Last week in Photo Finish I talked about shine, the finish that is generally easier to work with. Now this week, for the last piece of this series, I’m going to talk about one of the most difficult finishes to work with: glitter. Glitter finishes are hard to work with because they can quickly swing from fun and pretty to trashy or too much (see Kesha for an example of this!). Also, glitter shades are prone to “fall out” when the glitter leaves the eyeshadow and falls onto your cheeks or beneath your eyes. My tip for this is to make sure to do your face makeup second! This will make sure you don’t have to redo all of your face makeup. Also, try putting a bit of aloe beneath your eyes while applying. Aloe is moisturizing, but it’s slow absorbing. This means that you can just wipe it off after applying your eye makeup and it will catch all the glitter – it will also moisturize!
Eyes:
- Glitter makes a great liner! It is a nice way to diffuse light and add a bit of mystery when used in moderation. Do your eye makeup in a relatively neutral palette and then put your favorite gel liner on your top lid. This can be any color you want! On top of that, pat a glitter shadow or loose makeup glitter in any color. Line your bottom lid with just the gel liner.
- Try a fun “snow kissed” lash look. After putting on your favorite mascara, lightly dust a glitter shadow over it to add a fun flirty twist to your lashes
- Brighten! Unlike most shadows, I really wouldn’t recommend using glitter all over your lid. However, use its light reflecting ability to your advantage. Put a little glitter shadow on the inner corner of your eye and watch how it makes your eyes sparkle!
Lips:
- Put a lipgloss with a glittery finish over your favorite lipstick to make it look brand new!
- If you’re really daring try a textured lip. This definitely is more of a costume look than an everyday look though. After putting on your favorite lipstick, press some of those little candy sprinkles, the glittery spheres, over the lip. It adds fun dimension as well as a sweet flavor.
More:
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Similar
to hair feathers, hair tinsel is an extension that you can add into your hair for fun texture and flair. I’m sure you’ve seen celebs and maybe even some of your friends rocking these strips of cellophane-like material in their hair. It sounds like it could look like you just got caught in some Christmas decorations, but when done right it can be a cool way to add a new vibe to your hair. - Rhinestones! I’m sure you’ve also seen those press on body rhinestones. These can look fun on the tops of your cheeks or around your eyes to accentuate eye shape or create a new look.
- Similarly to above, little glitter shapes – yes the ones you used in arts and crafts as a kid – can be used to add something to a look. Try stars and hearts near the corners of your eyes.
- Statement nails are all the rage. Paint all of your nails but one (I tend to choose the ring finger, but any nail makes an impact) a shade of your choice. On the last nail, paint it with a glitter polish. It can be in the same family or a completely different color! If you don’t have a glitter polish, I recommend getting a fun glittery topcoat (Check out the Essie’s Luxeeffects line). You can use this over any color you want.
Glitter doesn’t have to be the scary forbidden territory of a 70s theme night gone bad. If you try these simple tricks, you can easily integrate it into many looks that don’t take long to master. Especially with the summer coming up, playing on the glitter’s effect to change and warp under the light is a cool thing to try. I hope you enjoyed this photo finish series and will use these techniques to try out and explore new makeup territories!
Sources:
http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/grammys/photos/0,,20459096_20340633_20733568,00.html
www.urbandecay.com
http://www.bellasugar.com.au