And all that glitters...

You may have thought we’d left this craze behind in the 90s, along with bowl cuts and tie-dye shirts, but alas, body glitter is alive and kicking. Some young women express their love for all that is glittery in more subtle ways, with shimmery highlighter, eyeshadow, and light smatterings of glitter across their collarbones. Others, typically insta-famous music festival-goers, are diving in head first – literally.

It started with glitter roots – a generous amount of glitter, shining away in the parting of your hair. With each year that passes, Coachella and other festivals bring out more and more outrageous trends — it’s now hot to slather all your appendages in glitter of every shade. “Is it kind of hard to get off? Sure. Does it stick to anything you come in contact with? Maybe. Is it worth it? Definitely,” asserts Rashi Kumar, recent high school graduate and self-acclaimed glitter connoisseur.  

The most bizarre fad along this line is #GlitterBooty, started by Instagram artist Mia Kennington. Mimicking the way sand clings to your rear when you’re at the beach, the glitter booty is the newest accessory paired with bikini bottoms or cut-off shorts, throwing vaguely nautical vibes. Think The Little Mermaid at Lollapalooza.

“It’s cute until you see more glitter than skin,” laughs Roshni Dixit, a high school student. She feels that people should be free to dress as ‘extra’ as they wish though, adding, “I know days where I want to go to the mall to get some burgers in all the makeup I own.”

Radha Kashyap, a fashion marketing student, feels that these fads don’t really survive outside of festival season. She says, “Body glitter can be fun. However, for a trend to catch on, normal people have to find it possible to attempt it in their everyday lives.”

She does see the Coachella looks modified and scaled down in modern makeup, through over-the-top glittery eyeshadow and extreme highlighting. “Shimmer oils and liquid highlighting is essentially the older, more mature sister of the body glitter trend. It makes the skin look glowy and reflective, rather than having actual glitter particles on your skin which can look chunky and tacky. It’s being adapted by all makeup artists and beauty gurus. A lot of brands are completely revamping their glitters for this very reason,” she says.

— Anoushka Shyam