The darker the stain, the longer you held the paste. That is the whole secret. Everything else — the oil, the wrap, the sugar-lemon seal — is optimization.

Two weeks out, I tell brides three things. One: no waxing or bleaching on the hands or forearms for fourteen days before. Two: no moisturizer the morning of the mehndi. Three: plan six hours, not four, for the full-hand-and-foot design. It is longer than you think.

The three mistakes I see most often: washing it off too early, leaving the wrap on overnight, and trying to touch up the design the next morning. The stain is the stain. Trust it.