The "ear party" is trending on the red carpet and Instagram. Here's how to do it yourself.

In case you missed the trend all over your Insta feed, stacked-up ear piercings have become a beacon of cool-girl style.

Yep, the same way you embraced “personal expression” in uni (or this writer did, with a regrettable eyebrow ring) only much, much chicer - the “ear party” has become the accessory of choice at award shows, with a slew of celebs approaching the look in their own unique ways.

Behold the evidence, then read our foolproof guide to tackling the ear candy trend for yourself below.

Zoë Kravitz

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A post shared by Zoë Kravitz (@zoeisabellakravitz)

Zoë Kravitz has been rocking an ear party since before it even became a trend (no surprises there). Here she sports various gold studs, hoops and "huggies".

Ashley Graham

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Supermodel Ashley Graham regularly experiments with her earrings, mixing metals, shapes and sizes. Her Instagram feed is filled with earring inspo.

Kaia Gerber

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It-girl Kaia Gerber goes for a simpler approach with her ear stack, layering small gold hoops.

Regina King

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Covered in sequins from the chest down, actress and director Regina King went all out by stacking two (rather large) diamonds on her left ear. The more sparkles, the better, we say...

Charlize Theron

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Never one to shy away from an edgy beauty look, Charlize also accessorised her part with a thread of diamonds. So damn cool.

Scarlett Johansson

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We counted 10 piercings in ScarJo's left ear, from dainty loops to gorgeous jewelled cuffs (or huggies.)

Nathalie Emmanuel

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The Game of Thrones actor always brings her A-game to the red carpet, and we love how she played up her makeup with multiple pretty piercings.

Cynthia Erivo

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We lost count of Cynthia's many jewel-encrusted earrings, but we live for her more-is-more approach.

Logan Browning

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The star of Netflix's Dear White People is known for her septum piercing, and she added extra embellishment through her upper ear (or "daith") piercing.

Ok, I'm convinced. I want (ear) candy.

So, keen to host your own ear party? We asked blogger and influencer Karissa Sparke, who is well-known on the 'Gram for having the best ear candy around, to share her tips and tricks. She even started the hashtag #sundaystacks to share her weekly faves.

 

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A post shared by Karissa Sparke (@karissasparke) on Oct 19, 2019 at 3:20pm PDT

 

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Not your average pretty shiny things. These beautiful @pdpaola_jewelry pieces are from their AISHA collection. A collection that helps fight for women’s rights and freedom. 5% of the collection is donated to the Afrikable Foundation which helps vulnerable women in Kenya #JewelryMeetsPurpose #SUNDAYSTACKS

A post shared by  Karissa Sparke (@karissasparke) on Dec 21, 2019 at 11:24pm PST

Fun fact: despite her serious ear candy, Karissa didn't get her ears pierced until she was 19 - and her obsession grew from there.

"Things escalated pretty quickly with another two a couple of years later, then another two," she shares. "Then I got my last six or so in one sitting." Ouch.

She puts her love of the look down to the ability to change up her look on the daily, and the subtle edge it brings to her style.

"I've always been more drawn to fine jewellery than statement pieces, so having multiple piercings allowed me to create a statement in a sort of understated way. I really love being able to layer lots of earrings together to create different looks. And there's also something kind of unexpected about it - combining fine and dainty things to create an edgier look."

 

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More is more for this weeks #SUNDAYSTACKS

A post shared by  Karissa Sparke (@karissasparke) on Nov 3, 2019 at 12:13am PDT

How to start your ear party.

If you're open to piercings, why not start small and building up from there? For example, if you already have one ear piercing, you could look to add a second one on just one side. (You don't have to be even with your piercings - some of the magic of these looks is in their asymmetry.)

It's completely up to you and your preference, but at least if you get a new piercing on one side and don't love it, you won't have to wait long for it to close up.

Karissa recommends adding more piercings to your lobes first for two important reasons: "The healing time is quicker, hence you can change your earrings sooner (i.e play with all the pretty, fun jewellery sooner)" plus, she says, "they are less painful and require less specific jewellery."

Where to get your ears pierced.

First, make an appointment with your chosen piercer (many chemists and pharmacies offer this service) or simply walk up for a consultation. Depending on the piercing you have chosen, ask them about what pain you can expect, and what healing time and aftercare is required.

Some chemists don't perform cartilage piercings, so you may need to make an appointment at a specialty piercer or tattoo studio.

"When or if you do decide to add more cartilage piercings to the mix, it's always best to work with a piercer who will recommend spots best suited to your ear shape," Karissa adds. "This will mean you're getting piercings in the right spot for your ears so they will sit properly and heal well."

 

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The finer things in life for this weeks #SUNDAYSTACKS [brands tagged] ✨

A post shared by  Karissa Sparke (@karissasparke) on Aug 18, 2019 at 1:04am PDT

As with tattoos, with some piercings it's not recommended that you're exposed to sea-water for a period afterwards due to risk of infection, so you might want to think about that if you've got a holiday planned.

Many specialty piercings also can't be slept on (doing so can mess with the healing process or increase risk of scarring) which is also something to be aware of.

Which brings us to your next question (we know you were thinking it)...

How painful are the piercings?

"I got a lot of people asking me if certain spots are painful to get pierced," says Karissa. "Given we all have different pain thresholds, this is tricky for me to answer. I don’t personally find piercings that painful - especially when done well. But if you’re feeling a bit scared - my advice is to try not to overthink it!

"The pain never lasts long and once it’s done, it’s done! But do learn from my mistakes and maybe don’t pierce both ears at the same time with cartilage piercings - sleeping is a lot easier if you can be comfortable sleeping on at least one side."

Can I fake multiple ear piercings?

There is a way you can tackle the multiple piercing trend without becoming a human pin-cushion. Lovisa and ASOS offer a number of faux piercing options, like cuffs and clever statement pieces that 'climb' up the ear.

We recommend trying out a bunch of cute ones first, wearing them for a week or so, then seeing if you like the look enough to commit.

Shop faux ear cuffs.

Lovisa Yellow Gold Plated Sterling Silver Fine Cubic Zirconia Ear Cuff, $25.99.

Image: ASOS.

ASOS DESIGN 14k gold plated pack of 2 ear cuffs in plain and crystal, $16.

Image: ASOS.

ASOS Reclaimed Vintage Inspired multicolour stone ear cuff in gold, $24.

Image: ASOS.

Will you be joining the ear party? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!