Henna $35

Sandy at Misbehaven did the Henna on my chest. it only lasted a couple days, but i loved it while it was there. by the 3rd day, it was faded out just enough to look kinda like splotchy patches, and with my freckles, it just kinda blended. Sandy told me before the whole process that henna doesn't last as long on the chest because of the skin being thinner there. it lasts longest on hands, arms, feet & legs.
there is all kinds of tradition that go along with henna, for example the bride to be will have her feet and legs henna'd before her wedding, and the more detailed and intricate the design, and the higher up her leg, the more patience she must have. also, her husband to be's initials will be hidden somewhere in the design and it isn't until he finds his initials that the wedding can be consummated. an ice breaker for sure, since they may not have ever had a chance to talk, prior to the wedding. but the most intriguing tradition is that after the bride and groom are wed, the sisters and his mother will stay with them and do all the chores, cooking, cleaning, etc., until her henna is completely gone. Hence the care and attention to preserving the henna, such as putting olive oil on it, and covering it will vaseline before bathing, to help preserve it.
Sandy started by drawing the peacock design on my chest, and then filling in the details. she finished with dusting it with green, teal and blue glitter dust, then filled in the circles on the feathers with jewels. the adornment is just a way to make the henna, which is like a brown looking toothpaste consistency, look pretty while it is setting on your skin. i had the henna applied at 2:30 in the afternoon, and then had to wear a strapless top to keep the area free of anything that could rub the henna off. that evening before bed, i put olive oil on the henna and let it just soak in for a bit, before wiping it off. i used a little warm water to try and get the excess glitter and oil off my chest. at that point, the stain was very faint, almost unnoticeable, but by the next morning it had turned to a darker brown shade. by day 3 it was, like i mentioned earlier, it was not really obvious that i had a henna on my chest, and looked more like splotchy skin. the henna was almost the color of my freckles so i think that is another reason it didn't show up very much.
i had several people who saw the henna the first day, with the dusted glitter comment how gorgeous it was.
i think for $35 it's well worth the experience. i know i will have it done again. next time i am going to have my feet done with an intricate design. put on a pair of flip flops and you look like you have the most beautiful slippers on.