Glitter. We all love looking at it, but when it comes to actually wearing it, it can be messy. God forbid you apply your foundation first, then you’re left with glitter particles all over your face and they are all but impossible to wipe off.

I got one of the NYX Face and Body Glitters in Gunmetal at the London Drugs Fall Beauty Preview this past June in Vancouver and I’ve been itching to try it out. Since it’s loose glitter though, I wanted to think of a way to wear it without it being too messy. Then I got the NYX Glitter Primer, which minimized glitter fallout and keeps it in place. Basically this product (Too Faced makes one as well) is a necessity if you love loose glitter.

It was my best friend’s birthday party this past Friday so I thought it was as good a time as any to bust out the grey glitter and come up with a look that was oh so flashy. Instead of coating my whole lid in the stuff though I wanted to keep it more low key since we were just going for dinner and drinks, as opposed to the club where that look would be more appropriate. I opted for a light eye look with a winged liner and then I coated the black liner in glitter for a sparkly effect. I absolutely loved how this came out and best of all, there was virtually no mess and no fall out. Total score.

1. Since we’re working with glitter, do the eyes first. Fill in your brows, then lay down an eyeshadow primer, I used Kat Von D Lock-It Color Correcting Eyeshadow Primer. Starting with the crease, lightly apply an orange eyeshadow (like this orange Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow),

2. With a shimmery champagne pink, like the one from the CoverGirl TruNaked eyeshadow palette in Roses, apply that to your lid area.

3. With the matte brown and a crease brush, apply that lightly to your crease to darken it up

4. For the liner, first I applied a black liquid liner, winging it out. I used Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper.

5. With the NYX Glitter Primer and an angled eyeshadow brush, apply this gently over the black eyeliner. Then, with the glitter (NYX Face and Body Glitter in Gunmetal), apply that over the primer to add some shine. After, apply some mascara and some falsies for a dramatic effect. I have eyelash extensions, so I skipped this step.

6. To finish up the eyes, I applied the same matte brown along my lower lash line and then some mascara on my lower lashes.

Once the eyes are done, now you can move onto the face. I used Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation with Kat Von D Lock-It Creme Concealer Creme. I went over the face with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light to set everything. The bronzer for the contour was from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and the blush was Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Night Fever and Hot Stuff. The highlight is from the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Highlight palette and the lip colour is Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 41.

Although there are many eyeliners out there that have built-in glitter (Make Up For Ever’s Aqua XL Eyeliner line has one), when you layer a little sparkle overtop of a matte liner it really does go the extra mile. Also, if you’re going to invest in some loose glitter you must pick up a primer as well. The NYX Glitter Primer is only C$8, so it’s well worth it to have in your collection.

Have you tried a glitter liner?

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