The fun part of going to a festival or rave is actually creating a unique outfit and makeup. Going with your friends also gives you the chance to match costumes, and develop a cute clothing style for the group. It is all about letting your inner diva shine through which adds a ton of fun to the experience of the party.
Pasties (also called nipple pasties) are the perfect accessory adds a unique touch to women’s rave wear, and applying them correctly is the key to an incredible night and of course an exceptional look. Keep reading to learn how to apply pasties like a pro and keep them on all night long.
Pasties are a staple of today’s festival fashion for women. Their history goes back to British Music Hall music events. They come in all kinds of shapes and designs, from stars and flowers to aliens and funny mushrooms.
Today pasties are widely associated with rave girls and women festival goers, but they date back to the Victorian era. Let’s take a deep dive to learn more about these awesome fashion items!
How It All Began
People might associate them with burlesque dancers, but they’ve actually been around a lot longer than that. Pasties’ long history is rooted back to the British music hall tradition of comedy, song, and satire during the Victorian era. As a part of a repressed society, attractive women would sing and tell tales with sexual implications in costumes that were considered revealing at the time just for the thrills.
At a later time, pasties were used in burlesque performances as a way to get around laws regarding nudity and censorship. They were smartly used by the party people at the time to go around the limits of sexuality. Fast forward to today, these little nipple stickers are worn with bra-less looks, sheer ensembles, or alone and are a favorite among rave girls.
With the explosion of rave culture and dance music, the nipple stickers came to visual prominence once again with cultural paradigm shifts and resulted in more conversations about the limits of sexuality.
That’s it for the history lesson, pasties are a favorite rave staple and now come in all kinds of shapes and designs so now would be a great time to go through the process of wearing them and later discuss the different looks that you can create with them.
On a side note, check out our selection of items for plus sized women in our article here.
Wearing Pasties For Beginners
Below is your 4-step guide to wearing your pasties and making sure they don’t slip no matter the design or look you’re going for. Keep in mind we’re also offering a selection of design options and how best to use your pasties with other elements of your look down below. So let’s dive right in!
1. Choose The Right Pasties
The first step is choosing the right product.
There are nude options that can be worn discreetly underneath tops, and there are fun options that are meant to be a statement all on their own. For example, if you’re going with a certain theme for your rave outfit, a sparkly star option, a fun mushroom shape, a playful heart design for example can be an awesome accessory for your look.
There are a ton of colors and designs to choose from. Start by considering what other clothing items you’ll be wearing and choose your pasties to compliment that look. Keep in mind how much breast support you want, how much of your pasties you want to be seen, and what overall statement you want to make.
2. Prepare Your Skin
Ready to apply your pasties? Awesome! Start by cleaning your skin with soap and water.
Sweaty, oily, or dirty skin does not provide a proper grip for the pasty adhesive to stick to. After washing the area, make sure to completely dry the skin before application. Make sure there is no remaining moisture that might eventually interfere with the adhesive. Keep in mind that this will also probably mix with sweat during the event and a slipping pasty? Not what we’re looking for. Also, remember not to use your usual lotions, oils, or moisturizers; these will be slippery. Instead, apply pasties to clean, dry skin.
3. Test First
Pasties come with instructions for the best use. Read and follow them closely. Keep in mind that different products may have slightly different application recommendations. This is also a great opportunity to figure out the placement and positioning that you’re going to use on rave day. The adhesive that comes with the pasties is generally only good for one application, so once it’s on, you won’t be able to adjust the placement.
4. Apply The Pasties
For the self-adhesive pasties, remove the cover halfway and then place the product in the desired location. For pasties with separate adhesive, apply the adhesive to the product and then place it correctly.
Once you’re satisfied with the placement, remove the rest of the cover and hold the product firmly in place for a few seconds, molding the pasty to the curve of the skin. Repeat on the other side, but be careful to make the two pasties match symmetrically. And that’s it!
Make a few movements once the pasties are on to make sure that they are firmly in place and won’t budge during the event. Once you’re good with the pasties, you can complete your outfit and look without worrying about any nipple exposure.
Let’s now talk about some style options. You can always head to our friends at iHeartRaves for an incredible selection of pasties to compliment ANY look you’re going for.
Different Looks With Pasties
We now know exactly how to choose and apply our pasties, time to go over some look options.
1. The Starter
New to wearing pasties? No worries! And no need to be shy. Let’s start by testing the waters.
For starters, we recommend rocking pasties under a top or bodysuit with a deep plunge. For girls who have large breasts, if you’re ever worried about any top being a tad too small to offer full coverage like it would on a girl with a smaller chest, just stick some pasties on and rock that top! You’ll avoid any nip slips and enjoy a lot of extra cleavage.
This style is a great gateway to pasties for anyone as the top will show just a peek of pasties while still giving you a comfortable amount of coverage and saving you from possible wardrobe malfunctions!
2. The Peeker
This second look is similar to the one above, but serves a different purpose.
It’s a great way to rocking pasties and can help you with wardrobe malfunctions as well. The popular Savage Wrap Around Top is most commonly worn layered over a rave bra, but for people who might want to rock your Savage Wrap alone it’s a clever way to avoid any headlights and add a unique touch to your outfit.
3. The Mesh Top
This one is the most common way to rock a pasties look. There are many different kinds of mesh tops including mesh halters, keyhole halters, mesh bikinis, and fishnet tops. This look is pretty straightforward and though it may take a bit more confidence to rock this style at first, especially when it’s a first time for you with pasties, the mesh coverage over the pasties usually makes it a little less intimidating.
4. The Slashed Top
The slashed top is another top that is commonly worn with rave bras. You can replace rave bras with pasties at almost anytime. Or, If you want to give your chest some freedom, and go without a bra without revealing too much this is a great way to go! This look works especially well for ladies who are shy about rocking pasties as it offers a lot of coverage with just a tiny peek of pasties underneath. In the below image, Laurel models the Pastease Glitter Lips Pasties and Slashed Top. It’s an awesome look from iHeartRaves.
5. The Open Front Top
Open front tops show off your pasties entirely, but offer coverage for your shoulders and back. They are worn over a sequin bra, bandeau, or another bra-like top similar in style, but you can rock this look with pasties as well.
Hoodie tops on the other hand offer a bit more coverage than open front tops that put your pasties on full display, but your pasties are still definitely fully visible.
6. Pasties Only
This is a very common way girls like to rock pasties. Simply on their own. No tops to worry about, though we recommend to always bring a back up pair if you’re going this route. As we mentioned in the tips above, it pays to be prepared for something to happen, so a backup is always a great idea. What we love about this look is that it’s daring, simple and…you guessed it…sexy!
7. The Custom Pasties Top
This look is becoming quite popular and is incredibly creative! Pasties are normally just stickers made to cover just a small area, but these custom pasties are more like a stick on top. Tayler, pictured above, is rocking a pair from Pixie Dolls Emporium. No need for a mesh top or to worry about showing off too much, these intricate pasties tops are amazing and the effect they create is a head turner for sure!
As you might have noticed by now, and have seen in different parties and festivals, pasties don’t have to be worn just as pasties. Matching colorful, fun shaped pasties with different themed outfit piecesadd to the whole look a incredible creative twist.
There are lots of ways to integrate pasties into your rave outfits, and to even wear body stickers around your body. Check out the iHeartRaves collection of pasties to shop lots of shapes, colors and styles for your next rave or festival.