Don't Apply Your Glitter Eyeshadow Before You Read This!
I don’t know what happened to time (I swear it was October 1st like last week), but Halloween is almost here. Now, I could dedicate a post devoted to DIY Halloween costumes and how to make those cheap costume shoes more comfortable, but if we’re being honest, there are already dozens of posts like that out there.
I wanted this post to be about something a little bit different that not a lot of people think about until they’re about three coats of shadow in and their left eye is watering nonstop. Glitter eyeshadow.
Now, if there’s anything Halloween-makeup related I can help you with, this is the one. I was a glitter-obsessed child and in high school I would play around with glitter eyeshadow all the time. It wasn’t a good look for everyday, but on rare special occasions, certain photoshoots, and Halloween, I totally aced it.
The first thing you need to know about glitter eyeshadow is that it gets everywhere. Literally. EVERYWHERE. So before I tell you how to put it on, I’m going to list a few warnings for you.
When applying glitter eyeshadow, do NOT:
Apply it over a rug/carpet.
Wear white.
Wear what you’re actually wearing that day/night.
Rush.
Apply your foundation without setting it with a powder (either apply foundation after, or set it with powder).
Get frustrated and cry—tear-stained glitter is harder to remove than you would expect.
It’s totally on you whether you want to listen to my warnings or not, but I’m just speaking from personal experience. If you’ve ever done a smokey eye, you’ve probably experienced maybe a third of the amount of fallout of glitter eyeshadow.
Okay. So let’s get into it.
Bases are super important when you’re applying glitter eyeshadow. As I mentioned before, glitter has a lot of fallout and gets everywhere. How to help the situation is to give it something to stick to. Think about when you were a kid: if you just put glitter on a piece of paper, a few sparkles might have stuck, but if you rubbed a glue stick on it, then applied the glitter, it stuck so much better. The same goes for your eyes.
My favorite glitter base is actually one that my sister got for me years ago. It’s called Pixie Epoxy. It’s basically this clear base that’s like a glue almost. It’s extremely sticky, but it holds glitter eyeshadow like no other and makes them water-resistant—but still washes off easily.
Another great glitter eyeshadow base is actually liquid glitter eyeliner. It will add extra sparkle to your look and a little bit of color and dimension as well. This is a great option for beginners because you can see exactly where the glitter with go, while the clear base will only be shiny.
Personally I prefer using my clear base because that way I don’t have to worry about the color of the glitter eyeliner, but if you know you’re only going to use that one color of glitter for most looks, the eyeliner is a great option too. I love using the NYX Liquid Crystal Liner, but Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner is super great too.
Glitter eyeshadow is the last thing I apply to my eyes before mascara or falsies. I do my normal primer, eyeshadow, and eyeliner all beforehand. When I finish all of that, I take a tiny tab of my glitter base on my pinky finger and dab it exactly where I want the glitter to go. It’s important to dab this on, not rub it, because it will smear your eyeshadow underneath if you try to move it around too much. If you have shaky hands, you can also use a cotton swab. I usually let this sit on my eyelid for about 30 seconds before I apply my glitter so it has a second to try. If I’m using glitter eyeliner as my base, I only wait about 15 seconds because it dries faster.
When I am actually applying my glitter eyeshadow, I take a small flat brush, dampen it slightly with setting spray, then pick up my glitter shadow. From there, I apply it only to the area of my eye that I want the glitter to be. Glitter does not blend well. DO NOT TRY TO BLEND IT. This is the only time that I would ever tell you guys to not blend. Simply apply the glitter eyeshadow in small amounts and pat it onto the lid. Take your time with this process. If you mess up, it’s very hard to fix.
After you have all the glitter you want on your eyes, take a fluffy blending brush and your crease color and blend your eyes that way. Try not to touch the glitter at all.
Remember when you were a kid and you applied glitter glue to something, then tried to color over it with a crayon and it looked awful? The same thing happens with glitter eyeshadow, so please be careful.
After you’re done with blending your crease, give your eyes about five minutes to dry and whatever fallout you may have to appear. Wash your hands thoroughly while you wait to make sure none of the glitter is stuck to you. When you’re sure your eyes are dry, carefully brush away any powder you had baking under your eyes with a clean powder brush. I like to spray my setting spray to my face right after I wipe away the power. After you let your face dry again, feel free to apply your falsies and mascara.
You should be good for the whole night if you follow those steps correctly—even so much so that I want to leave a few tips for you guys about how to take off the glitter.
When you’re taking off the glitter, it’s important to use a good makeup remover. I have found that liquid makeup remover and a cotton ball work best. Makeup wipes tend to hurt my eyes when I remove the glitter because it literally feels like I’m rubbing sand on my eyelid. If you wear contacts, I recommend taking them out before removing your glitter eyeshadow if you can.
Try to take off as much of your makeup as you can with the makeup remover and cotton ball. Be generous with the amount of remover and be very gentle. After you’ve removed as much as you can, wash your face, and repeat the process if there is still some left over. Even though it may seem redundant, it is very important to use makeup remover prior to washing your face. The water won’t break down the glitter and glitter base as much as the remover will.
My favorite glitter eyeshadow makeup remover is Clinique’s Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent. It’s about $20 for a 4.2 fl oz bottle, but I promise you that it’s well worth it.
I hope that this helped you guys at least a little bit. I would love to see all of your Halloween and glitter makeup looks! Tag me in the comments of your pictures or hashtag #humpsandpumps so I can see them! Thank you so much for reading!
