How to create an ‘earscape’ with earrings that look cute together, because decisions are hard

I’ve always envied the people who can pair and layer jewelry together effortlessly, without looking like they just threw on every single bauble that they own. When it comes to accessories, actually, I’m definitely in the “less is more” camp, unless it comes to my earrings. My ears weren’t pierced until I was 20, and then after that I wasn’t happy with just the lobes. No, I wanted all the piercings. My ears are adorned with about 10 piercings, but the tricky part lies in creating the earscape—aka finding out how to pair earrings and selecting the perfect constellation. I tend to get overwhelmed by all the options out there and then just end up in a spiral of indecision (also an accurate description of my life in general heyo).

“A good way to start is to pick a theme,” Lisa Bubber, co-founder and CMO of Studs in NYC, says. They put together different cohesive looks to make the process easier for customers. “Constellation piercings custom-designed to your ear that are decorated with gold, pave, CZs, zodiac signs, geometric shapes, and stars are really popular right now,” she says.

If you’re the kind of person who takes 10 years to decide on a polish color at the salon before settling on the same pale pink shade you always go for, consider trying out a mixture of delicate gold jewelry and colored stones. Bubber says to choose studs that are around the same size, but in different symbols (like your zodiac sign!), and then pepper in a couple of colorful stones.

If Lana Del Rey tops your Spotify recently played list and you have memorized these tips on how to not look like you’ve been crying in a supply closet, you can get a look that says “I feel things” by choosing a theme of spikes, snakes, skulls, daggers, and hoops.

And if you love to *sparkle* because either a) you’re a happy well-adjusted person or b) you’d like your Hinge dates to think you are, go for a star theme. “To keep it cohesive stick to a constellation of pave star studs, clusters and dangles,” Bubber says.

ICYMI: This is what the number of piercings you have in your ear says about your personality. Also, this is why the backs of your earrings smell.