Omani, Sudani and Emirati style

I've been obsessed with mehndi designs for the last 13 years, and my latest fascination is Gulf style - from Oman, Sudan, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. These designs are so different than the Indian and UK-style designs I'm used to. They are bold and flowing, and quite stunning. These designs are not my work, but I am about to thin my henna paste and get to work recreating some of these amazing designs. I am doing a belly and a teen's birthday party tonight, and am hoping to get to try some of them out.

After spending hours searching the internet for photos, I realized many of the photos are of dangerous black henna. Traditionally, Sudanese women use gall ink, also called khidab, but today it's common to use PPD, the chemical in black hair dye to get pure black. It can cause blistering or scarring of the skin, as well as liver toxicity. They also, unfortunately add benzene, turpentine and acetone to the paste! I have begun experimenting with two-tone designs using Temptu Pro black ink, and Mehron Henna-Style Tattoo cosmetic "Ink", which don't last as long, but are safe alternatives, and look beautiful.

UPDATE: Here are some photos of some of my recent work in this style: