I’m a bit of a magpie, and will sneak a little glitter into any make-up look where possible regardless of the season, so summer to me means one thing – going OTT on sparkle and glitz! The Secret Garden Party, my favourite festival of the year, is under two weeks away, so if you’re ready to discovered your inner glitter bug, then read on…
Devastatingly, this year will be the last celebration of SGP, so it’s only fit to see it off with a glittery bang. For more info on the best garden party you’ll ever attend click here.
The look of lustre
A simple, yet really effective look – and great for those a little weary of a full-face of glitter – is glitter tears. A light coloured silver or gold works best for this, and I adore the In Your Dreams’ Chunky Gold Lileth glitter (£5.50, inyour-dreams.com). Teeny tiny stars with a fine glitter mixed in gives effortless coverage for those who don’t have time for a base eyeshadow. Start with your favourite make-up on, then – as you’re working near eyes – use Vaseline, or a gentle balm under eyes, tapering downwards – using a slim eyeshadow brush here is advisable. Then, being careful not to throw it everywhere or sneeze, take the same eyeshadow brush and gently pat the sparkles into place. If you can, do this over a piece of paper, so you can recycle any fallen stars and save from mess! If you feel like getting carried away, I encourage you to try adding a softer-edged glitter over lids, like Dust and Dance Champagne Sparkles (£3.50, dustanddance.com).
Pega-sass
Mermaids and unicorns are influencing this season’s fashions, and festivals are a pretty great place to embrace the trend! For this look, start with a pretty pink eyeshadow like Totally Fetch, from the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette (£39, Debenahms), sweep generously over lids, mixing under eyes and out to temples with a lighter shade, then take an iridescent fine glitter over lids. Using pressed glitter like the Five Pan Festival palette from Glitter Eyes (£21.99, hookedupshop.co.uk) amazingly negates the need for adhesive, and you can simply apply with a brush. I used shade Prom Queen, then for under eyes I used Iridescent Angel, followed by Iridescent Mermaid and Pink Pegasus from the stunningly beautiful In Your Dreams New Mermaid Gift Set (£30, inyour-dreams.co.uk) which includes 4 glitter pots, and 4 packs of gems. Going on over Vaseline, work the glitter out, getting chunkier over cheek bones. A great product I’ve recently discovered is Star Dust from Beauty Boulevard (£12.50, beautyblvrd.com). Chunky glitters packed with a gel and brush for a striking glitter parting, I took the shade Supernova and applied in a semi-circle over cheeks for a Pegasus wing effect bordering eyes. Always finish with falsies, and I love the Huda Beauty Scarlett lashes (£15.50, cultbeauty.co.uk) for this.
Glow hard or go home
The great thing about using glitter is that you don’t have to apply it perfectly – and this next look is one of my favourites for festivals. Using a mix of colours and textures, have fun and keep layering for a fun, vibey peacock look. I again used the Glitter Eyes Five Pan Festival Palette, in shade Masquerade over lids then swept a deep green eyeshadow under eyes lined with khol. Next up, this clever glitter mix from Dust and Dance, Lunar Glow Mix (£3.50) actually glows under UV light! Forget the glow sticks, your peepers will be lighting up the dance tent all night! I applied under eyes, keeping in mind where it would glow, then added the warmer toned Solar Glow Mix (£3.50). For a high shine highlight for brow bones, I used Dust & Dance, The Magician (£3.50) over Dust & Dance Cosmetic Glue (£2.50) before adding Beauty Boulevard Star Dust in Cosmic Child, then Neptune, blending out with Vaseline.
Gem up
Dust & Dance Mermaid Tears Face Gems (£6)
Super easy to use, these gems lift off as one, and can be applied anywhere! They’re also reusable with the Cosmetic Glue (£3.50) an incredibly strong fixing glue.
In Your Dreams Empress Headpiece (£4.15)
Self-adhesive, this pretty collection of coloured gems will compliment any festival look.
The Gypsy Shrine Unicorn Crown (£10, thegypsyshrine.com)
Deisgned by festival blogger babe, Sophie Hannah Richardson, this all-in-one gem peel gives life!
Silver Holographic Mermaid Face Jewels (£2.99, New Look)
These bargain jewels look fab on any skin tone, placed over eyebrows.
Beauty Boulevard Glitter lips (£12.50, beautyblvrd.com)
Available in 19 colours, this fab little kit comes with a special lip product which keeps the glitter superbly in place, without being irritating to wear – amazing!
