Glitter Grows Up: Tips to Incorporate Glitter into your Look

We’ve loved glitter since, well...forever. Those small specks of shimmer can seriously improve your look and mood. But glitter walks a fine line -- one false move and you go from fabulous to looking like a five year old who got too crazy in art class. So we turned to Lit Cosmetics Owner, Jodie Perks to give us some glitter wisdom. She gives us all the intel on how to add sparkle to eyes, lips or nails without looking like a (sparkly) hot mess.

Eyes

There are few things that can make your look stand out more than accentuating your eyes. When they are made up well, it seems as though the world just falls into place. We love adding a bit of sparkle to our shadows but often it flakes onto your face and makes you look like you just left a club instead of the office. What to do? Perks recommends the trusted 3 step Lit Application process: Dip, Dip, Apply/Dry. First, dip your brush into Lit’s Clearly Liquid Glitter Base. This will give the glitter something to adhere to. Next, dip your brush into loose glitter or a glittery shadow. Finally, apply to your lids with short, quick strokes. Dip and repeat if necessary. If you find some pesky glitter has gone astray you can swipe it off with a powder brush or lift it with a bit of scotch tape. 

There are different types of glitter eye makeup to go to—shadows, creams, liners, etc. When it comes to which type is best for you, it’s all about the level of look you’re trying to achieve. “Eye liners will always give you the most base color for more intensity” Perks tells us, “[and] good quality eyeshadows work great as well.” Perks does not recommend cream shadows as they tend to crease more than the previous options.

Quick Tip: If you want to perk up your look just a bit, add a quick swipe of small-cut glitter to your upper and lower lids for subtle sparkle. “Sometimes just a dab’ll do ya!” Perks says.

Lips

A lighter lip color and finer cut of glitter will keep a sparkly lip look looking subtle. Perks recommends using a lighter toned lip color as a base, then applying glitter using Lit’s Clearly Liquid Glitter Base as a liner, instead of all over the lip. This will add a touch of sparkle without it being too much. Perks says layering your look can help everything blend together as well. Start with a subtle lip color, apply a dab of semi-transparent glitter, finish with a swipe or two of gloss and you’re good to go. A tiny dab of small-sized glitter on the pout of the lip can create the illusion of ‘fullness’.

Quick Tip: Perks says the same goes for lips as it does for eyes. Pop a bit of loose glitter on your ring finger and dab it onto your lips, or swipe on a glitter gloss to your lower lip and rub together. Glam on the go!

Nails

We love that glitter is back when it comes to nail trends. However we don’t always recommend painting all ten digits with a glittery polish unless you work as a Disney Princess. The best (and easiest) way to incorporate glitter into your mani is by adding one or two accent nails to your look. Achieve this by painting most of your nails in a solid color then picking one nail on each hand to paint with a glitter polish that really pops. It’s a simple way to keep your look fun while still looking professional.

Glitter nail polish is amazing but sometimes it can be so hard to get off. Perks recommends using a strong pad with nail polish remover applied to it so it doesn’t rip during removal. She also suggests pre-soaking

your nails with a saturated pad for 1 minute to help loosen up the polish before rubbing it off.

Quick Tip: “Adding glitter on top of your wet nail polish either on the whole nail or on the tip is fabulous,” Perks raves. But make sure it stays put: “to bond the glitter properly in place, use a clear top coat.”