Yes, “temporary tattoos” like the ones you spent a hard-whined-for quarters on at the local pizza joint. They are having a moment right now, largely due (in my opinion) to the swelling 1990s revival that’s taking over the mid 2010s. It’s right on time!
Temporary fashion tattoos: adult women are actually wearing them. But they’re not the same daggers and holographic ponies that you might remember from your authentic 90s childhood. The new incarnations are much more sleek, streamlined, and reflective of modern minimalist aesthetics. Frequently, they’re only one color, and that color is often metallic.
They’re meant to be an update version of jewelry, a way to wear a little bit of glimmer without worrying about losing, tarnishing, or caking with mud an actual piece of jewelry. So swim in them, dance in them, and jello wrestle your heart out.
You’ll see them in a few festival pictures from late last summer, but I think this is the year that they’re going to explode out of people’s jackets and sweaters as soon as it’s warm enough. And double-down on the number of festival-goers wearing these this summer. They’re going to be everywhere.
The first place I saw metallic temporary tattoos was on a blog I follow, Mr. Kate. She actually hand-draws each “Beautymark” designs and prints them into shimmering gold, silver, and black temporary tattoos — each are $12.
You’ll find these online, mostly, and Etsy is another great place to look for independently designed and affordable grown-up temporary tattoos.
(Though I’m not sure why there’s one that said “Swallow”…?)
It might take a little bit of coaxing for me to go out and grab these for myself… but there’s a chance that I might. Right? I don’t know — this is a particularly conflicting trend!