Glitter | Becoming Moonlight

New to White Henna – Part 1

I have only ever worked with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding Paste cone one time before. It is a great product for beginners like me, as well as those experienced with body art. The paste stays white and raised which I really like because it makes it easy to see where you are working. Getting used to the feel of the cone is different than working with a paintbrush or pencils. You have to hold it so that you have firm pressure, but not so tight that the paste flows unevenly. This can take some time to get used to. I have learned a lot when working with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding cone.

For my design, I practiced freehand on paper before drawing on my hand. This was to get used to the feel of the cone, and how much pressure you need to allow the paste to come out evenly. Once I was happy with my design on paper, I mimicked the design on my left hand.

My first few lines were a little shaky and not very symmetrical. Having clean and even lines come with the experience of using a cone for body art. Your art does not have to be perfect to look good. Becoming Moonlight® Gilding paste is not permanent and can be easily taken off.

I was able to add a little more paste to the middle to allow the paste to touch in the center.

Parts of my design were not touching when I finished, however, I was able to fix this by adding a little more paste, then powder and glitter to touch it up.

Once the paste is on the skin, it has to sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the paste to become tacky before it can be sealed with mica powder or glitter. I made the mistake of not waiting long enough and had to redo a small part of my design.

The small flat brush I used for the mica powder was perfect because the mica clumped together on the tip of the bristles. I cleaned the brush in between colors so that the powders did not mix. I used the same brush for applying glitter, which did not work as well. I learned that I need a wider flat brush for applying the glitter to the design.

Using a brush to wipe the extra powder away is helpful.

I chose teal glitter and purple mica powder for my design because I like the way that those colors complement each other. Lighter colors would not look as good on my fair skin as they would on someone else. By contrast, the colors I chose may not look good on everyone either.

In conclusion, I like working with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding Paste cone. The freedom to draw and express ones-self in body art feels awesome! You can trace a design or make up your own. If you mess up, you can wash it off and start over. This is not easily done with other types of body art mediums. The paste can also be peeled off for work or school. It is great for a day or weekend event.

Tips:

If there is an air bubble in the cone, the paste sputters when coming out. This can be wiped off with an alcohol covered cotton swab. The area should be dry before reapplying the paste.
If the paste is not tacky, the adhesive will stick to the brush being used to apply the glitter or mica powder and lift from the skin.
To use multiple colors or glitters in your design, I found it easier to complete the part of the design for one color, then go back and add additional paste for other colors.
The mica and glitter colors should complement each other. The colors you or the client chooses should also look good with the skin tone they are being put on.

Read Patty’s experience with white henna here: http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2020/01/31/new-to-white-henna-part-2/

Liz • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

You can become an artist, too! Order cones, powders, and glitter here: https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Gilding-Paste-p/3979.htm
https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Glitter-p/glitter_01.htm
https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Gilding-Powder-p/gild-pwdr_01.htm

My Vow

My Vow

I promise
to call you by your name
your name
the shape of it
built from your bones
your body
the one you built
the one you chose
for the mind you grew
your mind
a wild garden
that lush and sacred place
that vast and winding place
and I promise
to tend to it
to protect it
to remember it
to say it aloud
Your Mind
Your Body
Your Name

Chinese New Year 2018: Year of the Dog

Happy Year of the Dog!

Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, so it falls on a different day of the Western calendar each year, always some time around January or February. The zodiac consists of twelve animals, repeating in a specific order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This year, 2018, is the Year of the Dog. It is my mother’s year. I was born in the year of the Horse. Similar to astrology, it is believed that each animal has specific personality traits.

The legend goes that all twelve animals participated in a race. Near the end of the race, the animals had to swim across a river. The cunning Rat hopped onto the Ox, who was swimming across in the lead, and hopped off once they were back on dry land to win the race.

