From ancient beetles to high-glam tattoos—how humans have always needed a little shimmer.

Let’s talk about something deeply important. Something enduring. Something sparkly.

Glitter. Yes, glitter.

Before it became the thing you’re still vacuuming out of your carpet after your niece’s birthday party, glitter was sacred, powerful, even mystical. It’s easy to write off as frivolous, but the truth is: humans have always reached for shimmer to express something deeper.

40,000 years ago: cave art, crushed mica, and the original glow-up Archaeologists have found mica flakes, tiny, naturally glimmering minerals, in cave paintings from prehistoric South Africa. That means before we had language, we had sparkle. Let that sink in. These weren’t decorations. They were part of storytelling, ceremony, and self-expression.

The Olmecs in Mesoamerica used mica in their pyramids. The ancient Egyptians powdered galena and malachite for cosmetics with a celestial gleam. And when Cleopatra swept a shimmering pigment across her eyelids? That was an intentional flex.

Glitter wasn’t just decoration. It was identity. Status. Magic.

1300s-1800s: beetle wings, ground glass, and questionable choices

In South Asia, artisans crushed iridescent beetle wings into paint for manuscripts and textiles: a look we might now call “bold.” Over in Europe, decorative glitter made from ground glass adorned everything from holiday ornaments to Venetian carnival masks. Not exactly dermatologist-recommended, but undeniably fabulous.

Shine was always in fashion even if it occasionally involved insect wings or the very real risk of lacerations.

The 1930s: glitter as we know it is born in New Jersey

Enter Henry Ruschmann, a machinist and farmer who stumbled into history while trying to recycle scrap plastics. What he created was fine, reflective bits of polyester and aluminum—the prototype for the glitter we know today.

It caught on. Fast. By the 1950s, glitter was gracing greeting cards, stage makeup, parade floats, and frankly, anything that stood still long enough. Glam rock, disco, drag, pop art… entire cultural movements used sparkle as visual rebellion, celebration, and identity.

And now?

Today: Glitter as experience, with Laine Too

At Laine Too, we don’t just work with glitter: we elevate it! Our long-lasting glitter tattoos take this ancient instinct for shine and transform it into an experience: bespoke, joyful, and unforgettable.

Each tattoo is a moment of connection. Whether it’s guests bonding at a wedding, colleagues letting loose at a corporate event, or families sharing a laugh at a community festival, there’s something about sparkle that opens people up.

It’s interactive. It’s beautiful. It’s fleeting enough to feel special and long-lasting enough to linger in the mind.

Our artists create safe, skin-friendly designs that shimmer for days but stay etched in memory much longer. They’re keepsakes, made by hand, heart, and glitter. And like the history they’re part of, they mean more than meets the eye.

So yes, glitter may seem a little “extra.” But history shows us that’s exactly the point.

From ancient rituals to modern revelry, we’ve always needed shimmer. Not because it’s practical, but because it helps us feel seen, celebrated, and alive.

Let it shine (and if you need a partner in bringing this magic to your events, visit Lainetoo.com, email party@lainetoo.com or call the planning hotline at 312-600-8288.)