Our setup consists of you telling us where to sit, and us going there. Since we have so little setup, we tend to come about 15 minutes before the time we’re supposed to start. If you need us earlier, please let us know so we can include that in our quote.

Each artist will need two straight-backed chairs that can be arranged facing each other, and a table. We can use almost any size table, from a TV tray to the corner of a dining room table, or anything in between. Most crucial is lighting. We MUST have lighting that is good enough to comfortably read by. Normal room lighting is usually good enough, however, if the lighting is dim, we will not be able to work until that is fixed. We strongly prefer being set up away from any loud music.

At about ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled end time, the artist will check the line. If everyone is happy, then she ends at the usual time. If there are people who still want things, the artist will find you to let you know. It is perfectly okay to cut off the line at that point, or if you wish, the artist is usually happy to stay on extra time. Additional time is $25 for each extra 15 minutes, and you can give that to the artist directly.

Tips are never required. However, as with any service profession, if your artist was on time, professional, pleasant, and did a great job, you are more than welcome to show your appreciation with a little extra. This should be paid directly to the artist at the event.

Once the details are agreed upon, PPBA will send you an invoice. This holds your date and time for 24 hours. Once the invoice is paid, your event is secured. We have found that having the payment details taken care of ahead of time means you have one less thing to think about on your big day, and lets the artist show up and get right into making people happy.

• Up to two weeks before the event date, you may change the date as necessary with no penalty. If you need to cancel, half of your payment is refundable.
• Up to one week before the event date, if another mutually acceptable date is available, you may change the date with no penalty, but the payment is nonrefundable.
• Up to 48 hours before the event, you may change the event date, but there will be an additional charge of 50%.

We use non-latex glue that was designed to hold cosmetics like Spock ears and false beards onto skin. We either draw the designs on, or we use a stencil. Once the glue is dry, we “paint” on cosmetic glitter in the customer’s choice of colors. This process takes less than two minutes, and once the glitter is in place, the design is totally dry and touchable immediately. It does not smear, and is waterproof. The design lasts two days to two weeks, wearing off gradually.

You can also scrub it off in the tub or shower. It does not stain the skin.

The area I work in will be a little glittery, but this is cosmetic glitter, so it is easy to vacuum or wipe up. It will NOT be there forever, like craft glitter is.

The look is simply a very shiny surface. It’s not especially girly, unless you choose a girly design or colors. It feels like cut velvet and is very smooth.

Probably. Hands last the least amount of time. A necklace will last the longest. It depends on the amount of wear and tear the area gets. Glitter makes great “body jewelry” for prom or weddings, and we’ve also done boudoir glitter, with lacy garter belts and bras drawn on for very special occasions. Use your imagination!

Henna is a tradition that goes back about 3000 years as skin art. The paste is made from the ground leaves of the henna plant, which grows in deserts. Ours comes from near Delhi in northern India. We import the powder ourselves and mix it with bottled lemon juice, Bulgarian lavender essential oil, cajeput essential oil (a close cousin of tea tree, just smells less like feet), and table sugar.

We mix up the paste, put it in little Mylar cones, and draw the designs onto your skin, freehand without the use of needles or anything painful! We frost you like a cake. If you like, we can dust some cosmetic glitter over the top to make it pretty. The paste will be dry within about 20 to 30 minutes to the point where you don’t need to worry about it smearing. After that, you will want to leave it on until it falls off naturally. We recommend at least a couple of hours, and longer is better. When the paste comes off, it starts off orange, and then darkens over the next 2 days to a final reddish to chocolate brown, which lasts on average two weeks.

Yes! Henna is used traditionally by people of all skin colors. If you have darker skin, you will have a more tone-on-tone effect, so choosing a design with bolder lines and lots of shading will make it stand out better.

Well, yes, but you may not want us to. Henna stains best on hands and feet. Arms and legs are quite good. Everywhere else depends heavily on the person and their skin chemistry.Pregnant belliesdon’t get super dark, but they do last very well. Other than that, we generally recommend against henna for the torso, unless it is super bold.

Yes and no. It depends on the child. If a child is old enough to hold still while it’s applied, and not touch or smear the design for an hour, then yes. Some children, mostly girls, especially from cultures that do henna all the time, are ready as young as two. Some children, mostly boys, will still smear it around as teenagers. If we are hennaing at an all-ages party, the parent makes the call. If you want us for a birthday party, we recommend glitter for under age ten. If we are hennaing at a festival and you trust the child to walk around by themselves, we assume you trust them to make a good decision about henna for themselves, too.

No, for two reasons. First, henna is never black. If you get offered something called black henna, someone is lying to you. There simply isn’t any henna that’s a color other than the lovely natural brown.

The second reason is that the black stuff that people do use is usually either black leather dye or hair dye. There’s a reason that hair dye packages say not to put it on your scalp. The main ingredient, PPD, is known to cause contact dermatitis, permanent scarring, bladder cancer, and even death. Many children who got “black henna tattoos” while on vacation end up with nasty bubbling scars for the rest of their lives. A simple Google search will show you what we mean.

Sometimes people will get the black stuff and not have a visible reaction. It’s like poison ivy or a bee sting. You may get it once and nothing happens or you may immediately swell up like you have mumps and it never goes away. Even if you don’t have a visible reaction, it’s still building up in your system, waiting. We never harm anyone with our art, and we never use anything but safe, natural henna.

The rate quoted is for the artist’s time and materials. There is no per person extra cost. We will henna as many people in the allotted time as you send to us.

Maybe. We have artists across Connecticut and beyond, and will try to match you with someone who is near you. If we need to travel more than 20 minutes one-way, we charge $60 per hour for driving.

That will depend on the artist. We are all experienced in judging how large a design we can do on individuals, depending on the line. In general, one artist can henna small designs, like a simple flower with a cute leaf, on 20-30 people per hour. Medium sized designs, like a flower and vines going from a finger to wrist, can be done on 10 to 12 people per hour. Larger designs can take much longer, and traditional brides should expect up at least two hours for them alone.  Email us to let us know your details, and we’ll give you a custom quote.