As a child, I remember seeing dragon dances, hearing fire-crackers popping, and cymbals and drums crashing in parades and performances in the Chinatown area of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. My aunt taught traditional dance, so I’d often watch family and friends perform, waving fans, flags, or silk ribbons, or pounding drums. Seeing the red and gold decorations appearing in restaurants and stores during the preceding weeks always filled me with excitement. The cold, gray, Ohio winter would come to life once again. I remember family gatherings, huge tables of food, and... hong bao (red envelopes)! It is traditional to give younger family members red envelopes of money during Chinese New Year. What kid doesn’t like getting some extra cash?

A packed and decorated temple.

(These next couple images are from my family’s celebration in Taiwan. I was here in Montreal.)

Here are a few more traditions and superstitions for Chinese New Year:

1. Wearing red and gold attracts good luck and fortune. It is bad luck to wear black or white, which are colors associated with death and funerals.

2. Firecrackers, drums, and cymbals are used to scare off evil spirits and bad luck.

3. Homes are cleaned before the New Year, but cleaning is avoided the day of, because good luck might be thrown out or swept away with the dirt and trash. Trash is not thrown out for the first three days of the year. People will also avoid bathing on New Year’s Day.

4. Similarly, one should not get a hair cut near Chinese New Year, as it symbolizes cutting your life short.

5. Mandarin oranges are displayed and eaten, as they are a symbol of good luck.

6. Fish are also another sign of luck and fortune, which is why many New Year’s decorations involve fish. A fish dish is placed on the dinner table on New year’s Eve, but it is not eaten then. It is saved for New Year’s Day, so the “leftover” fortune from the old year can flow over to the new.

In the bottom right corner, you can see the fish dish, which is covered with plastic so it can be saved for later.

7. It is common to go to the bank to exchange old money for crisp, new bills. The money given in red envelopes is always brand new money.

8. The number 8 is always a lucky number in Chinese tradition! But avoid things in groups of four, especially when giving gifts, as the word for “four” in Chinese sounds similar to the word for “death.”

My beautiful grandparents getting ready to dole out some dough.

The Body Art

I realized I hadn’t ever done a body art piece specifically for Chinese New Year, and I was excited to give it a try. Henna is not traditionally used in Chinese culture. I saw this as an opportunity to blend boundaries, and create something with a new medium. Henna stains are a lovely deep red color, which pair well with the red and gold gilding I added. I used common images associated with Chinese culture and the holiday: plum blossoms, which are Taiwan’s national flower, and red lanterns. As it is the year of the dog, I placed the silhouette of a dog in the center of my hand. The arched pattern on the fingers is a common pattern seen in Chinese decoration and art.

I did my makeup to be a modernized version of traditional Chinese makeup. Historical artwork, and images from Chinese operas show women with pale faces, straight, soft brows, red and pink hues on their eyelids, cheeks, and temples, and small, red lips. Styles varied through dynasties.

I wanted some of the photos to feel like they were from an earlier time. I grew up in the United States, and I loved looking through my family’s photo albums from Taiwan, seeing my mother and grandparents in sepia and soft colors, my young grandmother in an elegant but western dress of the ‘50s. My much of my heritage is held in memories that others made long before I was born. My identity is a mix of Eastern and Western traditions, and they way they came together. Old photos and new celebrations. Hong bao with American bills. Dragon dances in Cleveland slush.

“Ugly”

Poetry and body art.

I am ugly.

And that doesn’t mean I’m not PRETTY,

I’m just so ugly-stuffed with life

that it shows on my face and my body.

I turn heads when I walk, flaunting my ugly.

I laugh with all my teeth, and nostrils flared, and eyes squinted ugly.

I cry….UGLY, snot streaming over my lips, face red,

back in school some jerks two doors down said,

“she sounds like a monkey!”

ugly.

I was the only Asian in my grade, shortest in my class ugly.

didn’t act like all the other girls, scared of my own growing body.

I am flat-chested, no-hips ugly.

I was black eyeliner and loud music,

curtains drawn, scratching at my skin

with safety pins ugly.

