Everywhere we look right now, it seems to be full of bright lights and sparkle. The festive season is the perfect excuse to sparkle yourself, when at other times you may feel out of place. If you live in Essex, being surrounded by sparkle; house decorations, ornaments, make-up, is the normal and it doesn’t even have to be a festive occasion for some sparkling clothing. It seems Essex just likes to add a little sparkle to their daily life and no-one seems to doubletake, so I fit in perfectly. Even as a youngster, I was drawn to shiny things full of glitter and sequins, whether it was an item or a piece of clothing, even my make-up often included a glittery eye-shadow or a frosted lipstick. So when I started dancing professionally, wearing all those dance costumes full of illuminating jingle and shimmer, I was really in my element.
You don’t have to be overloaded in glitter and sequins, but even a little touch of subtle glimmer here and there can be enough to give that extra glow. There are so many different fabrics around – from light weighted lurex, shiny satin and silk to deep weighted velvet and velour, with woven metallic coloured thread, glitter full of lustre, rhinestones full of sparkle. All this gives us the option to be subtle or dramatic, according to our current mood or occasion.
Don’t be afraid to work with all this shiny colour; even a subtle, shimmering, iridescent, navy shirt or a tie with a matching handkerchief tucked in a suit jacket pocket, for a gent, can be enough to be noticed as it changes from the different angle of view. For those more daring, a velour well cut jacket or a smooth silk, woven fabric waistcoat works well.
Ladies have an enormous choice, be it dresses, tops, skirts, trousers, suits, jackets, bags, shoes. It is all in abundance and especially at this time of year, and for anyone who doesn’t want to overload on a whole item of clothing, a top with a touch of diamante bling and matching jewellery will do the trick. An alternative to those actual items of clothing is to just add a diamante belt, bag or other accessories, like a hair ornament, necklace, earrings or bracelet.
Make-up can glisten with lustrous eyeshadow of a metallic colour or some iridescent or opalescent colour of changing creamy opal. There are both pencil and liquid eyeliners that have glitter in them, as well as mascaras that sparkle with glitter. There are lipsticks that are shiny in illuminous glitter or gloss, but whatever you decide to go for that has some great brilliance, don’t overload altogether in one area, so if you are going for glittered eyeshadow, avoid adding the glittered eyeliner, mascara and lipstick, it will most definitely be too much illumination and you may end up looking like a one person stage show. So a little does go a long way; if wearing eyeshadow sparkling with glitter, wear a bold lipstick colour without the glitter, to keep it in good taste.
Nails can be with glossy or matt glittering nail polish – gel overlays nowadays make it super easy with a beautiful array of colours and glitters that just illuminate and can match any outfit of choice and personality.
Even if you don’t want to wear all the sparkle, just surround yourself with it – it is known to make us feel happy. We are naturally attracted to sparkly things, as a human basic response to that of life-giving and sustaining compound; think of flowing, reflective, glistening water, natural formations of pure sunshine, a bright sky, a rainbow, shiny rocks that we are often intrigued and overwhelmed by.
Choose your colours wisely and work with those colours that enhance your skin tone, be it clothing, make-up, accessories or make up. Get out there and dazzle, be enthusiastic, full of life as you bubble and sparkle with effervescence!

Love and Sparkles
Samsara x

www.samsarabellydancer.co.uk
Facebook: Samsara Kyriakou