The Classy Girl's Guide to Glittery Party Makeup
By Sophia Panych
Glittery makeup is as synonymous with the holidays as eggnog and The Nutcracker. But wearing sparkle on your face doesn’t have to be nearly as schmaltzy. In fact, there are ways to try glitter on your eyes, nails, and lips that will make you the coolest—not to mention shiniest—girl at the party.
GLITTERY EYELINER
The simplest way to try shimmer this holiday season? Eyeliner! But you don’t have to worry about wings or flicks or exaggerated cat eyes: Trace your liner from the tear duct and finish at the outer corner of the eye, thickening the line in the middle—it’s the glitter making the statement, not the shape. To re-create the twinkling shade of midnight blue that makeup artist Tom Pecheux used at No. 21, try Jouer Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner in Fox.
CONFETTI NAILS
The confetti nails at Tracy Reese are like a New Year’s party on your nails, minus the massive champagne hangover. Look for a polish with multicolored, megasize glitter chunks, like Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Overcoat in Open Mica Night. Start with a layer of basecoat, followed by a coat of silver nail polish (this’ll make it easier to get the glitter off). Then, instead of painting on the sparkly polish as usual, dab it on your nails to flood the surface with sparkle, says manicurist Tracylee, who notes that you’ll need about three coats.
TWINKLING LIDS AND LASHES
At Chanel (and above), makeup artist Peter Philips glued confetti-size pieces of glitter on the lids and lashes so it looked like the models had little disco balls taped to their eyes. Philips used lash glue, tweezers, and a very steady hand, but to re-create the unexpected look at home—without endangering your retinas—sweep clear mascara over your lashes and dust silver glitter shadow from the crease all the way to the tips. If that sounds like too much work, go for a sparkly mascara. We like E.L.F. Essential Glitter Mascara and Ramy OMG Over Mascara Glitter & Liner.
STARRY-NIGHT EYE SHADOW
"Gold catches the light and adds a beautiful accent to navy shadow," says Pecheux. And that’s exactly what made the shimmery blue lids at Thakoon so great. Begin with a layer of cream shadow (we like Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Dark Rite) to give the loose glitter something to stick to. Then dip your brush in bronze-, gold-, or rose-gold-colored loose glitter (or all three if you’re feeling spiffy), tap off any excess, and press the flecks on your lids with a dampened makeup brush. “The moist bristles keep the glitter from flying everywhere,” says makeup artist Diane Kendal, who created the look.
MOLTEN METAL LIPS
We say sparkly lips, you say Halloween costume. But trust us: You can top your mouth with glitter and not look crazy. In fact, it can be downright chic if you pair it with clean skin, strong brows, and nothing but a little highlighter on your lids, like at Dior Couture. And while makeup artist Pat McGrath used loose glitter for this sultry bronze hue, we suggest a lipstick covered in a matching sparkly gloss. (We love the megawatt formula of Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Metallic Copper.) That way, you can enjoy your night eating, drinking, and kissing under the mistletoe without ingesting ten teaspoons of shimmer.
COOL-GIRL SPARKLY EYES
Take the no-makeup makeup trend, throw in a dash of glitter, and you have the coolest way to wear sparkle this holiday season. At Altuzarra, Pecheux dusted the eyelid with chartreuse glitter (try M.A.C. Glitter in 3D Brass Gold) and then stopped there—no mascara, no blush. To get the loose glitter to stick, Pecheux prepped the lids with foundation, then pressed on the glitter with big, flat concealer brush, “so it won’t look patchy,” he said.
GILDED ACCENTS
If a lid full of glitter gives you more anxiety than going to your in-laws, try a pared-down version of the look. At Anna Sui, McGrath added gold glitter to bare lids, concentrating the sparkle down the center of the lids, along the inner corners, and in the middle of the lower lashes. To apply the glitter, McGrath spread a layer of lash glue on the skin using a cotton swab. Then she used a mix of her fingers and a brush to press the gold glitter on top. Look for gold glitter without too much orange—which can bring out any sallowness in your skin—like Make Up For Ever Glitter in Gold.
GLIMMERING EMERALD CAT EYES
Green glitter sounds like the makeup equivalent of an ugly-sweater party—until you add black eyeliner to the mix, as the makeup artists at Missoni did. Start by tracing top and bottom lids with black pencil and softening the edges with a cotton swab or smudging brush (try Sonia Kashuk No. 105 Smudge Brush). Then tap emerald-green glitter around the outer corners of the eyes (try M.A.C. Glitter in Emerald), bringing a few of the flecks on the lid. It’s glam rock meets holiday cheer, without looking the least bit cheesy.
SILVER-FLECKED NAILS
A sparkly negative-space manicure is your best bet for avoiding side-eyes at work. “Negative-space nail art is a cleaner, more chic approach to nail art,” says manicurist Alicia Torello. At Jenny Packham, we loved the look of shiny nails topped with a wash of silver glitter ( Essie nail polish in Set in Stone). Just make sure to start with basecoat and end with topcoat to keep the glitter from catching on your favorite sweater.
SHIMMERING SMOKY EYES
Take a classic, give it a heavy dose of sparkle, and you get one gorgeous holiday-makeup look. To keep from going overboard, look to the 24-karat smoky eyes at Jason Wu, where Kendal kept the glitter on just the center of the lids. Taking brown eyeliner pencil, she outlined the eye, smudging the pigment along the crease and outer corners but leaving the center of the lids blank. She then pressed the loose gold glitter just on the empty space. “That way the gold really shines,” she says.
ROSE-GOLD LIPS
Give your go-to rose lipstick a dazzling twist. Fill in your lips with your favorite rosy lipstick or lip pencil to create a creamy base. Then swipe on a rose-gold lip gloss, like M.A.C. Tinted Lipglass in Nymphette. Or you can pick up a tube of NYX Wicked Lippies in Power, a near-identical match to the metallic theatrical-makeup product McGrath us
SPARKLING UNDERLINER
Underliner makes your eyes look bigger. Glitter-encrusted underliner makes your eyes look bigger, brighter, and just really freakin’ awesome. To get the look, draw black liquid or cream liner into a sharp wing. Next, squeeze a dot of lash glue on a cotton swab and trace it along your lower lashes, extending it past the outer corners. Take a small shadow brush, dip it in iridescent silver glitter (we love Too Faced Glamour Dust in Glampire), and press it over the glue. Pick up any excess that flies onto your cheeks with a piece of Scotch tape.
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photos: Giovanni Giannoni; Kyle Ericksen; Robert Mitra; Delphine Achard; Kyle Ericksen; Franz Walderdorff; Robert Mitra; Kyle Ericksen; Giovanni Giannoni (2)
