If you’re anything like us, your calendar is probably fully booked from now until the New Year, with office parties and boozy nights out to attend. It goes without saying you’ll want to look and feel your best throughout the party season.
As one of the only times of year when you can go all out and get dressed up to the nines, party makeup is the easiest way to dial up the glitz and glamour, and a sparkly eye look should be top of your list.
Whether you’re looking to go for a subtle shimmer or a high shine finish, getting it right can be tricky. Nobody wants glitter falling down your face midway through the festivities after all.
With that in mind, we headed straight to the expert makeup artists who shared their top tips on perfecting sparkly eye makeup this Christmas.
Ace your base
For makeup artist Cher Webb, preparation is key to ensuring your look lasts all night. “The Bobbi Brown Long-Lasting Eye Shadow Sticks (£23.50) are my go-to for eye base, they also look amazing worn on their own. Apply all over the eyelid then press your glitter on top for maximum long wear and zero fallout,” she tells HuffPost.
The makeup artist also recommends to do your eye makeup first before the rest of your face. ”My tip is to always do your concealer last after eye makeup application. Use a cotton pad and cleanse the under eye area then go in with your concealer incase anything has dropped!” Noted.
Choose a colour
Next up is the fun part: colour. Makeup artist Joy Adenuga’s favourite all-in-one product to use is the Stila Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadows (£24). Richly pigmented with pearlescent and glitter, they come with a doe-foot applicator which makes applying colour to lid a breeze. Simply dot onto your eyelids and use your finger to pat it across the skin.
It’s especially good if you’re a makeup novice or simply don’t have the patience to blend multiple colours together, and you can pick from metallic gold and silver hues to iridescent pinks and purples. “Everyone should own Kitten Karma, a champagne, silver and copper shade, it’s very flattering on all skin tones,” she says.
Many sparkly eyeshadows also come in the form of pressed powder, found in single colours and in palette’s that can be pressed onto the lid with just your finger for maximum impact but minimal effort and no fallout. You can then tidy up round the edges with a fluffy brush like this Zoeva Luxe Eye Blender Brush, (£10), for a precise, polished finish.
According to Zara Marie, professional makeup artist for Bobbi Brown, the Luxe Eyeshadow range (£27) gives a 3D metallic effect and is easy to blend thanks to a velvety texture. When it comes to application, Marie tells HuffPost: “I love picking up some colour on my brush and spraying one spritz of a setting spray to intensify the shadows pigment and shine.”
If you’re looking for an eyeshadow palette with a mix of matte and shimmery shades that you can use throughout the year, Webb recommend the NARS Skin Deep Eye Palette (£56) telling HuffPost: “It’s the absolute dream with so many beautiful shades and diverse textures.”
Finishing touches
As for the rest of your makeup, Webb recommends pairing a glittery eye with an all out bold lip look, citing MAC’s Russian Red lipstick (£17.50) with a clear lipgloss on top as her favourite way to wear it. “When wearing a dramatic eye and statement lip, hold back on the blush application and apply a light veil so your makeup looks chic and sophisticated but not overdone,” she concludes.
If a neutral lip is your go-to, Adenuga advises to reach for a nude but sparkling lipgloss telling HuffPost, “I’m currently obsessed with Fenty Beauty Lipgloss (£16)” And who are we to argue with that? If it’s Rihanna-approved, we’re sold.
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