Most "temporary tattoos" are decals. A film of ink sits on top of your skin, catches the light wrong, and starts flaking off at the edges by day two. Everyone can tell.

Ours work differently. The ink is drawn into the outermost layer of the epidermis, so it sits in the skin rather than on it. It follows the creases of your knuckles, stretches when you move, and photographs like real linework — because optically, that's what it is.

It takes 24 hours to develop. You apply it, it looks faint, and you wait. By the next morning the design has darkened into a deep blue-black. From there it holds for one to two weeks, then fades on its own as your skin sheds.

The whole thing takes about five minutes, and most failed applications come down to skipping one of these.

1. Pick your spot. Clean, dry, hairless skin. Avoid anywhere that folds hard or rubs constantly — inner elbow, waistband line, between fingers. Skin that stretches a lot will crack the design early.
2. Wash and dry properly. No moisturiser, no oil, no sunscreen. Anything on your skin sits between the ink and you. Wipe with soap and water, then dry completely.
3. Press and hold. Peel the clear film, place the design ink-side down, then press a damp cloth firmly against the back for 60 seconds. Firmly. Most patchy tattoos are just under-pressed.
4. Peel slowly and walk away. Lift the paper off. The design will look pale — that's correct. Don't touch it, don't wash it, don't rub it for the next 24 hours while it develops.

If a patch comes out light, you pressed unevenly. It happens. The rest of the design is unaffected.

Two weeks is the ceiling, not a guarantee. What you do afterwards decides where you land.

- Skip the first shower. Give it a full 24 hours before water touches it.
- Keep oil away from it. Body lotion, sunscreen, cooking oil, hand cream — oil is what breaks the ink down. This is the single biggest factor.
- Don't scrub. Pat dry, never rub. No exfoliants over the design.
- Watch the friction. A tattoo under a bra strap, a watch, or a waistband will go first.
- Sweat is fine. Gym, heat, humidity — none of it hurts. This is not a sticker.

Placement matters more than aftercare, honestly. Forearms, shoulders, backs and ribs hold beautifully. Hands and fingers fade fastest, because you wash them thirty times a day.

A lot of people find us because they're already booked in with an artist and having second thoughts.

That's a good reason to be here. Two weeks is long enough to learn things a mirror can't tell you in an afternoon: whether the placement works with how you actually dress, whether you like catching sight of it unexpectedly, whether your family reacts the way you expected, whether it still feels like yours on day twelve.

A permanent piece is a serious decision. Spending fifteen euros to be certain before you spend several hundred to be permanent is not indecision — it's just sensible.