There is something mesmerizing about body glitter. With every twist and turn, it catches the eye. Whether you intend to create a delicate sparkle or rather it’s meant to be a glamorous conversation piece, the twinkle of glitter art is simply impossible to ignore. To step up your game and really sparkle this Summer, we have asked our expert Glitter Artists for a few essential tricks. Read on for their best tips:
Start with Cosmetic Grade Glitter
When you’re using glitter as an accent on your body, make sure to use glitters made for use on your skin. The inexpensive glitters that you purchase from your local craft or big box store are not meant to be used for body art. Although these glitters are labeled non-toxic, craft glitters are made from crushed glass and metals. This is what gives them their sparkle. Applying them to your skin causes little micro-tears. This will make your skin really itchy, can introduce bacterial infections or may cause blindness if it gets into your eyes. Stay far away from this stuff. Use cosmetic grade glitters instead.
Choose the correct adhesive
As Glitter Artists, we get this question all of the time. What type of adhesive do we use? Well, that depends. When applying glitters to the face or hair, we like to use Hair Gel. We’ve played with many different brands, and LA Looks Mega Hold works the best for us. It’s not sticky, it doesn’t flake, it holds the glitter in place as long as you need it to and it easily washes away with soap and water.
If we need adhesive for the body, we use petroleum jelly because it’s sweat resistant. This stuff is perfect for glitter art as long as it’s applied in a super thin layer. Go overboard with it and you will have a giant mess on your hands, and clothes, and other peoples clothes, and…well, you get the picture.
When applying jewels and other embellishments, we use non-latex clear eyelash glue. Our favorite brand is Duo. Eyelash glue is easy to work with. You apply the glue to the jewel, then allow 30 seconds to pass while the glue becomes tacky. Once the glue becomes tacky, its time to attach the jewel to the skin.
This next tip is an unnecessary step for most body art unless the glitter covers a large area, like Booty Glitter designs or full body glitter art. For these large areas we recommend completing the artwork with a non-sticky finishing spray. We recommend Suave Extreme Hold Hairspray for this purpose. The finishing spray should be applied lightly after the glitter is set in place.
Get more bang for your buck
We know cosmetic glitters are expensive. So, how do we get the most use out of those little pots of glitter? We cheat a little by using metallic body paints. Mehron’s Metallic Powders come in 6 different colors. When mixed with Mehron Mixing Liquid, these powders show up on your skin like shining liquid metal. To use, paint the area of skin that you wish to apply glitter to. Once dry, apply your adhesive to the area and finish with glitter. It will appear that you have on much more glitter than you actually do.
More, More, More!
We have been taught our entire lives that we must apply make-up delicately. Yet, the application of glitter does not follow this standard. Glitter is the true rebel in the world of beauty. It represents both chaos and elegance and can be absolutely stunning when applied correctly. Glitter is meant to be applied liberally. The more you sparkle, the better. For example, don’t cover your cheek bones with glitter as you would with highlighter. Instead, dare to bring it under your eyes, all the way to your nose. Cover your tear troughs, wing it back to your hair line. In fact, pin your hair back tightly and wing it back into your hair. Glitter is designed to add drama to your look. Get creative. When using glitter, more is always better.