there is another type of eyelash glue that i use, it's not latex based, and it dries more quickly. it's the kind used for individual lashes. it's usually in a small bottle, and is a clear liquid. i believe ardell makes it.

I'd like to add something about spirit gum.

It will literally dissolve the backing right off some bindis.

Yup. It will.

With the latest trend of hand made, extra large, decorative bindis, people are bound to attach them with spirit gum. Which is fine. But when you're done, take the time to clean the bindi off, and peel off the left over adhesive. I didn't, and it killed the back of one of my gorgeous Hi-Beams.

Why do rhinestones fall off?

Rhinestones, in general, are not made to be glued. They were designed to be attached to fabrics using claw-type settings, without adhesives. So, sometimes when you glue rhinstones, they'll pop off their foil backings after awhile. I do my best to test each bindi out, to make sure that nothing pops off right away. And I re-glue ones that do. But after wear and tear, I'm not surprised that some do come loose. So, I think any type of strong glue would work with re-applying a fallen rhinestone. A flexible one would be best, but since it's just one piece that usually pops off, even a rigid type would hold well.

I'm slowly replacing my rhinestone inventory with "hot fixed" rhinestones, which are one's that are made to be heat applied to fabrics. Which means that there is a coating of glue on the back of each rhinestone and are designed to avoid popping off the foil backing. They don't come in all colors yet, at least, they're not all available from my supplier, but I'm going to try to order those from now on. They're a little bit more expensive and they're all still Swarovski.

I tend to wear my eye accents where the crow's feet are. I apply them to whatever spot that doesn't wrinkle, by smiling first and locating the target area. You can also wear them on the upper cheekbone, below the outer corners of the eyes. You can also use them to accent the larger, center bindi by applying them to either side or above and below. They're quite versatile.

To apply them, I use my fingers, but when I was using just tiny rhinestones as sparkles, I would apply a small dab of glue to a toothpick and pick up the rhinestone, then with the toothpick position the rhinestone where I wanted it, put my finger on top of it and slide the toothpick out from under the rhinestone. I hope that makes sense. Basically, using the toothpick as a spatula and using the finger to hold it in place. So, since the eye accents are pretty small, I think that same technique can be used for them.

I think the toothpick is the best tool for tribal makeup. I use them to correct any liquid liner mistakes, to apply those little sparkles and to remove access glue.
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Things not to do to the bindis:
I wouldn't use any solvents directly on top of the bindi. I'm not sure what that would do to the epoxy used to adhere the rhinestones on the vinyl backing.
I wouldn't let them sit in the sun too long. That would probably warp the vinyl.
I wouldn't put them in the freezer either. That would affect the epoxy and vinyl as well.
I wouldn't bend them in half or twist them. That would shorten the life of and deform them.
I wouldn't keep sharp objects around them. That would scratch or chip the crystals.
I wouldn't put them up my nose. But you may like that. ;}

I would just try to keep them like dry goods - a cool dry place. Nothing too extreme. And the less chemicals used with them, the better.

I should say though, that I've only been making bindis for the last 6 months or so, so I haven't been able to test them out in the ways you may wonder about. I keep them in a little tin in my makeup case and only use latex glue on them, so its easy to come off. But I would also say that they should hold up to as much abuse as you might give to any other bindi you would buy. They are quite sturdy!

I hope some of that helps!

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I think a little rinsing and gentle rubbing would be okay. Maybe a little mild soap (not the anti-bacterial kind - that might cloud up the epoxy). I would suggest to try to get as much glue/buildup off without water as possible, since water can contain chlorine and flouride and a many number of anti-fungals and neutralizers and whathaveyou. I don't know how any of these might affect the bindis right away, but may affect them long term. I really can't say for sure. I say less tampering is better.

But if I find out something more, I'll definitely post an update. At the same time, if anyone has an experience or learns something about the bindis (good or bad) and would like to share, please do post it! Any info is helpful!

Thanks!

Here is a post called Interesting & informational bindi sites
tribes.tribe.net/hibeambin...f1d1878586

Some good articles in those links and they should answer the questions you have.

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