Those with keen eyes may have noticed that temporary skin adornments can come in different forms. One of the most popular methods of adding designs to your skin is henna.
Henna traditionally refers to the dye made from the henna plant. Twigs and leaves are crushed and made into a paste, which is what most people think of when they think of henna. The paste is then applied to the skin in the same way you would use a marker for several hours. Once the paste dries and is taken off, what is left is a stain, often with an orange to maroon color. Henna can last a few days to a little over a week, depending on how long you left the paste on.
Some artists have been experimenting with achieving a henna-like design without using henna to create different colors, most notably "gold henna". People are mixing metallic pigments into ink pastes to create a metallic look. However, this can turn out to be very unsafe, depending on what ingredients are used. A lot of metallic ingredients are not skin-safe, so be aware of what you put on your skin.
Skin-safe alternatives to this look are metallic temporary tattoos. Temporary tattoos can last up to a week, similar to the wear-time of henna. But they can come in a wide range of colors as well as metallic gold and silver. The metallic gold and silver ones are often jewelry inspired and can be worn like any other accessory. The metallic tattoos at Fashion Tat are non-toxic and safe for anyone to wear.
Temporary tattoos come in the form of a sheet and can be applied in a matter of minutes. Just make sure your skin is clean and dry before applying.
Another benefit of temporary tattoos is that if you don't have a steady hand or artistic touch, temporary tattoos will always come out clean and professional looking. There is a learning curve when using henna but temporary tattoos can be used by anyone with relative ease.
There are even henna-styled temporary tattoos so you can get the look of henna with the all benefits of temporary tattoos.