Finding sparkle on your pillow three days after a party is part of glitter’s charm, and it’s also the reason so many of us shy away from it. Luckily, the right formula keeps most of the shine on your lids. A liquid is the easiest place to start, and Stila Glitter & Glow dries right where you put it, sheds very little and costs about $15. From there it comes down to how much sparkle you want and how much mess you’re willing to deal with. Urban Decay’s Moondust gives you a full, glittery lid, the $7 e.l.f. topper turns shadows you already own into party shadows, and if flecks make you nervous, a shimmer stick is a gentle first step. Every pick here is made for the eyes.
Liquid, cream, pressed or loose?
Liquid glitter comes in a tube with a soft wand, with the sparkle floating in a clear or tinted gel. You dab it on, it dries, and the glitter is locked in place. It sheds the least, which makes it the friendliest place to start.
Cream glitter is softer and goes on with a fingertip, and it looks wetter and shinier than a liquid. It can slide around a little on oily or hooded lids, so either set it or keep it to the center of the lid.
Pressed glitter looks like regular eyeshadow but packs far more sparkle, and it gives you the most even coverage across the whole lid. Over a primer it lasts beautifully, but on bare skin you can expect a few flecks to wander onto your cheeks.
Loose glitter gives the biggest sparkle and the biggest mess, and it needs a glitter glue or a tacky base to stick. It’s also where the label matters most, since a lot of loose glitter is meant for the face and body rather than the eyes. That’s why you won’t find any loose glitter on our list.
Why the “for eyes” label matters
The skin around your eyes is thin, and the eye itself scratches easily. The FDA only allows a color to be used near the eyes if it’s been approved for that use, and colors that are fine on the rest of your skin may not be. So a body glitter or a face gem kit isn’t automatically safe on your lids, even if it looks just like an eyeshadow.
Craft glitter is another story entirely. It’s made for paper and glue, not skin, so keep it off your face completely. Before you buy anything sparkly, check that the package says it’s for the eyes.
The FDA has two more tips for every eye product. Don’t share eye makeup, and never wet a product with spit. If your eyes get irritated, stop using it.
To make it all stay, Smashbox primer
Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify 24 Hour Eyeshadow Primer is about $13 for 10 ml. It’s an eye-doctor-tested primer that goes on clear, and it’s made to make shadow color look richer and help it stay put for up to 24 hours. It’s vegan and cruelty-free.
Bare lids, especially oily ones, give glitter very little to hold on to. Smooth on a thin layer, wait about a minute, then press your glitter on top, and you’ll lose far less of it to your cheeks by the end of the night.
For shine without flecks, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in Rosegold is about $34. It’s a creamy shadow stick made to last up to 24 hours and hold up to water, sweat and creasing, and it comes in both matte and shimmer shades, with Rosegold one of the shimmers.
This is shimmer rather than glitter, and it’s the best place to begin if chunky flecks scare you. Swipe it on and blend with a fingertip. It also makes a nice tacky base under any of the powders below.
For a whole lid of sparkle, Urban Decay Moondust
Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust Eyeshadow is about $20. It’s a pressed single packed with very fine glitter, made to last up to 16 hours. Space Cowboy, a champagne gold, is the easiest shade to start with, and the range goes all the way to lilac, white, and red with green sparkle.
Moondust is the classic New Year’s Eve look, a lid covered in sparkle. Press it on over a primer with a fingertip or a flat brush, because a fluffy brush tends to send more of it onto your cheeks.
On a budget, e.l.f. Fine As Fleck
e.l.f. Fine As Fleck Glitter Eyeshadow is about $7. It’s a sheer topper with very fine flecks that you can wear alone for a soft shimmer or over another shadow for more sparkle. It comes in 10 shades and is vegan and cruelty-free, and Certified Platinum is a pretty platinum sparkle.
It’s the cheapest way to dress up the shadows already in your drawer. Tap a little over a matte brown and your everyday eye is suddenly ready for dinner out.
For a first try, Stila Glitter & Glow
Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow is about $15 for 4.5 ml, though the price changes often. It mixes pearl and glitter in a light, water-based formula that dries down to lock in the sparkle with very little fallout. Wanderlust is a sheer gold with pink sparkle, and the range runs from champagnes and silvers to roses and plums.
If you’ve never worn glitter, this is the one we’d hand you. Dab it onto the middle of your lid, tap the edges with a fingertip before it dries, and you’re done in under a minute.
For wet-look shine, Too Faced Disco Crush
Too Faced Disco Crush High Shine Glitter Multi-Use Eye + Face Sparkle is about $32 for 1.5 grams. It’s a talc-free creamy sparkle for eyes and face that shifts color as the light hits it, with a glossy, wet-look finish.
The texture is what makes it worth buying. Press it on with a finger and it reads as liquid shine instead of separate flecks, and the same little pot works on the inner corners of your eyes and the tops of your cheeks.
For hooded lids, Moondust glitter liner
Urban Decay Moondust Liquid Glitter Eyeliner is about $28. It’s a water-based glitter liner with a thin brush that you can wear alone, over your regular liner or on top of shadow, and it’s made to last up to 16 hours. Midnight Cowboy is a gold glitter.
If your lids are hooded, this is the most visible way to wear glitter. Shadow on the lid can disappear when your eyes are open, but a line of sparkle along the lashes stays in sight all night.
Keeping the sparkle off your cheeks
- Do your eyes first. Go before foundation, so any fallout lands on bare skin and wipes right off.
- Prime or go sticky. A thin layer of eyeshadow primer or a cream shadow gives glitter something to grip.
- Lay down a base color. A shadow in a similar shade underneath makes the glitter look fuller and hides any gaps.
- Press with a fingertip. Dab the glitter onto the middle of the lid, since brushes flick it around and fingers put it right where you want it.
- Keep it on the lid. Glitter in the crease looks messy and transfers, so keep the crease and outer edges matte.
- Lift strays with tape. Gently press a piece of tape over any flecks on your cheek, because brushing them away drags them across your base.
If you wear contacts, put your lenses in before your makeup, lean toward liquid or cream glitters since they shed less, and keep sparkle away from your lower lash line.
At night, hold an oil cleanser or micellar water on your lid for a few seconds, then wipe gently. Our post on removing heavy holiday makeup walks through the full routine and explains why scrubbing your lids is the thing to avoid.
Picking a glitter for the occasion
If you’ve never worn glitter, grab the Stila liquid in a champagne or gold. It’s the hardest one to get wrong and the easiest to clean up.
If you want a little sparkle at the office party, tap the e.l.f. topper over your usual shadow, or put a dot of Disco Crush on the inner corner. Our guide to the inner-corner highlight shows exactly where it goes.
If it’s New Year’s Eve and you want the full effect, prime, press Moondust across the lid, keep the crease matte and finish with a smoky liner. Our smoky eye guide has the base.
If your lids are hooded, try the Moondust liner along the lash line, or place lid glitter a little higher than feels natural so you can see it with your eyes open.
If your lids are crepey or dry, stick to sheer glitter or the Caviar Stick shimmer, since chunky glitter settles into fine lines.
On mature lids, a sheer topper or a liquid in the middle of the lid looks bright and fresh, and there’s plenty more eye makeup in our makeup archive.
