Bellingham might be known as the city of subdued excitement—but if you ask Aireekah Laudert, “subdued” is a relative term. As the “glitter boss” behind the lifestyle and cosmetic glitter business Glitt3r Lyfe, she is a pro at bringing out a flamboyant streak in the often understated city.
Photo courtesy of Aireekah Laudert
“Glitter has gotten more popular over the past several years, but I think Bellingham was already a glitter town,” Laudert says. “Partially because I’ve just been here covering people in sparkles! … A big part of [what I do] is help give people avenues to express themselves, make friends and have fun, and I love glitter for that.”
Through Glitt3r Lyfe, Laudert is a “professional party starter,” and she offers event services ranging from karaoke to DJ services, photo booths, and even trivia hosting. But while these services might be reserved for special occasions, her glitter tattoos and cosmetic body glitter can be used to add sparkle to an otherwise ordinary day.
Photo courtesy of Aireekah Laudert
“People love the glitter tattoos so much—so I was like, ‘Well, I guess I need to invest in glitter,’” says Laudert. “I’m a big design nerd, so it didn’t take long for me to start making my own glitter tattoos. … And then that kind of transformed into me making cosmetics.”
Laudert quickly found that other vendors’ glitter blends weren’t quite what she wanted—and so she began making her own. Now, Laudert sources the majority of her supplies from other woman-owned small businesses in the U.S., and she also handles label production and packaging in-house.
The walls of her space in the FAB Studios in (located on Holly Street in Downtown Bellingham) are stacked high with jars of glitter in every shape and size. She also has quite the eye for color; even for her signature blends, she likes to play around with ratios of each type of glitter. This ensures that every batch is just a tad unique.
Photo courtesy of Aireekah Laudert
Glitt3r Lyfe’s Cosmic Sparkles (an aloe gel-based cosmetic glitter) can be applied easily with a fingertip or makeup brush. Wearers can get as creative as they want when it comes to placement, but Laudert says it looks especially eye-catching when used as a cheek highlighter, around the eyes and temples, or even on the roots of hair.
The brand has two flagship glitters, a gold blend named Valentina (named for the first woman to fly to space) and a silver blend called Voyager. She also makes limited-edition blends, and one of her most popular glitters is inspired by an unlikely source: shrimp.
“I help my dad with his shrimp art business [the Shrimp Whisperer, shrimpwhispererak.com],” Laudert says. “The color of shrimp is so specific—there’s all the yellows and blues and greens, and coral and pink, of course. And so I put all that into a glitter and made it UV reactive.” UV-reactive glitters like this are especially popular for parties and clubs, and Laudert says that she frequently spots her products being worn on nights out. So, the next time you find yourself downtown after hours, keep your eyes peeled: You’re likely to notice at least one person sporting some sparkles.
Photo courtesy of Aireekah Laudert
Laudert’s products are also a great ice breaker, so if you want to be the most popular person at a party, offer to “glitter” the cheekbones of prospective new friends. (Yes, “glitter” can be used as a verb now.) When glitter is made available, Laudert says most folks are eager to get glammed up—even the people you’d least expect.
“Bellingham is ‘the city of subdued excitement’—but it’s not really that,” Laudert says. “When people are given an excuse to let loose a little bit and have fun, more often than not, they want to take it.” Bellingham, glitt3rlyfe.com
