This is how bedazzling became the internet’s biggest summer obsession.

Bedazzling, the analog hobby bringing sparkle to clothes, beauty products, everyday objects, or even people, is picking up momentum as the final stretch of summer unfolds. From the runways and the red carpets to streets and concert stages, colorful gems, rhinestones, crystals and sequins have become the ultimate departure from years of minimalism and “clean girl” aesthetics. 

While the current furor for bedazzled objects shot up after Kylie Jenner published images from her birthday (which she celebrated with a slew of rhinestone- and gem-sticker-adorned objects), the bedazzle mania has been shaping up since last year and gaining traction since the beginning of 2026. 

This isn’t a one-off trend spearheaded by Kylie Jenner

Throughout 2025, fashion and beauty saw the reemergence of bright color palettes, highly embellished items and sparkly products. On the runways, brands such as Dior and Amiri (among many others) made lurex, sequins and crystals staples in their Fall-Winter 2026 collections. 

In a striking shift towards color and maximalism, jewelry brands pushed for multicolored gems and rainbow jewelry—a style that breaks all classic conventions, particularly in high jewelry spaces. Pomellato, for example, sent Turkish actor and brand ambassador Hande Erçel down the Cannes red carpet, decked out in a multi-colored necklace adorned with pink, brown, green and turquoise gems. 

Beauty-wise, shimmery eyeshadows, glittery setting spray and metallic eyeliner infiltrated the red carpets and stages thanks to celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and most notably, Zara Larsson. 

The move toward color, shine and sparkle was a prelude to the big bedazzling craze to come

Within months, the world experienced a major bedazzling upswing. More than a trend, bedazzled-everything has become a movement of sorts and a state of mind, where the return of maximalism, the rise of offline activities and nostalgia for the 2000s converge. 

In March 2026, Google reported that searches for “bedazzle” soared to an all-time high, breaking the previous search record established in 2010. Weeks later, Pinterest shared that searches for “bedazzle ideas” had shot up by +900%. Related terms such as “bedazzled digital camera,” “bedazzled phone case,” and “bedazzled claw clip” experienced similar growth. 

Once Kylie Jenner celebrated her birthday with a bedazzled cake, the conversation reached nearly every corner of the internet. Content creators, brands, celebrities and the general public took to social media to share images of their bedazzling efforts. Nearly any object became a canvas for fun, quirky and nonchalant DIY decoration. Makeup items, book covers, beauty masks, nails, phone cases, glasses, or even pets covered in sticker gems took over platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

But what is the logic behind the bedazzling “trend”? 

For one thing, the internet’s obsession with whimsy and analog pastimes has encouraged people to unplug and get their hands on craft and DIY projects. In a sort of pushback against AI and the increasingly turbulent times the world is experiencing, “whimsy-maxxing” (a movement that urges people to find joy in creativity, small actions and little moments) has turned the most trivial hobbies into a source of whimsy and fun.   

Nostalgia is also shaping the current obsession with bedazzling. In its most superficial sense, the reprisal of the blingy and larger-than-life aesthetic that marked the early aughts is a form of escapism for Gen Z, yearning for times they didn’t experience and Millennials longing for “better times.” In a deeper sense, looking back at the sentiment and values that the 2000s inspired—hope and optimism that paradoxically coexisted with the niggling anxieties for the future—feels uncannily comforting.

Plus, in an era of economic downturn, bedazzling has also emerged as an affordable way of embracing trends and tapping into the blingy, slightly camp and loud aesthetic that once upon a time was a signifier of optimism, prosperity and technological advancement. 

How are people tapping into bedazzling in 2026?

While it is true that bedazzling is in no way a novelty—Y2K icons like Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, Anahí and Missy Elliot mastered the art of embellishing objects with bling long before Gen Z—the way people are approaching it certainly is. 

In the past, celebrities spearheaded the bling craze, opting to adorn fashionable items such as low-rise denim, bags or flip phones. Today, anyone can hop on the internet craze, from brands and social media creators to celebrities and pets. The canvas isn’t limited to fashion and beauty either. In this new era of excess and camp, everything can be turned into a bedazzling project: food, sheet masks and under-eye patches, plastic cups or stationery, your body, your hair, your teeth… the list goes on. 

And unlike the 2000s, menswear and men’s beauty isn’t exempt from the sparkle renaissance. Rappers, Love Island contestants and K-pop stars are joining the bedazzling era with embellished outfits, sparkly accessories and refreshing “blingy” beauty statements. Even NBA 2026 champions, the New York Knicks, hopped onto the bedazzling mania, adding rhinestones to their championship locker room T-shirt, which promptly sold out online. 

Below find further inspiration, past and present, coming straight from the world’s favorite celebrity names, Y2K icons and anyone who’s rocking this sparkling era of maximalism.

Kylie Jenner 

Aka. the woman speeding up the peak of the gem-maxxing craze through nothing but a single Instagram post that proves you can even bedazzle a birthday cake. 

Anahi 

Mexican actress, singer and Y2K icon Anahí has received renewed interest amid the current bedazzled rage. Her vision for embellished makeup and body adornment during the heyday of the TV and music phenomena Rebelde and RBD marked pop culture in the early aughts, cementing her as a style pioneer. Anahí’s stage outfits and portrayal of Mia Colucci, in particular, align perfectly with the revival of rhinestones, gem stickers and glittery makeup. 

BINI 

Filipino girl group BINI is always attuned to the latest style trends, without ever neglecting its cultural roots. At the Summer Sonic 2026 music festival in Osaka, the group paid a stylish homage to Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island. The group’s tribute combined technicolor outfits inspired by the mythological Sarimanok with matching bedazzled makeup crafted by Anthea Bueno. Gems strategically placed across the nose bridge or adorning the eyelids channeled the internet’s love for bedazzling, but also served as a tool for storytelling and celebrating Filipino culture. 

Zara Larsson

Today’s queen of whimsy and Y2K-inspired style, Zara Larsson, has built a signature wardrobe and beauty book, where early 2000s influences, bright color and plenty of sparkle are the main characters. Fashion-wise, Larsson’s closet is an ode to the noughties, featuring rhinestone-encrusted pieces, floral applqués, sparkly accessories and sequins.  On the beauty front, Larsson and makeup artist Sophia Sinot master the art of bedazzling with glitter, shimmery eyeshadow and gems aplenty. 

LingLing Kwong 

Although Thai actor LingLing Kwong generally leans toward the most subdued and classic side of the style spectrum, she’s one of Asia’s trendsetters and arbiters of style. Accordingly, the Gen Z star has given skin bedazzling her seal of approval through a social media post, where she flirts with the idea of adorning yourself with gem stickers.  

Manifest 

Since their debut, Turkish girl group Manifest has embodied optimism, whimsy and modern girlhood through their fashion and music. It goes without saying that the sixtet is owning this rising era of flashy maximalism. Their style repertoire covers all bases: pastel-colored ensembles adorned with rhinestones, gem-covered belts, rainbow jewelry, sequins, gem stickers, and every other style statement that taps into bedazzling and Y2K sensibilities. 

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