Glitter, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
GLITTER GEL is affordable, easy to use, and quite versatile. It used to be that you had to stock up on the chunky stuff around Hallowe'en, but now you can find it most everyplace that sells makeup. The big chunky glitter gel is good for over-all body application, or accents on the face, but it tends to be a little thick on the lips. Try to find finer-grit (is that how one refers to the size of glitter particles? Grit?) gel for your lips, or a more subtle all-over effect.
BEN NYE'S AQUA GLITTER is glitter suspended in a water-based solution, complete with an applicator brush in the cap. You can use this for all sorts of highlights. Usually, I see it used just above the upper eyelid in place of eyeliner, but you run the risk of getting it in your eye there. I like to run it along my browbone, just under my eyebrow. Be warned, this stuff gets very messy. A little goes a long way, and it takes less time to dry if you put on several thin layers rather than one thick one. Be sure to keep the rim of the bottle clean so it doesn't glue itself shut, and be prepared for it to leak. It tends to dry up in the bottle, but you can just add a little water if that happens.
STICKS AND ROLL-ON GLITTER give the same basic effect as glitter gel. They're a little less messy to use, but don't offer as much coverage. Not bad for accents, but if you're covering a lot of area, stick to the gel.
PIXIE DUST is the be-all-end-all of glitter goth accessories. Don't waste your money on store-bought glitter gel, hair gel, or lotion. Trot on down to the local craft store and stock up on Gick's Original Prisma Glitter, or any other kind of ultra fine craft glitter. I just dump it straight on my body, and it stays just fine (well, it doesn't REALLY stay--it gets all over everything everywhere I go--but enough of it stays to leave me glittery all night. Besides, what could be better than marking your territory with glitter?) To give your pixie dust a little more staying power you can mix it with any body lotion. You can mix glitter into hair gel, too, which is when the coarser-grit glitters can be fun (Gick makes one variety with tiny silver stars that looks fabu stuck in your hair). Stay away from the glow-in-the-dark glitter. The glow chunks won't stick to your body, and if you manage to get them to stay in your hair they just look weird, not glowey. Also, don't try mixing glitter with hairspray, or it will clog the pump. You CAN sprinkle glitter in your hair and follow it up with hairspray to assure that it stays there.
Be warned: as soon as you bring pixie dust into your house, you will never be able to get it out. It gets into everything, and if you wear glitter on any sort of regular basis, you will have a light patina of glitter even on days you don't apply new glitter. It will be in your clothes, in your carpet, in your car, on your pets, on your SO, in your food, and everywhere else you can imagine. (Don't worry about the food thing--a bored friend of mine wrote to the Gick company inquiring as to the safety of accidently ingesting glitter, and the nice lady who answered her letter assured her that it was completely harmless.)
A more serious caveat to wearing glitter: although today's glitter is acrylic, not little bits of metal like the glitter of bygone eras, it can still cause some damage if it gets into the wrong places--namely, the eyes. Be careful if you're using glitter anywhere near your eyes, especially if you wear contacts.
Oh, and if you're an exotic dancer, don't wear your glitter to work. Guys as a rule are unimpressed by glitter, and they really HATE having to explain to the little wife why they're covered in it.
^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^ * ^V^
STICK-ON JEWELS: Hey, Gwen may have made them popular, but some of us have been glueing crap to our faces for years. You can find special "body jewel kits" at various trendy stores for anywhere between $5-$10 dollars. If you buy them, I will laugh at you. Go to a craft store (or Wal-Mart, if one near you has a craft section) and case the bead and sequin section for acrylic jewels. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and generally run between $1-$5 for a whole mess of 'em. You can use eyelash glue, liquid latex (that would be eyelash glue in a larger bottle with a brush in the cap), spirit gum, or crazy glue (some of my friends swear by crazy glue, and assure me that it does come off after a night of sweating, but I've never really cared to try it). I use spirit gum, because it's a little less messy than latex. Coat the back of the jewel w/ spirit gum, then tap it until the glue becomes sticky. Apply wherever you like. Repeat as desired. You might want to use tweezers to manipulate the smaller jewels. The jewels are, of course, re-usable. I f they start to get all gummed up with dry glue, try wiping them with alcohol (acetone should work, too). Just be careful, because the alcohol can take the silver backing off of the jewel along with the schmutz. Try sticking other stuff to your face. Sequins work well, and I've got some lovely plastic crosses I picked up at a party supply store. I've seen some ornate Indian Bindhi's for $7 at Sally's, which were quite lovely. I suspect you could get them more cheaply if you can locate an Indian market, though.
The most amazing stuff on earth...
Basically, what this is is makeup without the fillers. It's pure, sparkly color, and it's up to you to decide how you want to use it. If you're lucky, your local mall will have a "True Colors" kiosk somewhere in the middle of it. Sally's also carries True Colors, and you can also usually find other brands of loose mica powder at theatrical supply stores (La Femme Sparkle Dust, for instance). I also found some on clearance in a trendy mall clothing store, marketed under the brand name "Fomula X".
EYESHADOW: See my eye makeup page for instructions on usin loose powder eyeshadow. Mica powder goes on rather sheer with a brush, and is very messy to work with. I actually find it a little easier to apply with my finger. Try layering dry mica powder over regular eyeshadow. If you want a more dramatic look, wet a sponge-tipped eyeshadow applcator, dip it in the powder, and spread it evenly on your lids. Be aware that if "acrylic polymers" are one of the ingredients, there's pixie dust in it. This looks really neat, but doesn't stay on as well as mica alone does. After your eyeshadow is dry, gently brush off any excess.
EYELINER: Wet your liner brush, dip it in the mica, and use it as you would any other eyeliner.
LIPSTICK: True Colors makes a lip gloss especially for this purpose, but any gooey lip balm ought to work. Smear your lips with the gooey stuff, then rub the mica into it until it sortof liquefies. Repeat until your lips are evenly colored. You can also pat a little bit of mica onto regular lipstick for a bit of added sparkle, but it tends to be rather drying if you're not wearing very moisture-rich lipstick.
BLUSH/GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS: Use it as you would any blush (being extra sure to blow/knock off any excess before applying) or brush it onto whatever area you want to make sparklier.
NAILPOLISH: Use any clear nailpolish. Dip the brush in the mica, then apply to nails. It takes a bit of experimentation to figure out the ideal nailpolish-to-mica ratio, but it really works!
FOUNDATION: Well, don't use the little pots of almost-pure-mica as foundation, but several companies do put out loose powder foundation with mica in it (Loreal just released their "Gilded Glo Illuminating Powder", and I believe that MAC and Clinique both have similar products.) I just use it for highlights, but it's subtle enough that you can probably get away with using it in lieu of your regular loose powder (if you do that, though, remember to powder your neck and chest as well so you don't have a sparkly face stuck onto a matte body).