I've been having fun during Layla's nap practicing my harquus art. If you saw my post yesterday, I just got a product from
Mehandi.com called
Harquus platinum. It is a skin-safe paint that can be used to re-create the Harquus artwork that is done in North Africa. It also works well for creating body art similar to Somali henna designs. It is used with a paintbrush rather than a cone, but the results are amazing and it is pretty easy. The dye that Somali shops use is actually hair dye, and it can cause life-threatening allergic reactions in some cases.
Read more about PPD Black Henna injury
here.
These pictures are from my 2nd time trying the product:
The designs were done over a previous henna design near the wrist and gold Temptu paint was used to accent the inside of shapes.
This paint can last up to around a week, but can also be removed with isopropyl alcohol or baby oil if you get tired of it.
I can't wait to try this on some Somali friends so I can see how it turns out on darker skin!
