In the last Great British Bake Off, finalist Jane, having seen her tricky decorative chocolate collar refuse to adhere to her celebration cake, just chucked a load of glitter at it instead. Any makeup artist could relate – beauty industry folklore rules that, “You can’t polish muck, but you can roll it in glitter,” (or something less delicate). Glitter covers and polishes cack-handed technique and makes any Christmas party face look infinitely more effortful than it actually is. And yet women are still scared of it, as though a little sparkle is merely for the seasoned artist or embryonic YouTuber.
Personally, I love it. Not year round – just as one must take down the Christmas lights, one generally feels inclined to retire the eye glitter January through August. But in autumn and winter, some jewel-toned sparkle (pastel colours are a bit Elsa from Frozen) looks glorious against rich fabrics and knitwear. The best-quality glitters are those by Mac (especially 3-D Black, which gives a softer look than black shadow; £16) and Make Up For Ever (£9; Beige is ideal with bold lipstick), since they’re packed so densely with sparkle without irritating eyes.
But I quite appreciate you might not want to spend top dollar on what is a fun and briefly seasonal item. Also great is NYX Face & Body Glitter (£5.50, in 12 shades – Bronze suits everyone). The key with all three is to first apply an undercoat of creme eye shadow (Vaseline if you must) to act as glue. Stop just past the eye crease. Then, take a domed shadow brush (soft, natural-feeling hairs work best here), dip in glitter and press firmly on to lids for a dense coverage, or sweep over for a sheer sparkle (I pack it on, myself. Nights out are rare – I say make them count). Apply black eyeliner and mascara, sweep under the eyes with a fat, face powder-coated brush to remove rogue particles. That’s it.
If this still sounds daunting, try either dusting a little through your hair, or buying a glittery pressed shadow instead. Victoria Beckham’s Eye Metals (£36) are wonderful. Bitter Clove, a dense, cool brown sparkle, is kept in my bag at all times for last minute invitations when some fast upscaling is required. It’s grown-up and chic on women like me, who despite advancing years, refuse to renounce their magpie tendencies.
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