Biggest reason not to do your own bridal mehndi...

Re: Biggest reason not to do your own bridal mehndi...

• kavita85 member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  I think your pattern is beautiful   I like how it is simple on the back of the hand and intricate on the palm and forearm. Great job!

  

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  Thanks, kativa:) I was trying to strike a balance with it. My favorite henna patterns are the busy kind that cover every inch of the hand and upper arm, which FI prefers simple, clean designs that don't have over everything. We both agreed that this one held the best of both - busy for me, simple for him, and easy elements that anyone with a bit of henna-applying experience can do. I am going to have to lengthen it by a couple inches, though - the peacock will be completely covered by my bangles otherwise. Maybe I'll add another peacock or a few more flowers.
  

  

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• kavita85 member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  I love the peacock...our invitations are peacock-themed. Are you doing anything else wedding-related with peacocks?

  

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  Peacocks are one of Nature's prettiest birds. We'll be pulling peacock colors into our decor - since I'm doign all the table linens and fabric flowers myself, I can make them wahtever color I want them to be! I'm also thinking of including peacock feathers in the invitations and on the favor boxes. I have a bunch of feathers that I bought for a costume project that I doubt I'll finish anytime soon (it's been three years and I haven't so much sewn the fabric base), so I'm just going to repurpose them for the wedding.

  

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• raangoli

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  That looks really nice! I am impressed that you can do your own henna! If I did my own, it would look nothing like that.
  
  I like the peacock theme, too! I was thinking of a peacock and paisley theme for our wedding. I'd love to hear how you ladies incorporated the peacocks into your weddings.
  

  

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  Thanks:) I'm actually pretty new to it myself. I've been putting it in my hair for a year and a half, but I didn't start putting it on my skin until about a year ago. I seldom get to practice on people, but I try to get some practice in on non-skin things (paper, votive holders, wood, candles) at least a few times a month. I practically live on the henna page and the henna page forums, researching new paste mixes, techniques and inspirations. My youngest sister has promised me that I can henna her the day school's done for the summer, and a couple of out-of-town henna-addict friends will be visiting in July.

  

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• kavita85 member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  I'm jealous that you're so crafty, HisBeloved. The peacock feathers on the invites sound like a great idea. Raangoli, I incorporated the peacock theme into the invites, programs, table cards...so basically just the stationary. Instead of blue and green, though, we used red and gold in the peacock illustration.

  

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• raangoli

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  @ Kavita: I like your idea of the red and gold peacock feather! We are thinking of that as our color scheme as well. (I know right, so original, red for an Indian wedding?) But I like that it's traditional and fits into a fall color scheme, too. I think we will do the same as you said, the invites, programs, etc.

  

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  I hate rolling cones. I never could get the hang of it; the hole is always too small, or the seam too loose, or something. Luckily for me, the Mehandi shop (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/) sells pre-rolled cones so I don't have to fuss with the cellophane and scotch tape trying to perfect the cone shape:) I like to buy most of my other supplies from them too, because they're reasonable and reliable.
  
  Tamarind I haven't heard of; tea I have. My usual method is henna, lemon juice, sugar (to help it stick on my skin better) and lavender oil (to make it darker, though there are many essential oils that work), leave it to sit overnight and then cone it the next morning. I freeze what I'm not going to use within a couple days becausepaste keeps for about a year in the freezer without losing staining capability.
  
  II wear the paste overnight to allow it maximum time to soak into my skin, too. I usually get some nice dark stains - with one kind of henna I got almost black from wearing the paste for 12 hours instead of my usual 8. I'm aware of the different stain quality in different areas; I had meant that the stains were lighter than my usuals there, because this paste batch is old. I'd thawed it three times already and it sat in the fridge for a day before I used it. I don't usually thaw my cones for skin more than twice because they tend to lose dye quality that way. After two thaws I keep them in the fridge for practice because it's hit-or-miss as far as what kind of stain I'll get. Sometimes the dye quality can hold up; sometimes not so much.

  

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  By way of update...
  
  
  
  

  

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• vaishali10 member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  HisBeloved: Very pretty design.  My FI is not a big fan of mehndi being too cluttered either.  But being a mehndi artist myself, I can't get married with simple mehndi.  :-) Your color actually cam out quite well, and I am sure it's darker since the flash of a camera makes a stain look more brighter.  

  
  

  As BellsnRings said, tamarind water and black tea water is a great way to help darken the stain.  If using tea I usually add in a few cloves and a cinnamon stick into the boiling water.  The cloves help slightly with the color but my main purpose of adding cloves and cinnamon is to add a nice aroma to the paste.  

  
  

  My mehndi night is actually the event I am looking forward to the most!! 

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  That souds like the kind of tea I'd normally drink, lol. The next time I make my tea I'll brew some extra and make a tiny test batch of paste with the tea mixture. And I bought some tamarind for a recipe last week - perhaps I'll do a test of that one too.
  
  Are either of those methods any less harsh on the skin than citrus juice? I find that I can get great color from lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit juices, but they sometimes leave my skin a little dry.
  

  

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• SonaliPop member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  If I did mine, it'd be awful. Good on you that you're making an attempt.

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• Hinaj member

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  I love you design,  you are very talented!!!

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• HisBelovedOne

  

  May 2010 edited December 2011

  Thanks, ladies:)
  
  The biggest downside to henna is that it always starts to fade too early for my liking. I've already lost some of the fine lines at the tips of my fingers and some of the filled-in spots are looking a little splotchy.
  

  

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