But out in the daylight, perfect grin,

sweet, smart straight-A student

all that ugly held down with a pile of books.

I knew all the answers,

sitting at my desk with my hand up, pen poised on paper.

I thought I could turn all that ugly

into a perfectly formatted resume.

Toss that ugly up into the sky

like a graduation cap and stroll into adulthood

with nothing but beauty.

That’s not how it works.

I am deep, molten mantle around an iron core ugly.

The tectonic plates in my face sent up

eruptions and formed rifts above my brow.

I was ugly with layers of foundation and concealer,

ugly with silence,

ugly with the need to be seen mistaken for consent.

And then ugly for attention shaking ugly ass, flipping ugly hair,

batting ugly lashes, look at me just please don’t see

my ugly.

Then it went down into my joints and bones,

tired achy ugly.

My golden summer skin looked jaundiced when winter hit.

Ugly circles under ugly eyes, chapped lips.

I am an expert at ugly. I deserve a degree for the ugly I have been

and the ugly I have seen.

I collect and categorize kingdoms, phylums, classes of ugly.

I speak and transcribe ugly.

Mix pigments of ugly into perfect hues.

I dream ugly dreams.

I am ugly like days of rain.

Ugly like thick smoke.

I am ugly like a cat trapped out in the cold, looking for a home.

I’m ugly like death.

Ugly like decay.

That sick sweet smell that never goes away.

Like dirt and seeds that struggle to sprout.

Ugly like leaves, ugly like trees.

I am a forest of ugly. I am an ugly country surrounded by angry,

ugly seas, the tides of ugly pulled by an ugly gravity.

I am the ugliness of a galaxy with its raging forces of energy.

I am monumental masses of ugly revolving around a central point.

I am light-years of ugly. My ugly bends space and time.

One day I’ll collapse into dense, dark ugliness, but I’m so ugly far away

that from back on earth, you’ll look up for years to come

and see me shine.

Eight Great Gift Ideas from Mehandi.Com

The holidays are coming fast. Ancient Sunrise® and Becoming Moonlight® products from www.Mehandi.com make great gifts for a variety of people. You might know someone who has been interested in trying henna, or someone who has been a devoted henna-head for years. Maybe you have a cosmetics-lover in the family, an artist, a frequent flyer, or someone who is always busy but wants to look their best. Here are eight gift ideas to make everyone happy.

You could also share this post with loved ones (nudge, wink) to point them toward what you might want this season.

1. A Stocking-Stuffer Starter Kit the Curious But Hesitant

Your friend has been admiring your hair for ages, and they’re finally ready to try henna, but they don’t know where to start. Put together a sweet and simple gift bag with everything they need to begin.

If they’re not sure about their mix, start them off with a few kit samples that are closest to what they want. They can use these to conduct strand tests to help them decide on their mix. Add in a packet or two of our famous Ancient Sunrise® Rainwash treatment, some disposable gloves, hair clips, and a warm knit cap. Write a nice note offering to order their first kit and help them apply it once they’ve figured out what they want.

Sample orders ship free!

Toss in some extras goodies that are sure to please anyone:

Ancient Sunrise® Zizyphus Spina Christi is a wonderful cleanser and conditioner for any hair type and color. Learn more about Ancient Sunrise® Zizyphus here.

Ancient Sunrise® Cassia adds strength and shine with minimal color change.

Spellstone hair ornaments make beautiful, unique gifts, and are 50% off with coupon code “Spellstone” until January 6th! They come in a variety of designs to fit every hair length and texture. Each design has a unique meaning. Each piece is made from ethically sourced water buffalo horn or bone.

2. The Ultimate Pampering Package

Know someone who likes to turn their henna day into a full spa day? Make them a basket of Ancient Sunrise® products to make their experience extra special.

Ancient Sunrise® body oils, lotions, and body butters come in soothing and decadent scents, and are made in small batches with all natural ingredients.

