The BIC BodyMark Temporary Tattoo Markers Look So Real, My Friends Thought I Got Inked

As of now, I don't have any permanent tattoos on my body for two main reasons. The first is that I'm indecisive, and can't figure out what a worthy "first tattoo" for me would be; the second is that I've got an addictive personality, and I know once I get my first, I'll be onto my second, third, fourth, in no time at all. Despite the fact that I'm tattoo-less, I was always the kid in school getting yelled at by the teacher for using my pen — or worse, a Sharpie — to draw out little "tattoos" on my skin during lectures, which is why I was so excited to do a BodyMark by BIC Temporary Tattoo Marker Review when I first heard about this product. Whether you have real tattoos or no tattoos, whether you want them or just like to doodle, I felt like this could be a product everyone could enjoy, and now that I've gotten the Tattoo Marker experience first-hand, my suspicions have been confirmed. They rock.

If you're not familiar with stationary brand BIC, go look for a rogue pen in your apartment and I can almost guarantee it's one of theirs. In their first real beauty move, the brand has created the BIC BodyMark Temporary Tattoo Markers, which are skin-safe, long-lasting, easy to use and hella pigmented, so you can DIY your own tattoos freehand without A) committing to a real tattoo; B) having to choose from cheesy temporary tattoo press-ons, and C) exposing your body to markers that aren't skin safe in the name of a cool design.

In total, there are eight different colored markers to choose from, and at the moment you can snag them in a set on Amazon. Hello, temptation:

These cosmetic-quality markers were designed with skin in mind, and they're easy and effective enough for both real tattoo artists and everyday doodlers to use. I know what you're thinking — I just confessed that I was a tattoo virgin, so how could I possibly know if these markers would be pro-approved? As a matter of fact, BIC teamed up with a real tattoo artist to make sure these pens were justright, and considering Miryam Lumpini has over 251K followers on Instagram and has inked celebs like Skrillex and Swae Lee, it's safe to say she knows her stuff, and believe me, she does.

Lumpini is covered in gorgeous tattoos herself:

Lumpini told me that lots of tattoo artists sometimes use pens and markers that aren't skin-safe on clients, which is why she thinks the need for a product like the BodyMark Tattoo Markers was real. Now, instead of using stencils to prep a tattoo on a client's skin, Lumpini can freehand draw a design right on the body using these markers, to ensure her customers like what they see before it gets inked.

And when it comes to sketching out incredible designs, she's a pro:

Pretty cool, right? Obviously, I'm not a tattoo artist, but that doesn't mean I can't use these babies, too. Lumpini told me that while she thinks artists will be obsessed, all people can enjoy using the markers for their own temporary tattoos, be they part of a costume, the finishing touch for festival season, or just a way to change up your look on the weekend. If you do already have tattoos or are considering getting them, Lumpini had a few other tips, too, including using the markers to test-drive a design and see how you like having it on you before committing to the real thing, as well as using the markers to touch up your current tattoos and enhance the colors, expand the designs, et cetera.

"Everyone can find their own style, and make their own personal expression" said Lumpini of the markers, which in addition to the 8-pack, come in sets of three targeted at different tattoo styles. There's Old School ($13, amazon.com), with classic colors blue, red, and green, New School ($13, amazon.com), with bold, festival-ready hues like light blue, pink, and purple, and Henna Vibes ($13, amazon.com), which contains black, red, and brown for a more natural look. "It also educates people a little more about the different styles of tattoos," Lumpini adds, before taking a few colors from each set and proceeding to ink me up.

When it came time for Lumpini to test-drive the markers on me, I was more than ready to see them in action:

I told her to do whatever she wanted, and she dreamed up a beautiful blue wispy floral:

You guys, Lumpini whipped that up in like 30 minutes, tops, and afterward, the thing was set in stone. Didn't budge, didn't smudge or peel when I pulled my bra strap up and went back to living my life. I couldn't believe how much detail she was able to achieve with just a handful of markers, but Lumpini claims the flexible tip makes it possible to create both super-thin and fairly thick lines, and she can blend the shades with ease.

As for if it looked real, in my eyes, it definitely did. After about a half hour the initial marker shine faded into a more tattoo-like matte, and when I sent Snapchats to my friends teasing that I might've done something to celebrate my birthday, they totally took the bait. I almost tried to trick my mom, but TBH, it looks so real that I would've gotten in trouble, so I didn't risk it. Otherwise, mission accomplished! The brand claims that the tattoos last a few days, but depending on your lifestyle and how often you shower/how hard you scrub, you can extend or limit the life of your style accordingly. Safe to say I'll be picking up a few more markers to play with, and will be scrubbing very lightly in the shower, because I don't want this thing going away anytime soon.