Eye shadow can be intimidating. 

Let me clarify. Eye shadow that is colorful, dark, intense, etc. can be intimidating. So because these things are scary and you have no idea how to apply them without looking like a makeup monster, you buy the faintest pink or nude with a beautiful sparkle-osity that screams YOU. Then you put it on and no one notices because it either falls from your eye lid to your face, or it just completely disappears into your eye skin. 

Sometimes I wonder if they put all of the glitter on top of the actual eye shadow to fake me out. Then once I swipe the first swatch, every ounce of sparkle is completely gone and the rest of my little eye shadow is dull and lifeless.

Stop me if I’m wrong guys. (Please don’t stop me. It’s 10pm and my laundry still isn’t done. I need this.)

The moral of the story and reason I went to all of the trouble creating this picture collage of me awkwardly holding my head up by my hair is this: It can be hard to make that beautifully bright pigment look as good on your lids as it does in the package. The End.

Not really the end, but we’re getting there. 

Finally in my ripe old age of 31, I’ve figured a way around glitter loss and I’ve now got the sparkles working for me. I’m the boss. The sparkle goes where I say it goes! (I’m not crazy, just utterly exhausted.) And it stays put. 

Mkay, trick time. I guess you could call it a hack but I don’t think it’s that revolutionary. Just something I figured out by accident and it seems to work like a charm. 

Apparently during the application of this I could not or would not smile. Ugh. And why didn’t I do more brow fill? Or my nails? Actually, this is a fair and honest representation of me in real life. Shrugs 

ADD PRIMER TWICE! No really, that’s the trick. See, I knew it wasn’t a hack. Still pretty cool though. 

Here’s the gist of it. 

1. Prime your lid as you normally would (or wouldn’t if you don’t use primer) and add your base color of choice. 

I go with whatever samples I have snagged for free. Sometimes I’m a rebel and I just cover my eye lid with foundation, set it with powder, then go on with my eye shadow business. BASE color I used was in the Naked 3 palette and it’s glorious, like moonlight, it makes everyone look good.

2. Add your contour shade (also optional but adds to the popping of the glitter)

just work this deeper tone into the crease and blend it ever so gently. Don’t go into your brow bone. That’s just a rule of thumb (or so I’ve been told). 

3. ADD the primer AGAIN, but only to the spot on your lid where you want intense sparkle. 

The general consensus is that the center of your lid is perfect for “highlighting”. Using a small brush, tap on a bit of your primer and smooth it with either your brush or your finger. I don’t care. Both will work. Be quick because you want it to be tacky when you add your shimmer. 

4. Tap on your glitter/shimmer/sparkle of choice.

I will always and forever use my finger for this step because I find it to be more concentrated and easier to maneuver. Professional are possibly rolling their eyes at me and I’m OK with that. So just tap it on and blend it out slightly. It wont be too gliterific all over since you didn’t put the primer all over. It should just blend out nicely. 

Lastly, add your eye liner and mascara if you so choose and that’s it. You’re done. Simple, right?

Here are the lovely links to the things I used and if you have questions about different brands, ask. I’ve used other brands to achieve the same sparkle.  

PRIMER: Urban Decay Eye Shadow Potion-Nude

SHADOW: Naked 3 by Urban Decay in colors Strange, Dust, and Factory

LASHES: NYX Lash Primer and NYX Doll Eye Mascara in black

And now I’m going to sleeeeeep.

♥Liz