Bedazzling is back: How the TikTok sparkle crafting trend took hold on Long Island
Nicole Troy, of Queens, bedazzles her copy of Meghan Quinn's “Christmas Staycation” at an event held at Avenue Social Kitchen and Cocktails in Bellmore sponsored by The Wandering Page bookstore. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
When it comes to unwinding from the general pressures of teen life, Zoe Nieves, 14, of Farmingdale, has it figured out. She hits up the craft corner at home where mom Nicole Cordiello-Nieves, 39, keeps an ever-bountiful stock of colorful costume gems and other embellishments for bedazzling.
“It makes me less stressed and calms me down,” says Zoe. “And it makes me happy.”
Nicole Cordiello-Nieves, left, and her daughter Zoe add sparkle to everything from book covers to nail polish bottles. Credit: Nicole Cordiello-Nieves
The teen's not particularly fussy about what gets the glittery treatment. She’s worked the sparkle effect on Vaseline jars, lotion and nail polish bottles, lanyards, book covers and Pokémon cards. And individuality is part of the appeal.
“Everybody has the same exact things. I want mine to be different. I want to stand out,” Zoe says.
Her mother is all in. A lifestyle content creator (@nicole_obviously on TikTok), she says, “I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t put sparkle on.”
Sparkle revolution
The duo is far from alone when it comes to the art of applying shimmering trim to objects. These days, the craft is often called “whimsymaxxing,” referring to slathering beads, stick-on sequins and rhinestones onto even the most basic items.
According to TikTok insights from September, the bedazzling trend generated 1.08 million global searches over a six-month period, with searches surging 729%.
Some credit Kylie Jenner’s big, bejeweled birthday bash in August for the new spark in sparkle. She celebrated her 29th birthday with a jewel-laden, Princess Kitty-themed party that included cups and a cake adorned with shiny gems. She posted it all on social media possibly helping to inspire a next wave of interest.
It’s not the first go-round for the craze. In the late 1970s, bedazzling a la glue gun became a popular DIY craft. Later came the trashy-glam “McBling” offshoot during the Y2K era when rhinestones could be found on everything from velour tracksuits to logo baby T's.
At Cosmopolitan, beauty editor Beth Gillette has watched the trend burgeon this year on many a fashion runway, including around models’ faces. But when it comes to the crafting variety, she says, “It’s the maximalist way to make the mundane feel more whimsical and fun. Bedazzling products … instantly make them feel like your own and adds a bit of extra joy and color into ordinary items you use every day like … your to-go coffee cup and your phone case.”
It’s a bit of a flashback for Ashley Lessel, 39, of Oyster Bay, who remembers the retro version of bedazzling well. “That was my generation, and it’s a little bit scary to see some of it,” she says. But she says, “I think maximalism is coming back, especially with the resurgence of Y2K fashion, and it’s also nostalgic to share that memory.”
And share she does, with her Oyster Bay business, Coastal Charm, that she started about a year ago with her daughter Vienna, 16. Over the past months the enterprise has morphed from charm parties into both in-studio and mobile whimsymaxxing gigs. She loves the term. “It combines maximalism with a sense of whimsy. Playful ... colorful and unapologetically over the top,” she says. Here, partygoers can decorate everything from vanity mirrors and jewelry boxes to phone cases and even slide sandals with pearls, shells, glass and plastic beads.
Elevating the everyday
Lessel believes that part of the activity’s appeal in this screen-heavy culture is getting people off their phones. At a bonding event for her daughter’s volleyball team, she says, “nobody touched their phones once. Everybody was laughing or focused on their craft.”
This doesn’t surprise Dr. Melissa Casden, an integrative medicine physician in Lake Grove, who notes that the activity’s benefits go beyond what meets the eye. “The slow, repetitive motion of placing the gems can help calm our body’s stress response and draw our attention into the present moment. In a way, it’s a form of mindfulness,” she explains. “It also hits that sweet spot of being easy enough for anyone to do but engaging enough to hold our focus, so we get a real break from our worries and to-do lists.”
Over at The Wandering Page, a bookstore in Bellmore, owner Denise Cruz, 47, has held six sellout book bedazzling events attracting some 80 people each, ages 10 to 70. Because the events have gotten so big, she’s moved them across the street to a restaurant where blingers get to socialize, sip and snack while working on their projects.
Nicolette and Luciana Sinigaglia, of Seaford, participate in a bedazzling event sponsored by the Wandering Page bookstore and held at Avenue Social Kitchen and Cocktails in Bellmore on the evening of Oct. 20, 2026. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Participants pay around $50 for a book (she gives everyone a $20 credit toward this purchase), a tote and a bedazzling kit. “It’s my favorite thing. It allows you to be creative, and I love that you see a fulfilling end- result. You don’t have to be an artist, and it’s so satisfying,” says Cruz.
For her niece, Mia Rose Sosa, 12, of Queens, the craft is a way to de-stress: “Whenever I have a hard or rough day, I feel like it just calms me down.” She has bespangled plenty, including a Lego set, a rubber duck, perfume tops and makeup.
For Mia Rose Sosa, of Queens, bedazzling is a way to de-stress. Credit: Eileen Sosa
“I feel like it puts her at ease,” says mom Eileen Sosa, 43, who doesn’t participate. “It relaxes her. She’ll sit in her room and bedazzle for hours.” Most recent project? A volleyball. “I really enjoy playing volleyball, and I feel bedazzling the ball helps me honor my sport,” Mia says.
