The (not-so) Ancient Art of the Glitter Nipple...

As burlesque and boyelsk performers, I think one could argue that we have a considerably more "amped up" or drag-esque appearance than our stripper club sisters and brothers. And this is not of course to imply that one group puts more or less effort into their look, but simply that a burlesque show requires an "uber-woman/uber-man" approach to styling oneself. After all, we are celebrating the "feminine," the "masculine" and everything else in between and even a little gender play requires a minimum of eye liner!

There are amazing examples in the burlesque community of ladies who exemplify this style of "female impersonation," including my dear friend and mentor World Famous *BOB*

("Professional Blonde Spectacle," the World Famous *BOB*)

Performers like Bob inspire me to continually improve upon my appearance onstage. As a male performer I find it both fun, yet somewhat difficult to literally make-up and present a boy onstage who is both masculine and yet offers something exotic as well without too much drag. (And note, I'm speaking only for myself and my own preferred look, not any other boylesk performer.)

One styling I try to always make a habit for the stage is... THE GLITTER NIPPLE (cue tingling of bells and chimes.)

 (At least the nipple looks classy.)

I first encountered the glitter nipple doing shows with incomparable Tigger! who is always masterfully made-up. The process is really quite simple, and after awhile of assuring fellow male performers that I'm in fact not wearing tiny, tiny pasties, I thought I'd share my process... I give you, the not-so-ancient-art of the Glitter Nipple (again, cue tingling of bells and chimes):

You'll need...

-eyelash glue

-glitter

-a baby wipe or two

-So, what I do is take my eyelash glue--I use "Duo" because it also peels off easily--and put a dab on each nipple. I then rub in around to evenly coat my nips.

-For glitter I use superfine cosmetic glitter as it coats more evenly and sticks better than the big square craft glitter. The brand I buy (Ricky's NYC) comes in a tiny almost "salt-shaker" kind of holder, so I sprinkle the glitter to coat the nipple as much as possible and then shake off the access.

-This sounds weird, but if you can, I also "pick up" my nipple with my thumb and pointer finger and kind of lift it to isolate the area more when glittering to avoid waste and mess. Multi-talented, what can I say.

-You might find that you still have glitter trails on your chest, stomach, or the area around the nipple, so I take a baby wipe and just pick up the excess.

-Let dry for five minutes or so and you're done!

(Final cue of tingling bells and chimes.)

I hope that helps boys! And remember, a little eyeliner and a glitter nip go a long way!