How to Do the Freckling Tattoo Trend

For the bulk of beauty history, women have been trying to cover up the slightest sign of imperfection to score a totally flawless complexion. But the latest beauty trend actually involves adding marks to your skin: Enter freckle tattoos.

Cosmetic tattooing isn’t exactly a new thing. Born from some unfortunate early attempts to permanent-tattoo eyebrows and eyeliner, the practice has become super-refined (see: microblading and these ultraprecise lash tattoos)—and the results are au naturel AF. The latest take on the teeny-tattooing practice is called “freckling,” wherein cosmetic tattoo artists speckle a smattering of Raggedy Ann–inspired freckles across the tops of cheeks and nose using a semipermanent tattooing technique.

Montreal-based cosmetic tattoo artist Gabrielle Rainbow started freckling after seeing her best friend constantly pumping up her natural dash of summer freckles with makeup, according to an interview with Newbeauty.

The process looks something like this: “When they are freshly done, [the freckles] will appear swollen, almost like bee stings,” says Rainbow. “The swelling will go down within a couple hours, and you'll be left with your cute, fresh freckles. Over the course of one to two months, the color will soften dramatically and look more natural. They will fade naturally with time, and if you wish to keep them, you can always get the color boosted whenever you like.”

More beauty trends to watch in 2017:

1. The Dot Eyeliner Trend: Here's Exactly How to Pull It Off
2. Blorange Hair Is the Hottest Trend of 2017—So Far
3. Everything You Need to Know About Microblading Your Brows

The coolest thing about the procedure (which usually runs around $250 for an hour-long freckling session) is that it’s all about enhancing a natural feature—what many might call a flaw—of your skin. As we saw at Marc Jacobs at New York fashion week, playing up your skin’s natural texture and tone rather than trying to perfect it can be empowering AF. Plus, the tattoo method saves you from the sun damage that comes with getting a freckle boost the natural way. Score. Check out what they look like below:

Now that you've learned about freckle tattoos, watch how to create an effortless no-makeup makeup look:

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