DATE: Tuesday, November 25, 1997            TAG: 9711250110

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KIM WADSWORTH, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

TO DYE FOR TATTOO-LIKE DESIGNS ARE ALL THE RAGE AMONG THOSE WHO WANT TO WALK (TEMPORARILY) ON THE WILD SIDE.

YOU WON'T FIND ``mehndi'' in the Yellow Pages, nor is it listed in Webster's newest dictionary. Bookstores come up blank. Even the spelling of the word is disputed.

But when trendsetter Demi Moore gets her skin decorated, actress Mira Sorvino flaunts painted hands on TV and a mehndi-covered film star and model Liv Tyler poses for Vanity Fair, a fad is born.

This ancient form of body art - designs painted or drawn onto skin with henna dye - has been practiced in Middle Eastern and African countries for centuries, but it's a recent phenomenon in the United States.

It looks like tattooing, but it's got a couple of major advantages: No needles and no permanence; mehndi fades in a few days to a few weeks. It can be applied by professionals or with do-it-yourself kits.

Laxmi Mehta paints mehndi designs at Patrice Lafont Skin Care International in Norfolk. She charges $25 to $45, depending on the complexity of the design.

Demonstrating, she prepares a thick, muddy paste derived from the crushed leaves of the henna plant.

Formulas for mehndi vary. Mehta mixes henna powder with liquid from boiled okra to make the stain. Others suggest plain water.

After choosing an elaborate design from a book, Mehta applies the greenish dye on our model's hand with a thick pin, then allows the paste to do its magic.

Once the henna dries, Mehta darkens the design by applying a lemon juice and sugar mixture with a cotton ball.

After several hours, the henna flakes away, and the skin retains a reddish pattern. Exact tones vary according to skin type and placement of design. Mehta says the palm seems to take color more easily than the top of the hand.

The designs fade after one to three weeks.

Though popular mostly with girls and women, the trendy, non-permanent ``tattoos'' work just as well on men.

Patrice Lafont, owner of the shop where Mehta works, recently returned from the International Congress of Esthetics in Miami. There, she says, mehndi was being promoted at several booths.

``I think it reflects the openness and fascination we have with other cultures,'' says Lafont. ``It has been a part of beauty for thousands of years. We're just now being exposed to it.''

``Mehndi has a very rich background,'' confirms Jagdish Singh, a housewife from Virginia Beach and close friend of Mehta's.

In India, she says, mehndi is associated with marriage. ``The designs, painted traditionally on the hands and feet of brides, are considered a good omen and signify commitment.''

One reason for the longstanding popularity of the art is its use of henna. With various cosmetic applications - it not only colors skin, but nails and hair as well - it also has been used as medicine for headaches, skin disorders and cancer of the colon.

Menhdi is arriving in Hampton Roads several months after making a splash in bigger cities. Artists and do-it-yourself kits are somewhat hard to find.

We did find one kit, however, at Shifty's in Lynnhaven Mall. It goes for $10.50.

Says assistant manager Natalie Balingit, ``Everyone wants to explore a wild side, and this is one way of getting a taste of it.'' MEMO: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: BODY ART

[Color Photos]

BETH BERGMAN

The Virginian-Pilot

Illeana Drinova...

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