While I love creating soft and feminine looks, I’ve never been one for the traditional “girly” stuff. Pink frills and sparkle never captivated me the way it does some. But for whatever reason, once a year around the holidays, it never fails: I crave glitter. Maybe it’s the season, or that New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday, or because I’m longing for a little extra light on the days when the sun sets at 4 p.m., but I just can’t seem to get enough! It was only a matter of time before I brought it into my makeup artistry.
At first, it was easy to find the glitter, but not easy to get it to stick. Occasionally I would find liquid glitter makeup options, but they never seemed to be worth what I paid for them or color options were limited. So naturally, I took matters into my own hands and played around until I found a combination that not only worked well but was shockingly easy.
In a world full of confusing YouTube videos with makeup hacks that aren’t always simple (or safe for your eyes/face), I give you my all-time favorite, two-ingredient, easiest-peasiest, show stopping DIY makeup product: liquid glitter eye shadow! All you need to get started is a small glass bottle with a dropper lid, a small funnel, makeupgrade glitter, and liquid gel eye drops.
STEP 1
Pour your glitter into the bottle using a small spoon and funnel. Depending on how big my bottle is, I’ll use about one-eighth to one-quarter teaspoon. When choosing what glitter to use, it is absolutely important that you use makeup-grade glitter. Glitter at the craft store is not milled correctly and could scratch your eye if some accidentally gets in there, whereas makeup-grade glitter is safe for use on skin and eyes. NYX Cosmetics sells beautiful and affordable makeup-grade glitter on their website, so you can easily pick out a few to try!
STEP 2
Add a few of the gel eye drops, shake it up, and test. Repeat until you’ve reached your desired consistency. The less gel you put in, the thicker the glitter coating will be, and the more gel you put in the more sheer it will be. The eye drops will help the glitter adhere and stay put on your eyelid through the entire day. I prefer using gel drops to the regular ones because the end result is a little thicker, easier to work with, and stays in place longer.
STEP 3
Apply it! It’s easy to go overboard with glitter, so keeping it simple is key. My favorite places to apply it are in the inner corner of the eye, across the eyelid, and sometimes using a liner brush to put some underneath part or all of the eye. You’ll want to make sure to put a base layer of a close-matching eyeshadow down first as this will help the gel adhere and also fill in any gaps that may show through. For a general coat on your eyelid, place a drop on your finger and starting in the center, gently dab, blending outward both directions. Repeat until desired coat is achieved, letting it dry a few seconds in between.
If it’s months between applications, your glitter makeup may dry out, but add a few more eye drops back in and it will be good as new. Cheers to making this your glitziest holiday season yet!
