3 items total, and they were all rather small pieces. I got the styles: Willughby, Golden Fleece and Iskra. Iskra is the smallest of the three and I believe it’s meant to be a finger tattoo but I’m sure you can use it almost anywhere. They have different-sized tattoos available but they cost more or less depending on the size of the tattoo style you decide on.
The order came really quickly and for each tattoo, you’ll get a primer prep wipe. It’s also recommended to use an unscented lotion to increase the longevity of the tattoo (they offer that on their site) but I didn’t end up ordering that. I tried the tattoo style ‘Golden Fleece’ first, it’s about 2″ by 2″ and fits perfectly in an inconspicuous place on my forearm.
These are the prices for the tattoos I got: Willughby $14, Golden Fleece $14 and Iskra $9.
Now, personally, I opted for smaller pieces because I come from an Asian family that is pretty open-minded on some things but tattoos are something that they still consider taboo. Historically, tattoos in some Asian cultures meant affiliations with unsavoury people or someone that has loose morals. I understood where my parents were coming from but I personally preferred something small so it worked out. But they have really amazing and larger pieces.
I chose these pieces because I was playing around the thought of having something that would remind me of my family, and also playing around with the idea of getting a similar tattoo someday. But I’m really really not sure.
The tattoo lasted a pretty long time and I was really surprised! I’ll probably go through the tattoos pretty slowly and might get more in the future but I’m unsure. Overall, I think these are really cool and awesome for those who want to see how a tattoo looks on them without it being permanent.
