How a DJ, a drag queen, and a eucalyptus tree came together to inspire the new frontier in glitter products.Prior to its ban in 2019, glitter and Mardi Gras went together like feathers and floats. But new innovations in the sustainable beauty space mean that we can sparkle once again. And this time, without the guilt.The organisers behind the annual Sydney Gay and Lesgian Mardi Gras last year announced that glitter would be banned from the celebrations in an effort to phase out the use of single-use plastics."We used to bring in about three tonnes of glitter from China," Mardi Gras CEO Terese Casu told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time."That goes in the gutter, it ends up in our oceans, our fish eat it, you find it in crab shells and oysters. We must be responsible and make really urgent changes."

For Byron Bay local Charlotte Coker, an encounter with a drag queen laid the foundation for a business model that is all party in the front, conscience in the back.

"I actually used to DJ for a drag queen and he used to try to dress me up as a mermaid, and I was just not okay with the glitter thing," Charlotte told 10 daily.

"So I was like, this is my time, this is my product that I really want to push forward."

For Byron Bay local Charlotte Coker, an encounter with a drag queen laid the foundation for a business model that is all party in the front, conscience in the back.

"I actually used to DJ for a drag queen and he used to try to dress me up as a mermaid, and I was just not okay with the glitter thing," Charlotte told 10 daily.

"So I was like, this is my time, this is my product that I really want to push forward."

The Mardi Gras glitter boycott certainly doesn't solve the plastic problem, but it does encourage local businesses to think outside the box to produce products that are every bit as sustainable as they are enjoyable. 

A Beautiful Weirdo will be setting up shop at this year's pride parade, joining in the festivities with their rainbow sparkles in tow.You can shine a little brighter this weekend knowing that it doesn't have to take plastic to celebrate pride.