These skin stickers aren’t just for kids; they’re being embraced by grown-ups, who are finding new ways to wear them

If you see a beautifully decked out girl these days, make sure you take a second look before complimenting her bracelet or necklace—they could just be temporary tattoos.

If you still think of temporary tattoos as prizes from those kiddie vending machines at amusement parks, you need to catch up. Temporary tattoos have grown up along with the millennials.

Real tattoos have become mainstream, but “temporaries” allow them to play dress-up, experiment with a new look or show something fun and different, without the pain and permanence of the real thing.

The last few years, high-design “temporaries” for grown-ups have been sold off the Internet, but now we’re seeing the trend go beyond faux ink, and temporaries becoming jewelry.

As with all trends, temporary tattoo jewelry isn’t a completely brand-new beauty/fashion phenomenon. Trendsetter Sarah Jessica Parker was one of the first to wear them at the Oscars

in 2010, mixing a temporary tattoo from Chanel with real diamond bangles.

In 2012, Dior teamed up with jewelry designer Camille Miceli and introduced a luxe, $120 limited-edition set that included cuffs, chokers, earrings and bracelets made of actual 24-carat gold microparticles.

Affordable options

Because of the steep price tag, they didn’t quite catch on—until now.

More affordable options came around, sold by textile designer/socialite Lulu deKwiatkowski of Lulu DK Lifestyle (price starts at P1,200 for two packs) and popular brands like Flash Tat, that they have become a signature look for festival goers, thanks to the trend’s summery, playful vibe.

Soon, fashion circles took notice as well, and pressed-on stacked bracelets and layered necklaces took over editors’ and street style bloggers’ Instagram feeds.

Temporaries have been embraced by the likes of style arbiters Aerin Lauder and Carolina Herrera de Baez to models and celebrities like Alessandra Ambrosio and Beyoncé; the singer has been spotted wearing various temporaries while on holiday.

At the recent Spring/Summer 2015 shows, makeup artists got more creative—models sported what looked like gold lip piercings at Dries Van Noten, while at Anthony Vaccarello, models’ earlobes were painted in lacquered patent black and glitter.

But these aren’t like the temporary tattoos you had as a kid, the kind you haphazardly slap on anywhere. The trick is to go really subtle instead of trying a blown-out arm or ring party.

Pick the tattoo style that works best with your personal style of jewelry, then layer it with a few of your favorite pieces. Think one delicate faux cuff or ring peeking out from between a stack of real rings and cuffs.

Focus on one body part at a time by adding a couple of delicate rings, mixing a slender temporary cuff with actual bangles, or incorporating a single, sleek bracelet. Statement necklaces

and body chains are a bolder approach to the style, but the flashiness makes them a little harder to pull off.

The best part is that no matter what style you decide to experiment with, it’s the most noncommittal trend to try this season; the designs naturally wash off in about four to six days (or you can scrub them off in the shower with makeup remover or cleansing oil whenever you want).

Lulu DK temporary tattoos are available at Common Thread, Greenbelt 5, and Aura Athletica Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, and Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City.

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