Smiley face tattoo

Two dots and a curve: the smiley face tattoo is about as simple as a design gets, which is exactly why it works almost anywhere. With lines this clean, the shine or peeling edges of a sticker would show right away, so every design here is printed in jagua ink that develops in the skin and settles into a matte blue-black finish.

Pick your smiley

• Minimalist smileys. A plain circle with dots for eyes, in fine or bold line, tiny or a little larger. Fans of pared-back designs will find more in our minimalist tattoos.
• Happy and sad faces. One face grinning, one frowning, for days that are a bit of both.
• Smileys with hearts. The grin tucked into a heart outline, sweet without being sugary.
• Lettering with a smiley. A word and a grin worked into the same design.
• Creepy grins. Wide, toothy and slightly unsettling, for anyone whose humor runs dark.
• Kawaii mini sheets. A page of little faces to split between fingers, wrists and friends.

Where to wear it

A small smiley face tattoo sits well on the inner wrist, the ankle, behind the ear or on the side of a finger. Larger faces and lettering need the flatter space of the forearm or upper arm. Hands and fingers get washed and rubbed all day, so the design fades faster there; forearm and shoulder hold it longest, up to two weeks.

Putting one on takes two minutes or less. Right afterward, it looks pale: give it 24 to 48 hours to darken to blue-black, and keep it dry for the first 8 hours. Once developed, it's waterproof through showers, workouts and the pool. No PPD, no needles.

Thinking about getting one inked for good? Wearing a smiley for a week or two is an easy way to test the size and the spot first, and our guide on how to try a tattoo before you get it walks you through it. For more tongue-in-cheek designs, browse our funny tattoos.