There's no trend I'm more excited about than the fact that temporary tattoos are cool again. Sure, I've got a couple real tats of my own, but that doesn't mean I don't love slapping on a little extra (and a little ridiculous) ink for parties, NYFW, or just a Tuesday night at home with my cat. Obviously, those shiny Flash Tattoos are super hip with celebrities, but now that everyone's doing it, you need something to stand out from all the Victoria's Secret models you pal around with. Enter: Mr. Kate's BeautyMarks Watercolor Tattoos, the outrageously artsy temporary tattoos you've been searching for.
Hand painted by designer Kate Albrecht, they immediately bring to mind the work of New York-based tattoo artist Amanda Wachob, whose custom paint-splatter designs I've been a fan of years, but always felt too un-cool to get one of my own. Plus the waiting list to get inked by Wachob is like, decades long. So, naturally, I was stoked about the chance to get in on the watercolor action in short amount of time it takes to ship some tattoo samples via FedEx.
For $12, you get two sheets of tattoos, which can be cut up into about 25 to 50 different designs, depending on how you split 'em. That's a pretty sweet deal if you're looking to pass these out at a warehouse party. Which, let's face it, you will, because you want to be the trendiest chick there.
In keeping with my life "Go Big Or Go Home" motto, I obviously went for the massive splotch of rainbow watercolor. I was terrified that the application would be weird, leading to a smudgy, awkward, psychedelic birthmark effect, but with the help of my fellow Bustle employees, everything went quite smoothly. Sure, it still kind looks like a very pretty burn scar, but I dig it.
You apply these bad boys just like you've been applying all your other temporary tattoos since first grade: Peel off the plastic sheet, place it where you want, press with a wet towel for about five seconds, peel the paper backing off, then freak your family out because they look so incredibly real. Or, at least, some of them do — this editor with the eyes on her forearm just got the, "Did someone draw on you at work?" line of questioning from her boyfriend. Whatever.
If you're not into a massive ink splotch or a pair of eyeballs, there are smaller versions of the watercolor in a bunch of different colors.
So subtly boho.
Or you can put a bunch of them together to start working on your full sleeve.
Plays well with real tattoos.
As far as longevity goes, the site advertises 2-4 days of wear, which is probably fine for such a garish adornment. One editor, however, confirmed that the arrow tattoo on her wrist lasted through "two showers and a spin class." Horay for functionality and style!
Overall? These are perfect for when you want to look really cool and artsy for just a weekend, then go back to your nondescript normal self by Monday. You can snag a pack now at shop.mrkate.com.
Images: Rosanne Salvatore (4); Kara McGrath (3)
