Yahoo News Lupita Nyong'o Covers Her Bald Head in Henna to Attend 'Monsoon Wedding' Opening: 'Special and Different'
Lupita Nyong'o just unveiled some vibrant sari style
Lupita Nyong'o is finding new ways to express herself.
The 40-year-old Black Panther actress posted on Instagram Tuesday to show off some new "bold and elegant" henna art on her bald head in the name of friendship and cultural appreciation.
When Nyong'o was invited to attend her "dear friend" Mira Nair's musical adaptation of the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding, she knew just who to call to get her in perfect style for the event.
Related:Lupita Nyong'o Shaves Her Head Completely for a Gorgeous New Look: 'Happy Without Hair'
After attending a wedding in Pakistan, the actress was struck by the work of henna artist Sabeen, who had designed the henna for the bride on her big day. Once the wedding was over, Nyong'o said she promised herself, "One day I will have a reason to work with Sabeen."
Eighteen months later, Nyong'o stuck to her promise. After borrowing a sunset-hued sari and matching jewelry from the very bride she took inspiration from, she felt something was missing, then wrote in an Instagram caption, "In the middle of the night, an image SHOT into my mind of a henna design covering my bald head!!! I could do something special and different to celebrate the culture using the canvas readily available to me! I was so excited by the idea that I could not go back to sleep."
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After connecting with Sabeen, who had never designed henna for someone's head before, the two got to work collaborating on the body art; however, Nyong'o said it was "all [Sabeen's] innovation" with some slight pointers from the star, like the request of a widow's peak to pay "homage to the bindi, Borla / maang tikka," and brief breaks in the session to make sure both parties were satisfied.
Part of the process involved using a special dye Sabeen suggested "from the jagua fruit of South America that would be dark enough to give a good contrast to my dark skin," Nyong'o wrote.
Once the henna was complete, the actress grabbed the yellow, magenta and light blue sari, draped it around her body, added the opulent gold earrings, a matching ring, electric blue nails and some bright red lipstick with a smokey eye and modeled the vibrant look on her Instagram to her 10.7 million followers.
She first showed the look in motion with a video of herself swaying the sari in the air, giving a full 360 of the head henna and a glimpse at her night at the newly debuted musical. She also uploaded a carousel of pictures giving an up-close look at the intricate body art and a photo with Sabeen as they both smiled ear to ear.
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