This New Tattoo Trend Is Beautiful

When J.Lo was asked to give her thoughts on her ex Ben Affleck’s vibrant phoenix back tattoo — besides leading with "Awful!" — she gave a piece of advice: “His tattoos always had too many colours."

Many people agree that body ink looks best when limited to a simple palette of black, grey, and other neutrals. However, the latest tattoo trend might just change this belief. Spoiler: It makes even the most vibrant hues look refined and soft.

Hugely popular in Japan and South Korea, watercolour tattoos lend black-and-blue ink a happy lift — without overrunning the skin in hyper-colour pigment.

Tired of your simple line tattoo? Add a wash of pale pink or blue to the mix. Looking for a way to rock a little ink that’s only noticeable to those who look closely? Try a design made with the faint body paint. And if you’re looking for the dopest designs in the game, consider taking your inspiration from Japanese tattoo shops, where artists are absolutely killing it.

Ahead, a little inspo to take to your tattoo artist (even if that “tattoo artist” is the maker of temporary watercolour tats on Etsy — which look pretty bomb, too).