SPARKLE EMOTION

How glitter has become the accessory of choice.

It was glitter, glitter and more glitter at the Austin City Limits Music Festival this year. The sparkly style last month at Zilker Park built on trends in hair enhancements and nail techniques that have been popular for a while. We found out that the inspiration behind the style was more than sequin deep for several people.

‘We need more light’: “In this whole record cycle I decided my style onstage is going to be anything that shines,” singer-songwriter Valerie June said backstage after her fest set. She wore an iridescent sequined top with streaks of glitter highlighting her temples. She’s been thinking a lot about light lately. Her song “Astroplane” on her new album “The Order of Time” deals with light and the stratosphere.

“I feel like we need more light in the world,” she said. “And we need to remember a little more that we each have individual light. And that all the light inside of us is so different from other people’s light. So oftentimes, we feel like, ‘Why should I shine? Because there’s

already a nurse out there, why should I try to go be a nurse, too? Why should I be this or why should I be that?’ Well, you should do it because you’re called and you have a purpose with your life. You have a light inside, and it’s like nothing

else that anybody could contribute to humanity. So you have to do it with all your energy.”

Standing out: “I grew up loving glitter,” said Tess Yarbrough, a longtime fest volunteer. When she was a child, her mother worked a job waiting tables to be able to afford Catholic school for her kids. She was older than most of the waitresses at the restaurant and to make herself stand out, she would apply glitter to her face before going to work. Tess considers her mother her hero, and now, she says, “glitter has come full circle” in her life. She doesn’t just rock the sparkles for festivals. It’s an everyday thing. She uses pantyhose adhesive as a

base (“It smells like maple syrup,” she says) and uses a special glitter mix she buys on Etsy.

More shine: “Glitter makes everything better,” Jannet Jara said. She used regular hair gel and standard glitter that you can scoop from craft stores for pocket change to create her sparkle hair.

Taylor Freeman used a GoGet Glitter kit on her face and a sparkly blue lip gloss to complete her look. She said the kit comes with its own adhesive and is easy to apply. “When else can you do (this) other than at ACL?” she said, adding, “What girl doesn’t love glitter?”

Sam Frazier rocked her sparkle with a custom hat created by a friend in honor of headliner Jay-Z. “I just Bedazzled it,” her friend, Clarissa Horner, said with a laugh.

ERIKA RICH PHOTOS FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN Valerie June, a singer-songwriter from Memphis, Tenn., shows off her light-reflecting outfit backstage Oct. 13 at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park. June says the world needs more light these days.

Tess Yarbrough, seen Oct. 13 at ACL Fest, uses glitter as a daily accessory in tribute to her hardworking mother.

Sam Frazier’s friend Bedazzled this hat in honor of headliner Jay-Z at ACL Fest this year.

ERIKA RICH PHOTOS FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN Sisters Natalie, left, and Kristin Mellerski of Austin get in the groove — and reflect 2017 style — at ACL Fest last month.

Vania Rometty, 10, poses for a portrait with glitter in her hair, a larger style trend reflected on the ground at ACL Fest this year.

Caitlyn Smith, an American singer-songwriter and musician, reflects one of the style trends seen at ACL Fest and elsewhere this year in her footwear onstage: glitter.

Taylor Freeman says she used a kit to add glitter to her face before heading to Zilker Park for ACL Fest this year.

Kristin Mellerski of Austin rocks the glitter last month at ACL Fest.