beauty

How to get glitter out of almost everything, including hair, nails, skin and clothes.

The glory of glitter is a double-edged sword.

While more is definitely more the night of (and three tequila shots in), it’s decidedly less fun as you’re trudging home, tired, and awaiting the monstrous task of glitter removal.

But with Saturday being Sydney’s first Mardi Gras Parade since Australia’s legalisation of same sex marriage, it would be rude not to partake in the festivities, whack some glitter on and celebrate. You just need to be armed with how to cope with the speckled-aftermath.

Here’s how…

Speaking of makeup, glitter and beauty, Jessie Stephens has found an eyebrow kit that changed her life for the better. She recommends it, on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues after audio.

Makeup artist approved, anti-fallout method.

Because, even though glitter is so fun as part of a costume, or even in a mask, the removal process when you’re hungover with only the promise of brunch getting your through life, can be hell.

Creator behind makeup lines for Max Factor, Covergirl, Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana,  and dubbed one of the “most influential makeup artists in the world” by Anna Wintour, Pat McGrath shared this handy hack on her Instagram.

A post shared by Pat McGrath (@patmcgrathreal) on

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While this trick works a treat for pesky eye shadows that are prone to ‘fall-out’ and threaten to ruin your perfectly applied foundation, you can scale it up for full-body glitter clean-ups, too. Simply use a larger roll of packing tape, duct tape or leftover contact paper and make like a waxing commercial.

It’s worth keeping in mind though that you might want to get rid of the excess ‘stickiness’ by doing a few ‘rest removals’ on an item of clothing or piece of furniture first, especially if you’re going over your face or delicate eye area.

Make oil your best friend…

A post shared by Glitoris. (@glitorisglit) on

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While it might seem smart to use a makeup wipe as soon as you get into the front door, wipes and makeup remover can actually bind the glitter to the skin even more. Instead you want to opt for an oil – baby oil or whatever you have in your kitchen will do the trick. Simply apply liberally and wipe off with a cotton pad or kitchen roll.

However when it comes to your hair, while you can run some olive or coconut oil through your lengths and shampoo… this sounds like an oily-haired girl’s nightmare.

Speaking to Allure, hairstylist Matt Fugate recommends spraying a paper towel with hairspray till it’s damp and then using that to blot through your hair.

“The tackiness of the hair spray will pick up the glitter without sticking to your hair like tape,” he says. Genius.

How to actually get rid of glitter nail polish.

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While a normal manicure might last for a week max, anything involving glitter nail polish just doesn’t seem to budge. Even when you really want it to.

However, with a few household items, you can save yourself from scrubbing your nail beds raw.

The trick is to cut yourself 10 square pieces of foil (roughly the width of two 50 cent pieces), tear three or four cotton balls into 10 equal pieces and soak with nail polish remover – preferably the type with acetone. Now use the foil to wrap each nail up with the cotton ball, leave to soak for five minutes, and it should easily all come off in one swipe.

You can also save yourself $15 and use this method to remove your gel-manicure at home, just remember to first file away the top coat.

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This is life with and without nails… all manicure devotees will know this to be true.

Now, how do you get it out of your clothes? 

So, you’ve spent the night on the dance floor and while busting a move, your glitter has migrated from your cheekbones to your dress, and now it just won’t come out.

You’ve tried three rounds of duct tape removal, used up two lint remover rolls and it’s still not coming out. Luckily there’s a helpful hack around that, and it involves hairspray again.

According to InStyle.com, just apply hairspray directly onto the glittered garment, wait to dry, and throw the clothing in the washing machine.

Glitter be gone, just like that.

*Feature image  from @glitorisglit*

Do you have any handy glitter hack for either the night of, or morning after? Pop it in a comment below.

This week’s Mamamia Out Loud episode has a bit of everything. The team talk about Jennifer Lawrence’s apparently offensive dress, our new Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Jessie’s realationship theory that will blow your mind.