Ancient Sunrise® Amla powder makes for a great facial mask that cleans, exfoliates, tightens, and brightens. It is high in Vitamin C which is known to brighten complexions, and has anti-microbial properties. Ancient Sunrise® Amla powder is tested for purity by an independent laboratory. Amla has many beneficial uses which you can learn about here.

Ancient Sunrise® Amla powder is great for the face. Just mix with water and apply for 3-5 minutes once or twice a week.

Ancient Sunrise® S having S oaps make for a smooth, easy shave and leave the skin moisturized. They are great for shaving the body and the face. They come in Amber, Cedarwood Atlas, and Vetiver scents.

Ancient Sunrise® H enna A ttar has a wonderful earthy aroma reminiscent of chocolate and tobacco with a faint, sweet floral note. Dab it on the wrists, behind the ears, or dilute it with a carrier oil. A little goes a long way.

Add in a comfy robe or a candle, and this gift is a winner.

3. For the Constant Doodler and/or Glitter Lover

Becoming Moonlight® body art products are wonderful for those who have an artistic spirit, or those who were a unicorn in a past life.

The Gilding Kits are a great introduction for those who have not used gilding paste. They can be used to create beautiful, sparkling “white henna” patterns and more. Each kit comes with a cone of Becoming Moonlight® gilding paste, glitter, gilding powder, gems, alcohol swabs, and instructions.

Create gorgeous works of art on your skin with Becoming Moonlight® body art supplies.

This is a great gift for teens who can’t stop drawing on themselves, and is much safer than those “white henna” tutorials online which use anything from white acrylic paint to white-out. Becoming Moonlight® gilding paste is specifically designed for body art use, and is non-toxic and latex-free. As it is flexible and water-resistant, Becoming Moonlight® gilding paste lasts up to a week or longer on the skin.

Print out the free 2018 Henna Page C alendar or one of the many free pattern books, to provide some artistic inspiration.

Becoming Moonlight® glitters, gilding powders, and gems are all body-art quality and make for great stocking-stuffers, too. The gilding powders are wonderful as eye-shadows and highlighters.

4. For the Frequent Flyer

You may know someone who is always traveling, be it for work or for wanderlust. Put together a travel bag they can easily take with them wherever they go. These products are much better than those little bottles in hotel bathrooms, and won’t be a problem when going through airport security.

Ancient Sunrise® Shampoo bars are fantastic for travel. Your loved one won’t have to worry about bringing another liquid through TSA, or having a shampoo bottle leak in their luggage bag. They can even cut off small pieces rather than taking the whole bar. The shampoo bars are made from all natural ingredients, are vegan, cruelty free, and pH balanced. They leave the hair soft and moisturized; following with conditioner isn’t necessary, so that’s yet another bottle they won’t have to pack!

Each Ancient Sunrise® shampoo bar lasts several months. As they are water-soluble, keep them dry to make them last longer.

Water quality varies greatly from place to place, and hard water wreaks havoc on the hair. Luckily, Ancient Sunrise® Rainwash Treatment is easy to pack and clarifies the hair to leave it smooth, soft and manageable. It comes in both single-use packets and 50g jars (enough for about ten uses).

Ancient Sunrise® Zizyphus is a great option for those who are going to the beach. It is a natural 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner that protects the hair from salt water and wind. It comes in a powder form which is mixed with water to form a paste. For campers, it’s safe to rinse outside or in a body of water because it does not contain anything that is harmful to the environment.

If the person in mind colors their hair with Ancient Sunrise® henna, ask them what they use, and portion it out into single-use packets that they can take with them to touch up their roots when away on long trips. Root touch-ups usually take about 50g of powder. Add a fruit acid powder into their henna/cassia so they can just add water. Just remember to keep the indigo powder separate from the rest.

