Helloooooo ladies! New Year’s Eve is upon us and if you’re like me, your first instinct is to take a bath in sparkles and bounce into the party like, HEY Y’ALL I’M HERE AND SHINY!!! But let’s be real – we aren’t teenagers and a tasteful glitter makeup application is in order for all of us self-respecting women out there.

To be clear – I DO think you should wear glittery, shimmery, sparkly makeup at whatever age you like! I simply have a few simple tricks I recommend to pull it off maturely.

A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

First things first – go EASY on the glitter. A little bit goes a long way. Chances are when you’re applying it, you won’t be able to see the full extent of it’s glorious sparkle-appeal from your head-on angle in the mirror. This does not mean you should keep applying until you can see it. This will take you way over the line of acceptable glitter application.

Trust in the sparkle. It’s there. I promise.

Second – there are two types of glitter I like to use – a gel and a shadow. This tutorial shows both, but if you’re a glitter-beginner, try one or the other!

Gel – This is best for a light application because the glitter is suspended in the gel and you can distribute it evenly. Here I’m using the Makeup Forever Star Lit Liquid – available at Sephora.
Shadow – This is best for creating a smoky eye and is much more of a commitment in terms of obvious makeup – but it can be so much fun on a special occasion. I am using one I got on sale for $5 at Sephora this week in Midnight Madness.
One product I stay away from are pots of powder glitter because they are harder to apply evenly.

APPLY IN THREE PLACES WITH A TAP, TAP, TAP

I only apply glitter in these three places: a touch on the cheek bones to highlight, a little on the lips for shimmer, and some on the brow bone to lift the eyes. These are the three places the light is going to snag the sparkle for maximum impact!

Put a touch of gel or glitter powder on your fingers, and GENTLY apply using a tapping motion to blend. Remember – DON’T keep applying until you can see it. It’s there.

GO SMOKY WITH A DARK SHADOW & LINER

My other favorite way to wear glitter tastefully is via a smoky eye. I apply a dark glittery shadow all over the lid and BLEND IT until the cows come home. And then I blend some more. Remember from my recent everyday makeup tutorial that I also take a little shadow on my pinky and drag it along the lower lash line to complete the smoky look. I also add a black liner and then dab more glittery shadow on top of it.

Wipe the excess debris from the shadow and liner application using a touch of powder on a powder brush. Add a sheer gloss, some mascara, throw on your tasteful NYE outfit and call it a night!!

Shadow: Midnight Madness Sephora // Gel: Makeup Forever Star Lit Liquid // Gloss: Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker // Liner: Lancome Liqui-Pencil //Mascara: L’Oreal Lash Paradise // Blush: Clarins Bronzing Duo (c/o) // Brows: Glossier Boy Brow

And, here we go in my quest to create better video content – a new one demonstrating this whole tasteful glitter application is here! I took some of your feedback and am going to keep improving with each one!