· By Pavan Dhanjal
Celebrity Henna - Who Nailed It?
How do you, or have you felt when you see henna on a well known public icon? I know how it makes me feel!
Backstory:
I started henna when I was 15, at a family wedding. I picked up a henna cone and literally started doodling on myself and was immediately hooked!
Fast forward 15 years later and my dream to get henna on the main stage is coming true. My goal has been to share with the world a beauty regime that I have heard far too often not everyone can get access to, (a challenge I am here to pursue!)
So, when I see henna on celebrities and well know public figures, I feel soooo proud! I have even had the pleasure of applying henna on celebrities, and have been criticised for it, but each to their own! I do this with a sincere heart and for the love of my work.
Our Henna brand is not intended for one ethnic background, it is intended for everybody. I see it as a way of self expression, not confined to any particular race or gender. Some people support me and some don’t. I try not to let this bother me and stay true to my brand and the message I am getting out there.
We recently had the pleasure of 60 Second Docs creating a video of what our goal is, and we got so much love and support for our pursuit in making henna available to all. BUT … yep, you guessed it, there were some who had other opinions and did not agree with my goal. I think this debate will be ongoing and its important to stay true to who you are and what means most to you.
As long as henna is worn with love and respect, then I am all for it!
To celebrate the beauty of henna, this month I have created tutorials of my best loved henna designs on celebrities!
This month I will be releasing celebrity henna looks on Instagram and Tiktok. We have plenty more tutorials so you can try them at home!
Here is our lineup!
Rihanna – When I first saw the henna tattoo design inspired by henna I was in awe! Rihanna made henna look so cool and all of a sudden I wanted to wear henna on the back of my hand all the time! I was so used to seeing and wearing henna on the palms of my hands and would avoid wearing it on the outside as I thought my hands were so dark, not feminine enough just not pretty! When Rihanna wore her henna tattoo, it made me wear more henna, and she totally had a positive effect on my confidence. If celebrities wearing henna has positive effects on beauty and confidence, then I am all for it!
Beyonce – This was a game changer for me! When I saw henna on Queen B herself in the Coldplay video I was overwhelmed. Although Beyonce faced a lot of backlash for this, I still think she wore it beautifully and in my eyes there was no disrespect here. This is a far more traditional look, and she wore this on the inside of the hand as well as the outside, I will be teaching you both!
Madonna – This was when I had no idea I would be pursuing the world of henna! When I saw the frozen video, my immediate reaction was to check who created the design and what henna they used! It looksed so dark and intricate (unlike the henna I was used to seeing) and I wanted to get my hands on some! This was genuinely one of the first times I was so proud of my culture and to see our life long tradition on a superstar made me feel elated. This is a super simple design that can be created within minutes, watch out tutorial to learn how!
Perrie Edwards – This was a big one for me, big star and big design! I learned by this point you cannot please everyone, so the best thing to do is please yourself! Perrie loved henna and I LOVE doing it for her Here is her design I created, and how you can create it yourself.
If one note is to be taken from our celebrity inspiration is that henna is for everyone and can be enjoyed by all. Expression should not be restricted and we are here to make it all that easier for you!
Let us know your favourite celebrity henna design in the comments below.