The Bindi Nevajo multi-coloured look.

If your experience of temporary tattoos is limited to small children finding a Power Rangers sticker in their bubble gum and plastering it onto their forehead, prepare yourself for a pleasant surprise. Temporary tattoos have had a facelift.

Forget about the lifelong commitment of inking your (now ex) boyfriend’s name on your inner thigh; you can get a tattoo to complete your look and they’ll last just a week before fading away. This is considerably more appealing than needing laser treatment to get rid of the “I love Nigel” tattoo you got after a couple of cocktails or six. Here are some of the very best options.

In Your Dreams

• The high-fashion body-painting company is launching a fabulous range called the Native Soul Collection. Inspired by Aztec and Navajo patterns, designs include intricate bindis for the face, abstract gold leaf designs, tribal symbols for the hands (á la Rihanna) and delicate owl, bat, hummingbird and bee pictures. They’ll make you want to find a festival to go with them. Prices start at around €12 and they are available from www.inyour-dreams.com.

Inkwear

• Offering you ‘some ink for the weekend’, this artsy company based in East End London gives you the chance to adorn your bicep with an anchor and trailing rose or to dress up your shoulder with a skull motif for a week or so. Their tattoos are so much fun that you’ll probably decide to keep your skin ink-free and ring the changes with multiple designs from their online shop instead. They use cutting-edge technology to make sure that the colours pop and that the blacks are dramatically dark and waterproof. See their work at www.inkweartattoos.com. Prices start at around €3 and decrease the more you buy.

Straytats

• www.straytats.com lets you design your own tattoo. Simply upload your design to their website or select from their gallery and make your own alterations. You can also create tattoos from text or use photographs. Turn around time is about six days.

Jobanans

• If you’ve been eyeing your naked forearm and wondering whether it might not look better with a phoenix rising from the elbow or a Maori war motif, then pause for a moment and try on a temporary sleeve tattoo first. www.jobanans.com have a huge range of killer designs printed on nylon cloth. Slip one on and it’s almost impossible to tell from the real thing once you cover the top with a short sleeve t-shirt and the bottom with a bracelet or watch. Prices start at around €5 for options such as black wings, tribal skulls and rosary beads. Shipping to Europe is around €3.50.

You’re ready to hold it onto your arm with a wet paper towel just like in primary school

Faketattoos

• This Swedish company will put pep into your manicure, with tattoos for the nails. Thirteen tattoos costs just €5 and designs range from simple symbols, such as stars and diamonds, to intricate motifs of trees, birds and letters. The tattoos will also work on the skin and again, you can design your own, even sending them a photograph if you want to. A custom sheet of A4 costs €29. www.faketattoos.se

Tattly

• Tattly believe that great design and art make us happy and they work with an ‘all-star’ line up of designers to make that happen. The resulting theme-based tattoos (think photography, bikes, animals) are quirky but very wearable.

There’s even a section for brides and grooms which includes sparkly hearts and a ‘let’s do this’ image. Find them at www.tattly.com, with each design costing €3.66 for a set of two. Wholesale and bulk buys are also available, perfect for parties, events and launches.

Pepperink

• If you’re into vintage, visit www.etsy.com/shop/pepperink. The beautiful floral and traditional designs of yesteryear are the perfect complement to a hippie, alternative look. There’s even an Alice in Wonderland tattoo and an anchor with “Dad” on it. Prices start from about €4.

Decal Paper

• For the artistically inclined, you can bypass buying tattoos and just create your own. www.decalpaper.com and www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk stock the paper and plastic covers. Then all you need is a printer and a computer. Create your design, print it onto the paper with an inkjet printer and voila! You’re ready to hold it onto your arm with a wet paper towel just like in primary school.