Our magpie-like obsession with all things sparkly is surely hard-wired in our DNA. Who can resist a palette of eye-catching, pulse-quickening glittery eyeshadows, or deny the allure of a little shimmery something to illuminate our cheekbones ?
Gems for nails and hair ? Bring it on. What’s more, sparkle and shine elevate the everyday to a world of celebration and fun, where magic happens, and are just the sprinkling of stardust you need to make you the coolest girl at the party. Let’s get in the mood…..
Dazzle
Together with makeup artist Caroline Barnes, we reimagined a mash up of Studio 54 and Strictly in this modern take on a glittery eye. Whilst a heavy dose of glitter is enthrallingly glamorous, it can also distort the shape of the eye making it look strangely flat, so the trick is to apply a neutral, beige toned shadow in the socket first to create depth, shape and definition.
Then build and layer two or three shades of gold and silver sparkly shadows over the lids and up to the browbone to give the fullest graduation of colour. To keep this much glitz looking fresh, go light with mascara.
Give blush a miss and instead apply a little bronzer to enhance bone structure, keep the look tonal and be the supporting act to the sparkle.
Gleam
Party-dressed bare shoulders demand highlighting. The easiest route to a sexy, luminous glow is with one of the many body oils available that are flecked with tiny sparkling pigments. But, to take it to the next level, use the sparkly oil as a base, which will give good grip for brushing on light-reflective, shimmering powders and glitters.
A big bronzer or powder brush will keep placement even and delicate as you sweep it over the highpoints of shoulders and along the collarbones.
If you have help at hand, a dusting in the shape of two reverse C’s around the shoulder blades is a red carpet trick worth stealing.
PS Larger glitter particles are usually made of plastic, so look out for environmentally friendly versions from Bleach London, In your Dreams, Beauty BLVD and The Mermaid Cave.
Shine
Short red or nearly black nails are perennially chic and will take you anywhere in party season, but sparkly nail art is the conversation starter, especially if you’ve harnessed your own creativity to pull it off.
Crystals and gems always look classiest on nude nails as shown here, whether that’s a clear basecoat or the softest whisper of pink or beige polish. Placing them close to the (well-hydrated) cuticles, rather than tips, means they’ll stay put longer.
Set them into the polish when it’s still slightly tacky with a tiny dot of nail glue using a striping tool (easily found online) or an orange stick and don’t worry about exact placement or symmetry – randomness is cooler.
Twinkle
More dinner date than disco, this is sparkle at its low key prettiest. Caroline used a big eyeshadow brush to blend a diffused wash of metallic powder colour over the lids (a small brush can deposit too much pigment in one area) and a slanted brush to apply liquid eyeshadow around the tear duct.
No matter the brand, sparkles invariably end up migrating under the eyes and down the cheeks, so try Caroline’s tip of using surgical tape, available at any pharmacy, to gently lift away glittery particles from the skin.
As before, minimal mascara feels more modern with shimmer and whilst a red lip works with subtle sparkle, we chose a matte nude lipstick to keep this look effortlessly chic.
