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Mendhi is an ancient Indian art form which has been performed for generations in the Middle East, India, Pakistan etc, but has recently been popularized by United States celebrities (e.g. American pop music icon Madonna's "Ray of Light" music video).

Women in India are traditionally painted henna on their hands and feet, insides of their arms and up their shins most often for a wedding, or other special occasion. Sometimes the chest, neck and throat will be tattooed. The subject matter is rather abstract, and often incorporates religious and auspicious symbols.

Used to pay homage to the body, cosmetics and perfumes were also essential to the Indian woman, whose duty it was to appear alluring to her lover. Staining the nails, skin and hair with henna is the favorite way of enhancing beauty amongst women in the Middle East also. In the famous Indian treatise on love, the Kama Sutra (compiled between 100 and 600 C.E.) women are advised to learn the arts of tattooing and of "coloring the teeth, garments, hair, nails, and bodies." Cosmetics also served as an emblem of class rank or caste; the placement of facial adornments separated the upper castes from the lower. Many Indian women still use cosmetics in the ancient way; eyelids are tinted with an antimony-based dye, the face and arms are stained yellow with saffron powder, and the soles of the feet are reddened with henna.

Hennaed skin is not tattooed as the practice does not require any piercing. Henna paste is a dye that leaves a more or less durable stain on the outer layer of the skin alone. Henna contains hennotannic acid that binds with cells, so the henna paste must stay moist and in contact with the skin for a while. When applied, the henna paste is always black, but the resulting pattern with natural henna varies from light orange to dark brown.

Heat makes the dye darker. Black stains are the result of additional dyes and compounds added to the paste. The henna stain will last until the top layer of the skin exfoliates. All skin on the body gradually exfoliates and is replaced by new skin in 1-12 weeks, depending on individual factors. The henna, then, will last as long as 8 weeks on the thick soles of your feet, or go away as quickly as 3-4 days on very thin parts of your skin.

There are three principal design styles in henna painting: firstly, the Arabic designs feature large patterns on the hands and feet; secondly, the Indian designs are more fine-lined and paisley patterned; and thirdly, the Sudanese designs are large and bold with geometric angles.

It is very unusual for anyone to have an adverse reaction to natural henna as it is one of the safest cosmetics ever used, but if one is concerned then a patch test could be the answer.

The application of henna to the body is neither painful nor poisonous. When used in body decoration, henna can be thought of as an organically-derived temporary tattooing. Henna simply a method of drawing various designs on the skin without the use of needles. As the skin absorbs and reacts with the henna powder, the skin is actually stained for a period of up to four weeks. Because henna is a natural stain, it can't be rubbed off or removed with soap and water.

The dye, which is permanent on fabric or wood, lingers anywhere from 2-12 weeks on skin, depending upon the quality of the henna, its reaction with an individual's skin and the care taken to preserve the design.

Henna's traditional decorating purposes vary from culture to culture. The most popular traditional use is tied closely with weddings and bridal preparation; these designs tend to be the most ornate, covering the most area. Other uses include the celebration of circumcision, pregnancy, birth, el Eid (the end of Ramadan), for good luck and protection from the evil eye and djinn (malignant desert spirits, or "genies"), female camaraderie and beauty. Depending on the culture, men may use it as well as women, usually for more symbolic purposes; masculine designs are generally very basic, simple and small in design.

In the 12th century, henna painting spread to India. It is on this continent that the art really blossomed.

Traditional Indian and Pakistani designs tend to be very intricate, with dense design and detail. These designs are most often abstract, involving paisley shapes, lines, dots, etc. The non-Moslem wedding designs, pictures of fish, peacocks, and people can be found.

People here normally adorned themselves during auspicious celebrations, particularly marriage ceremonies. Traditionally, friends would apply the intricate designs on the hands and feet of the bride-to-be and her cortage. Hidden among the tangled, intertwining patterns would be the initials of the bride and groom.

Traditional Middle Eastern henna body art is more abstract and less dense with designs featuring graceful floral and vine patterns. These are much less complex than the Indian/Pakistani designs. Northern African designs are usua

Looked fun so i jumped on the band wagon :D

I didn't used to have but one skin i would wear every day with everything... I always got neutral make ups so that was easy to do. But then this friend of mine *cough*voshie*cough* Showed me the joys of having variety in skins ;P

So I bought different make ups in the same skin (I really branch out) that was the celestial studios skins... I wore them only for over a year and a few months ago i discovered the new Gala skins and went nuts! they are pretty much all i wear now... that's why there are so many.

I do have some other skins... a bunch of freebie things I never wear and most like never will... also a bunch of older skins that I will never wear again and that look really dated, so didn't add them.