5. For the Busy and Bearded

You may know someone who colors their facial hair or beard with henna. As facial hair grows quickly, it can become time-consuming or annoying to do frequent touch-ups. Give the gift of convenience by mixing up a batch of henna and separating it into single-use portions which can be kept in the freezer and thawed quickly.

Dye-release henna and separate into plastic bags for easy application.

If this person uses a henna/indigo mix, measure portions of indigo powder into individual baggies so they can just thaw their henna, mix their indigo, combine, and apply. This is a great idea for root touch-ups, too.

Throw in a tinting brush or toothbrush for easy application, and a cool handkerchief so they can keep the paste warm and look like a bandit at the same time.

Add in an Ancient Sunrise® shaving bar for the times they decide to change up their look. Their skin will thank you.

6. For Those Visiting From Afar

Shipping costs can add up quickly, especially for those henna-heads who live on the west coast, or outside of the United States. If you live closer to Ohio and have friends or relatives visiting from a far-off land, offer to order their favorite plant powders in bulk. Ancient Sunrise® products can be brought across borders without problem. If you order for the both of you, you get the benefit of a bulk discount as well.

Just make sure to account for shipping and handling times so they don’t go home without their goodies. Most orders take about 5-6 business days. Shipments within Ohio can be faster.

7. For the Henna Nerd

The Ancient Sunrise® Henna for Hair E-book has become something like the henna for hair bible. Many long-time henna users still visit it over and over again. The newest chapters include wonderful knowledge about the history of henna use. The best thing is, it’s free to download.

Create a unique gift by downloading the chapters onto a USB drive, and taking it to a printer to have it printed and bound. It will be a lovely addition to a library or coffee table, and very useful for when your loved-one is midway through mixing their paste and just needs to do a quick check.

8. Visit The Empire of Magical Thought

Empire’s windows have placed in the Main Street Kent holiday window decorating contest for several years in a row.

If you live near Kent, OH, or will be visiting the area, stopping at Empire is a must. As the brick-and-mortar shop of Mehandi.com, it carries Ancient Sunrise® and Becoming Moonlight® products, chocolates from Bittersweets (which you should definitely also visit), and a plethora of items not available on the online store. From clothes, coloring books, and puppets, to an amazing selection of incense, tarot cards, and crystals, there is truly something for everyone. It is also a beautiful place to browse and wander.

Empire is full of gifts and treats.

A little goldfish pond near the entrance fills the store with the soothing sound of trickling water. Hand-painted kites float along the embossed tin ceiling. During the holiday season, a beautiful window display can be seen from East Main Street, and the inside sparkles with hundreds of tiny lights.

On select days, Empire offers free body art or tarot card reading with a minimum purchase, so you can grab your henna supplies, buy gifts, and treat yourself as well. (Make sure to leave a tip for your free service! They greatly appreciate it.) Check Empire’s Facebook page to find out what days they are offering free services.

Becoming Moonlight® body art done by Alex Limbach.

The staff at Empire is fully trained on Ancient Sunrise® and Becoming Moonlight® products, just like the Customer Service team. If you have questions about your mix or want to change things up, don’t hesitate to talk to them! This would also be a great opportunity to bring along any friends or family members who have been interested in starting.

The Empire of Magical Thought is located at 135 E. Main St, in Kent, Ohio.

Final Notes

When ordering your items, remember to check how long the shipping will take, to ensure your package arrives on time. Express shipping is available at extra cost if you order directly with Customer Service through phone, email, or online chat.

Office hours may change during the holidays. Liking and following our Facebook pages is the best way to keep up to date on any changes. Mehandi’s Facebook page is here, and also be sure to join the Ancient Sunrise Henna group if you haven’t already.

Indigo powder, Ancient Blue® indigo crystals, and gilding paste are affected by cold temperatures. If you live in an area whose temperatures fall below freezing, you may want to request extra insulation or express shipping to make sure your indigo stays safe.

Be sure to check the return/exchange policy here.

We wish you a wonderful holiday and hope your friends and family absolutely love their gifts.