This app lets you try out tattoos ideas before committing to the ink

Tattoo ideas on tap...

cara delevingne tattoo
cara delevingne tattoo
(Image credit: rex)

Tattoo ideas on tap...

Considering a tattoo but feeling unsure about the long-term commitment? Wish there was some way you could ‘try on’ a few tattoo ideas to really a get a sense of what the design will look like?

Well, start the fanfare - it’s your lucky day; new app Ink Hunter let’s you do exactly that.

Whether you’re considering a small placement tattoo like Lea Michele’s recent homage to Cory Monteith, or something bigger perhaps in the style of Rihanna, Ink Hunter has you covered with a test run.

Using SnapChat style filters that lay a tattoo design over your skin in real time, Ink Hunter can help you decided on the size and placement of your new tat, before you head to the parlour.

You can pick a ready-made sketch from the (quite extensive) library, which is also great for sourcing ideas and ink-spiration. Alternatively, if you’ve already got a design in mind, simply upload the tattoo design from your camera roll and try it out on a few different areas of your body.

Using it is simple - download for free, draw a ‘smile’ face on the area of skin you want to try out the tat (this helps the app recognise your body dimensions etc) and then just tap to add your design.

In an especially helpful move, you can also save a photograph of the trial tat to either send to friends for their verdict, or to take to the parlour with you to help communicate exactly what you want.

Playing around with the size dimensions is also pretty darn handy, particularly if you’re toying with idea of getting a huge piece like Cheryl’s famous rose tattoo. You don’t want your first glimpse of a tattoo of size to be accompanied with a shriek of instant regret - nor a reminder that your spacial awareness level isn’t really, er, what you thought.

The library of design ideas includes everything from florals and animals to intricate patterns and small symbols, with work from some of the world’s top tattoo artists featured too. Really, it’s a haven of inspo!

The one downside is that the app’s sketches can only be viewed in black ink, rather than in colour at the moment.

Now, who we can freak out the most by adding a test tat to our face, Zayn Malik-style…? Hi mum!

The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.