To Dye for: Henna Artist Helps Brides Be Beautiful

Tayyaba Anis is a sentimental artist.

The 29-year-old beautician and makeup artist has spent the bulk of her life perfecting the beauty treatments and cosmetic needs of traditional Pakistani and Indian brides--including the detailed and painstakingly precise art of henna tattoos.

Operating from her small Lampson Avenue studio, Anis specializes in preparing brides for their wedding day. Like Anis herself, most of the young women she sees are entering arranged marriages and following the traditions of Indian and Pakistani cultures.

Anis spends much of three days preparing the women for the most important day of their lives.

“Brides start coming in about a week before their weddings,” Anis said. “It is part of the culture.”

The henna tattoos are temporary creations that take two or three hours to complete and cover the brides’ arms from the elbow to the fingertips and their feet below the ankle. The tattoos are made using a reddish brown dye obtained from leaves of the henna plant.

“No bride is complete without the henna decorations,” Anis said.

The henna tattoos, also called mehndi, have recently become popular with American celebrities, and the attraction is spreading to other American women, Anis said.

“These are a good alternative to tattoos because there is no pain and they’re not permanent,” she added.

The tattoos can last from three or four days to as many as 10 days depending on body temperature, Anis said. The cost varies with the intricacies of the design.