Bizarre new beauty trend: freckle tattooing

How far would you go to achieve a 'sun-kissed' look? Women willing to go under needle and ink for a sprinkling of freckles have given rise to a surprising new trend: freckle tattooing.

Freckle tattooing uses micro-blading techniques to add a light smattering - or sometimes a heavy face-full, of natural looking dots to the skin. Micro-blading is the same technique used in tattoo eyebrow enhancements and creates semi-permanent results which slowly fade for about two years.

The treatments bear hefty price tags of around $500 NZD, but have proven popular with people who want to enhance their own freckles, look more youthful or keep a summer look all year round without risk of sun damage. The treatments surged to popularity in the USA and have quickly traversed the globe to a number of New Zealand-wide locations.

For fake freckles in a less permanent, less expensive form, Los Angeles based company Faux Freckles retail stick-on sheets of freckles in light brown, dark brown and 24K gold. Last year Topshop also released limited edition gold and confetti temporary freckle tattoos.

Would you be bold enough to try this new beauty trend?