Danielle Fonseca applies a fanciful flower to Nicole Laliberte

To her mind, the fakes are a fashion accessory no more unsettling than hair extensions or her favorite Dior snakeskin pumps. A temporary tattoo is “a way, for one night at least, of not looking like everybody else,” Ms. Eastwood said. She was on her way to dinner at a restaurant with her daughter, Graylen, 13, whose grandfather is Clint Eastwood.

But she became apprehensive as Ms. Mason applied a fretwork of snakes, thorns and Celtic knots to Graylen’s arms and legs, a more fearsome combination than her own exotic script and star bursts. “I don’t know how they’re going to feel about all those tattoos at school,” Ms. Eastwood said. “I’ll get a phone call for sure.”

In some quarters, the needled look, or even its approximation, the temporary press-on tattoo, still sends a subversive message, doubtless part of its appeal. For the young, or sometimes the not so young, a new proliferation of decal-like ink transfer designs offer a groovier-than-thou form of self-customization — and a chance to walk on the wild side, if only for a night.