Is anyone else ridiculously excited for New Years Eve this year? Anything that involves champagne and sparkly dresses is a big fat ‘Yes!’ from me, especially if it gives me a good excuse to add a bit of glitter to my makeup!
I’ve been playing around with lots of pigments and glitters this Christmas on my clients and on myself, and one of my favourites so far is a glitter cut crease. I absolutely love the contrast between cool, matte shadows and warm holographic sparkles. I feel like it adds a really cool, modern twist and makes the glitter really wearable. Paired with flawless skin and matte lips, it’s just the perfect look for New Years Eve! And if you have the right tools, it’s actually surprisingly easy to do. Keep scrolling to see the finished look, and for a step-by-step guide on how to create this look on yourself.
- Start with a clean face – this could get messy guys. Whenever you’re working with pigments or glitters on the eye area, it’s really important to do your eyes before anything else. That way, anything that smudges or falls out under the eyes can be wiped away with makeup remover wipe without ruining the rest of your makeup.
- Prep the eyelid by blending an eye primer or a concealer across the whole lid. I always use my Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX06, because it’s really high coverage and gives me a smooth blank canvas to work on. Set this area with any powder so that the eye shadows we’re going to apply blend in really easily.
- First, build up the crease colour with some matte eye shadows. I started with a large fluffy blending brush and swept some MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in ‘Dark Tan’ through the crease as a transition shade. If you’re unsure about where your crease is, you should be able to feel where the eye socket natural dips in below your brow bone and above your lid. This can be less prominent for some people, so if this is the case, try to use the shadows to carve out a curve just above your lid.
- The next step is all about building the colour and ensuring that everything is super blended. The easiest way to do this is to use a few different shades of brown shadow – one light/medium, one medium, and one medium/dark. I also like to use a few different types of blending brushes – one large, one medium and one small. Always start with the lightest shade of shadow and the largest blending brush, sweeping it through the crease and ensuring everything is blended. Once you’re happy with how this looks, drop to a smaller sized brush and the next darkest shade of shadow to apply the next layer, slightly closer to the crease. Keep taking these steps until you’re happy with the depth of the eye shadows when they’re all applied on top of one another.
- At this point, the colour should be darker and more concentrated right in the crease, and should gently diffuse outwards into a lighter shade of brown closer to the brow bone. Blend, blend, blend until everything looks seamless. Next, take the smallest brush and the darkest shadow, and blend it into the lower lash line to smoke it out.
- Once you’re happy with how the shadows look, it’s time to carve out the lid. I took some of my LA Girl HD Pro-Concealer in ‘Light Ivory’ on a small concealer brush and applied it directly onto the lower part of my lid, and carefully spread the product to carve out a kind of ‘moon shape’ which stopped at the crease. This will give that really crisp contrasting line, like in the photographs above. Having this lighter shade will also make the glitter that you apply later on appear much brighter. Next, it’s glitter time! There are a few different ways that you can do this, depending which products you have to hand.
- First, you can use a glitter adhesive that’s suitable for the eye area – NYX do a great one for about £8. Apply as small amount using a small flat brush in the exact same ‘moon’ shape that you applied the concealer before. Make sure that the adhesive is applied in a sharp line where the crease begins. Ensure that the adhesive is still tacky and then use an eyeshadow brush to pack on the glitter of your choice. The colour can be adapted dependant on your outfit and accessories to tie your whole look together! I love using Barry M Glitter Rush Body Glitter in ‘Desert Bronze’. Again, please use a glitter that is eye-friendly! Don’t worry if the glitter transfers anywhere else – it will only really stick to the lid where you applied the adhesive, and any fallout can be wiped away.
- Secondly, you could follow the technique that I used for this look (which I personally prefer – it means we can add even MORE glitter). Apply a glitter liquid liner all over the lid, ensuring that the line between the lid and the crease is really neat. I prefer this technique, as I can apply the liner much more precisely, and the glitter liner acts as an adhesive for the second layer of glitter. Yes, SECOND layer. I don’t mess around when it comes to sparkle. Next, pack on the same Barry M glitter on top of the Urban Decay liner whilst it’s still sticky.
- Once the glitter has dried and you’re happy with the result, add some winged liner, mascara and lashes to tie the look together. I think that winged liner and lashes is really important for this look, as the eyes can get lost in all the glitter if they’re not strongly defined. I used my Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner, Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara and a pair of Eylure 157 Lashes.
- Wipe away any glitter fallout that might have transferred onto the rest of the face, and apply your primer and base. Because the eyes are so dramatic, I think the skin looks best kept quite simple. I opted for a full coverage base, adding some subtle definition to the cheekbones and temples using a matte bronzer. I added a tiny bit of highlight to the high points of my cheekbones for some dimension. This part is totally up to you though – most people have a ‘go to’ base makeup routine for nights out, so just do whatever you feel comfortable wearing!
- To finish everything off, add a lip that compliments the colours and tones that you’ve used on your eyes. I used NYX Liquid Suede Lipstick in ‘Sandstorm’, which is a matte, dark brown nude. I picked this because the shade is similar to the tones used on the eyes. I recommend keeping this lip colour quite neutral, so that the eyes are the show stopper!
And that’s the finished look! I hope you enjoy recreating it – it would be kind of rude not to at this time of year, right?
Happy New Year!
G x
Product Breakdown
For the base:
- NYX Shine Killer Primer
- Mac Studio Fix Fluid in ‘NC30’
- LA Girl Pro Concealer in ‘Light Ivory’
- Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in ‘Translucent’
- Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in ‘Dark Tan’
For the glow:
- Kiko Water Eyeshadow in ‘208’
For the eyes:
- Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in ‘SX06’
- Morphe Palette in ’35K’ (Brown matte shades)
- Urban Decay Glitter Liner in ‘Midnight Cowboy’
- Barry M Glitter Rush Body Glitter in ‘Desert Bronze’
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in ‘Dark Tan’ in the crease
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in ‘Dark Brown’
- Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in ‘Black’
- Maybelline Lash Sensation in ‘Very Black’
- Eylure Lashes in ‘157’
For the lips:
- NYX Liquid Suede Lipstick in ‘Sandstorm’
Georgia Tobiasen 