While some folks in need of a noticeable change as quarantine phases out will gravitate towards big chops, bright hair color, or new piercings a la Cardi B, others are looking for something less drastic. A temporary tattoo is a great way to scratch the itch for change while feeding one’s artistic side. It’s also a great way to test looks before taking the leap into permanent ink.
BodyMark by BIC Global Creative Director and celebrity tattoo artist Miryam Limpini has not only created some of our favorite ink for some of our favorite beauties (Jhene Aiko, Keke Palmer and Kehlani), but she’s seen her fair share of stunning ink work as well as her fair share of ink that needs work. One of the few Black women in the industry, she’s been making her mark (no pun intended) with her exceptional artistry.
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ESSENCE Celebrates 50 Years Of Putting Black Culture First
Long before it was a trending topic, Black excellence shined on our covers and across our pages.
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Now, the heralded “Witchdoctor” of Los Angeles offers her expert tips on how to create beautiful and unique temporary tattoos on darker skin tones right at home.
Tip 1: Have fun with your art. “Embrace your own beauty and empower yourself with your own individuality!” she says. “Tattoos are such a personal art project, so I recommend taking inspiration and passion from your own life when deciding on a design.”
Tip 2:Don’t skip the prep. Pick the part of your body where you want to create the tattoo and clean the area very well. “Ink won’t stay on oily or sweaty skin, so make sure the skin is as dry as possible,” Lumpini offers.
Tip 3:Check out the trends. “Simple tattoos and outlines will always be easy and trendy, but don’t be afraid to try experimenting with bold colors and detailed, illustrative images.”
Tip 4:Remember that there are no rules: “The best part about BodyMark is that you have the freedom to express yourself in beautiful, unique ways without boundaries holding you back,” she continues. “Try combining a few stencils together to make new designs or just freehand your own creations.”
Tip 5:It’s all about the colors: According to Lumpini, both darker and lighter skin tones tend to have the same type of response to the pigments of the BodyMark products. Bold outlines and a lot of contrast in the artwork look great on the skin. In order to create a bolder outline, angle the top and use more pressure as you continue with the stroke of the marker. For contrast, she says try putting a lighter color down right next to a darker color, like pink and blue.
Couple-Care is a captivating ESSENCE.com series highlighting inspiring partnerships in our community. Each pair discusses how “couple-care” sustains their relationship, as well as the self-care lessons they’ve learned from each other. In this print iteration of the column, “Rooted in Love,” three aspirational duos—Will & Heather Packer, Wes & Dawn Moore and DeWanna Bonner & Alyssa Thomas—pull back the curtain on what keeps their love strong.
If there is going to be a Love & Basketball 2, let it be based on Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner’s love story. The WNBA superstars, who both play on the Connecticut Suns team, have been together for four years—and engaged since the WNBA All-Star Weekend in 2023.
So how did they first meet? “I knew her from basketball, of course—playing against one another in the WNBA,” DeWanna explains, between giggles, over the phone. “She swears I was stalking her social media.” But that wasn’t the case. DeWanna was innocently looking at Alyssa’s stories—as anyone would. “I didn’t even know that people could see you watched their story,” she says.
After DeWanna told a mutual friend she was crushing on Alyssa, the friend spilled the beans, “and it went from there,” DeWanna explains. But they remained “just friends” for a long time. Then, in 2020, DeWanna signed to the Suns. “We had nothing else to do but to get to know each other better,” she says. “And that led down this current path.”
Not only have they found true love in the last four years, but the pro athletes are grateful that they get to do what they love for work. “To play basketball as your job—what better job is there?” Alyssa exclaims. “I’ve been fortunate to travel the world and play in countries I probably never would have even imagined visiting. Basketball’s taken me on a journey.” DeWanna echoes these sentiments. “I also love that my two daughters get to watch me play and do something I love,” she adds. “The hope is for them to play one day. And not having to go into the office every day is nice, too.”
With the two now essentially coworkers, they have a keen understanding that keeping their relationship healthy is all about balance, with an emphasis on self- and couple-care. “It’s tough balancing your relationship and job,” Alyssa says. “We’re always playing. We’re always in game mode. But the moment we leave the gym, we try to disconnect from basketball, do other things together and not think about it so much.”
On the other side of that, she says, “it’s also important to know when we need our time alone. It’s all about doing what we can to be the best versions of ourselves, so that we can have the best relationship.” Here, the dream team goes into detail about the wellness practices that keep their relationship fresh as they juggle professional basketball, parenthood and more.
Photography by Ariel Cobbert
Their favorite couple-care memory
DeWanna: When we were overseas for her 30th birthday, she was in the middle of a pretty intense season at the time. We decided to do a staycation at the Four Seasons, to celebrate her birthday and chill out. We checked in there, got a nice view—and we booked a spa appointment. It was very relaxing. Just took our mind off things and made us feel at home. We stayed there for two or three days, and just ordered room service and vibed out a little bit.
Their individual self-care routines
DeWanna: I’m a nails-and-hair girl. I’m always going to be into beauty things, and I love spending time just relaxing. But I don’t really have too much downtime, especially when I’m in the off-season. Pretty much my kids are around all the time. But once I drop them off at school, I am either—
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Alyssa: —in bed.
DeWanna: Or, like today—I’m going to find a nail shop. I also love walking around Target and just being a mom. I honestly look forward to the day when I retire, and then I can just be a stay-at-home mom.
Alyssa: For self-care, I like to detail our cars. It’s a way for me to just hyper-focus on something and take my mind off whatever is going on, in basketball or in the world. Also, whenever I have an opportunity to sit outside and listen to music, I do that. I’m big on listening to music.
Their joint wellness routine
Alyssa: A lot of our time is spent sitting outside, relaxing, going to see a movie. Anything we can do to just disconnect from basketball.
DeWanna: We’re spa queens. If there’s a spa involved somewhere, we’re definitely going. We also try to disconnect from basketball and have date nights, and go to our favorite restaurants, and things like that. I think it’s all about pouring into each other—understanding what she needs in the relationship to make it successful. How can I be the best version of myself and make sure that we are continuing to grow?
The self-care lessons they’ve learned from each other
DeWanna: She helps me with my anxiety, especially during the season. I’m a high-stress person—not just during the season but in general. I don’t like unknown things. I think she calms me down and reminds me that everything’s going to work out. And it always does.
Alyssa: I always say she’s my conscience. During basketball season, I’m pretty intense and I want to win. She always talks with me, to make me think further about things I’ve said or done that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise thought twice about.
The beauty products they’ve introduced to each other
DeWanna: Alyssa has definitely improved my skin care routine. I wasn’t big on it at first. I felt like I had naturally good skin, so I’d just wash my face with whatever and put on some moisturizer. She’d tell me, “You need this and you need that. This is for this, and this is for this.” I was like, “Oh, God.” Now she just orders all my skin care stuff for me, and I just use it. I don’t know a lot about that stuff, but she’s on TikTok and loves it. She finds all this information there. But I refuse to get TikTok, because I don’t want to get addicted to it.