How To Give Yourself A Face Tattoo Like All The Models In Fashion Week

If you’ve been following Fashion Month from New York to London to Milan to Paris, you know the runways have almost all had one thing in common: overall carefree, underdone beauty looks. There have been a few notable exceptions, but for the most part, the nails have been simple, the hair has been underwhelming and unbrushed, and the makeup has been quiet. However, one trend has emerged that goes completely against the grain: face tattoos, or at least temporary ones.

We first noticed the whimsical, surprising trend at the Giambi Fall show during Milan Fashion Week when makeup artist Baltasar González Pinel popped crescent moons, nautical stars, and hearts on models cheekbones and eyes. Check it out:

Interesting, right? And they’re not the only ones. Models at both the Mariana Jungmann show and Anthony Vaccarello show donned fancy face art:

I wouldn’t say it’s a look you can wear all the time, but if you’re headed to a club, attending a theme party, or just feel like being one of those magical weirdos who pulls off even the oddest trends, it could be a lot of fun. So, how do you get a (fake) face tattoo for yourself? There are a few ways!

1. Temporary Face Tattoos

This might be the quickest and easiest way to achieve a sharp result without struggling with eyeliner or, you know, the permanence of an actual tattoo. You could even make on a lightning bolt on the center of your forehead to be fashion-forward and geek chic. (Yeah, something like that.)

2. Liquid Eyeliner

I specify liquid eyeliner here because, personally speaking, I hate the look of an almost smooth pencil liner. It will simply never have quite the same precision that liquid and gel liners offer, and for that, I cannot recommend pencil when doing a design like these designers have.

3. Metallic Tattoos

Want a little extra shine? I took two flash tattoos we had at the office and applied them to my fingers, but if you’re going for a metallic makeup look, you could try applying these to your face. Other brands to try with various fun designs: Pixie Ink Tattoos and Tattly Temporary Tattoos.

4. Get An Actual Face Tattoo

Okay, this option is a little more serious than the others because let’s be honest, face tattoos are something that you should really, really think about before getting one. I say this as somebody who has a lot of tattoos and hates being told I’ll someday “regret” mine: do not get an actual face tattoo unless you are absolutely certain you will be comfortable looking at it for the rest of your life, every single day, and be a-okay with people’s reactions to it, which will primarily be negative because hey, that’s society. Unless you’re Mike Tyson, in which case you can basically do anything awful, and people will forgive you.

Of course, there are some pretty snazzy face tattoos out there. And if you have chosen a career path that doesn’t discriminate against heavy body modification, then it’s a totally different story. That said, please refrain from getting your boyfriend’s name tattooed on your face one day after meeting him. That will always be a bad idea.

5. Face Gems

While this isn’t quite a temporary tattoo, it does offer a whole lot of sparkle for a pretty, feminine effect that can be customized to what you’re wearing. I recommend using a dab of eyelash glue on the back of a little gem, then waiting a few seconds until it gets tacky before applying it to your face. You can do one little accent or a major design like this look from Dior’s Spring show.

6. Henna

This one takes skill and practice, but if you can get a good tool and a great teacher, you’re capable of anything! Plus, it lasts a whole lot longer than eyeliner.

Would you try this trend? Tell us in the comments!