Airbrush tattoos, glitter tattoos, and henna tattoos: what’s the difference?
Face painting is great for a lot of things–from kids’ parties to body painting adult events. But face paint also has it’s limitations: some kids don’t like getting their faces touched and it comes off in pools or sprinklers. Temporary tattoos are a really great alternative to traditional face painting, and Kaleidoscope offers three different types in CT and MA for all sorts of events!
Glitter Tattoos
Glitter tattoos are a really quick and easy. The majority of where we do glitter tattoos is at client’s home parties as an add-on for face painting and balloon twisting. We have tons of fun designs, from flowers and hearts to scorpions and skulls. So yes–boys love them too!
How they’re applied: Using FDA-approved adhesive, we use stencils and cosmetic glitter to apply bright and shiny designs along the hands or feet. Our set up is quick and small, and lots of fun to watch!
Best used for: Glitter tattoos are great for large events with lots of children to get through or as an add-on for face paint or balloon twisting packages. And yes, boys love them to!
Customers per hour: Up to 20
Safety: Our FDA-approved adhesive is medical grade but DOES contain latex. Our glitter is cosmetic grade meaning there are no sharp edges, so it’s safe around eyes and little kids! (Kaleidoscope is striving to maintain the highest safety standards in our field. We hope including all of these details is helpful to moms and event organizers!)
Care and removal: Glitter tattoos last up to 5 days, even if they get wet! To remove, use rubbing alcohol or just soak and scrub.
May not be right for you: If you want realistic-looking tattoos.
Airbrush Tattoos
Airbrush tattoos are great for big audiences. These black tribal-looking designs are the closest to real tattoos you can get!
How they’re applied: Using an airbrush and stencils, we spray an alcohol-based cosmetic onto the client’s skin, then set with powder. It’s pretty simple and fast!
Best used for: Large events of all ages. We have a 3 hour minimum since our set up takes a while.
Customers per hour: Up to 30
Safety: Because the paint is alcohol-based, it would sting your eyes! We don’t apply it to any faces, but other than that it is safe to go on skin and contains no allergens.
Care and removal: Airbrush tattoos can get wet and last up to a week. To remove, use rubbing alcohol or just submerge and scrub.
May not be right for you: If you want to entertain toddlers or infants (the machine can look like a shot to little ones) or you’re having a short event.
Henna Tattoos
Henna is a traditional South Asian body art form that is applied on hands, feet, or anywhere else in gorgeous patterns. Our artists can come with pre-made designs, or take requests! This is one of the most popular things we offer for small parties for teens and adults.
How they’re applied: Using a cone of henna paste, we free-draw intricate designs onto the skin. The paste takes about 30 minutes to dry, during which you can’t smudge it! For the next few hours you’ll keep the paste on you as it sinks into the top level of your skin, and before you to go bed at night, you can flake it off over a sink or toilet. By the next morning, you’ll have a beautiful deep-red tattoo to show off! (Below, you’ll see two images: freshly-applied paste and the day after.)
Best used for: Ages 10+. We generally will not put henna on anyone younger than ten because of long drying time and it’s potential to stain clothes. However, it is GREAT for Sweet 16 birthdays, clubs, baby showers, maternity bellies, and anywhere else adults want a unique and classy temporary tattoo!
Customers per hour: 7-25, depending on the design size. Client can specify.
Safety: We use only Jamila Henna Powder, imported straight from Pakistan and made of the highest quality ingredients. Henna ingredients are unfortunately not FDA-screened, so we use only this reputable manufacturer, known for their high-quality product.
Care and removal: It’s pretty simple: leave on the paste as long as possible, then you’re good to go for 2-4 weeks! Check out this handy guide for even more details. Henna cannot be removed easily because it dyes the top layers of your skin, but exfoliating the area regularly will shorten how long it remains on your skin.
May not be right for you: If you’re entertaining young children or you plan on getting wet afterwards.