Glow in the Dark This Festival Season with These Wearable Illuminators

Article by: Tessla Venus Goodwin

Fri March 04, 2016 | 00:00 AM


It’s time to stop relying on that one friend who always has a flashlight or extra headlamp for you to borrow. Take matters into your own hands and light yourself properly this festival season. Luckily, you don’t have to carry anything bulky – light a lantern or a flashlight – to see clearly on dark festival nights. Upping your glow factor can be a fashionable and functional endeavor – and think how much easier it will be to conquer those all-too-often scary porta-potties.

From spending top-dollar on a custom LED ensemble to quick and inexpensive items, we’ve lined up the best ways to get your glow on.

Clothing

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Photo by: Galen Oakes

A quick search on Etsy will lead to a multitude of designers who create show-stopping light-up ensembles using electroluminescent wire (commonly known as EL wire) and mini LEDs. If you have the budget, placing a custom order with one of these artisans can yield radiant results.

Electric Candy Couture offers jewelry, epaulettes, tops, jewelry and headpieces that glow under black light but are also equipped with mini LED lights to you can glow anyplace, anytime. Their designs are next level.

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Photo by: Galen Oakes

There are tons of really striking glow-in-the-dark accessories, meaning everything from jewelry to wings to hats, on Etsy. Something like these glowing earrings or this heart locket can be worn all day to charge up and then will automatically light up at night. You can also yourself and keep warm with fur that illuminates, like the fur boas from Electric Styles  or light-up fur hoods and scarves from ElectroFur Creations which are great on girls and guys.

These shoe laces are an inexpensive way to add glow to shoes you already own, but if you want an entirely new glow-in-the-dark pair, these new light up hi-top sneakers – which sport seven different colors with five different modes – match any outfit and light up any dance floor.

DIY

With just a few supplies, you can easily edit garments and accessories you already have. If you’re looking for a challenge, you can create more elaborate outfits, like the incredible fiber optic dress in the video above. The full Instructable is online here.

For the less crafty among us, try EL wire. It allows you to make any kind of design or pattern that will glow. If you’re just starting out, you’ll probably want to buy a kit already hooked up to a battery pack for the easiest application.

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Photo by: Art Gimbel

For something more simple, strands of super-bright LED lights are easy to wrap around almost anything. Because they are battery operated, they can be used time and time again. You can even put the battery box in your shoe and criss cross the wires up your legs for a light-up, fishnet effect. You can also interweave them into crocheted or knit fabric.

If that still seems too involved, you can score LED pins shaped like stars, hearts, flowers and even smiley faces iHeartRaves. Sold in packs of six, you can pin a bunch on a hat or jacket for extra flair.

Beauty

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Photo by: Art Gimbel

Glow-in-the-dark face and body paint is another easy way to add that luminescent pop to your festie look. Look for paint that will glow in the dark without a black light because even if you are near black lights, you often have to be very close to them to get that desired effect. Using this glow body paint means you have to charge it for 15 minutes with a flashlight, then presto! It'll glow for hours, with no black light required. You don’t have to be an artist to make cool designs. Just go wild. After all, it’s all about having fun.

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Photo by: Art Gimbel

Finally, you can now dye your hair so it glows in the dark. You have to be under or near black lights or UV lights for the dye to truly glow, but if you can manage that, the results are stunning. For a semi-permanent option you can use the Glow Company’s UV Rinse or good old Manic Panic. Use this temporary option if you're not ready for that level of commitment.  If dying your hair isn’t your vibe, you can also get clip in strands of fiber optics called Glowbys to create an amazing effect for very little money.

Have fun and shine on.