3 Dazzling Ways to Embellish Jagua or Henna Designs
If you’re somebody who loves arts and crafts or body painting, you probably spend hours dreaming up new ways to create, decorate, and embellish.
It makes sense. Artful creation is pure therapy, and you don’t even need to have any real talent to get therapeutic benefits from your artistic endeavors; the focus you apply is meditative, for one thing. Secondly, you’ll probably surpass your own expectations and come up with something worth showing off.
Whether you’re a fledgling or a fully-fledgedbody artist, there can be no harm in picking up an applicator and seeing what unfolds. Henna and jagua application are fun enough on their own, but if you want to take things one step further, consider adding a few embellishments to make your designs really sparkle.
1.Arabic Mehndi designs with kundan stones
This stunning example is Arabic mehndi, and the brightly colored stones are known as kundan stones. Kundan means ‘highly refined gold’ and kundan stones area traditional kind of Indian gemstone jewelry. Kundan generally refers to gemstones set in gold foil inside a molten gold mount, and they can often be seen in opulent necklaces and bracelets.
Unless you’re getting married at a traditional mehndi wedding, you probably wouldn’t go to the expense of using real kundan stones in your body art. Cheap but colorful rhinestones will work just fine if you’re experimenting or decorating yourself for a night on the town.
It may help to select the stones you want to use and then place them on the body, visualizing your design around them. Often the stones form the centerpieces to henna and jagua designs. With smaller stones, you can stick them on top of the henna or jagua later, to allow for creative free flow.
If you’re going to the trouble of using 100% natural skin dyes, you’re probably wondering how to safely stick the stones to your skin too. The best option is probably spirit gum, which is just eyelash glue. It will make sure the stones stay on all night. Failing that, hair glue for sticking extensions to your hair or scalp also does the trick.
2.Glitter, crystals, sequins and paint
This peacock feather design is pretty cool and goes well with a traditional henna design. You could mix henna and jagua together for some color contrast and definition, and use some brightly colored body paint to introduce the color scheme.
Glitter is a winner with henna and jagua. It can really bring an already stunning design to life. So while bling is still a thing, why not add a touch of shimmer to your designs?
You are probably wondering how complicated this is going to be. Fear not – it’s pretty simple. One of the best ways to add glitter, crystals or sequins is to wait until the day after your henna design has dried; the optimum timing is when the paste has been removed and the stain has settled into the skin.
Grab some regular cosmetic grade glitter and hair gel (or a clear-drying glue), mix the two together and dispense into an applicator tube or cone of the same style you would use to apply henna. Then carefully squeeze the glitter into place either on top of the whole henna design, as an accent on certain parts of it, or along side the henna lines to complement the colors.
Crystals and sequins are easy enough to apply too.They can be gripped with tweezers and dipped into eyelash glue, then applied to choice areas within your henna design. Don’t forget the finishing touches – paint your fingernails or toenails. Plain nails are a bit of a let down when you’ve got an attention-grabbing henna or jagua design to show off!
3.Complement your henna design with jewelry
Whether you plan to be dripping in jewelry or just highlighting your design, it’s all about the colors you choose. You will want to be sure that your jewelry colors don’t clash with the colors in your skin ink; choose those that complement it with similar hues and stones.
Sometimes simple, delicate silver and gold bangles (as pictured above) are enough. Shiny silver rings can add a pleasant glint to your artwork, and any jewelry that adds some contrast or brings out the patterns in your design is great. Seed bead bracelets work well with henna designs!
If you have statement jewelry that you love to show off, it might be worth thinking about creating your design around that, with complementary ink colors and patterns. Anklets and toe rings look great with beautiful henna designs on the feet too.
If you love this idea, why not share it with some friends? Having a henna party with a few favorites is a really fun idea! You will surely love shopping together for embellishments and practicing on each other before a big night out or forthcoming event. Henna tattoo kits make it as simple as possible to create your designs, and with the above advice on embellishing them, you’re all set to paint the town henna red.