Mehndi, when applied to the hands, is a very intricate pattern that resembles a tattoo, and it can extend up the arms to the elbow as well as from the foot to above the ankle in bridal mehndi. The color ranges from a light red-orange to nearly black.

At first glance after removing the dried paste, the mehndi stain will appear to be a very light, almost neon orange at times (or a red brown).  Whatever the case may be, your design will darken drastically over the next 24 hours, so be sure not to wash your hands and watch this interesting process take place. The picture on the left is with the paste on and the one on the right is the mehndi design, after removing the paste.