14 December, 2012
Beauty

Putting On The Glitz – inject some sparkle to your party look!

14 December, 2012

โ€˜Tis the season to get sparkly! Christmas is the one time of year where no one will bat a (totally shimmery) eyelid if you introduce a bit of glitter into your look โ€“ but how do you do it without looking like your make-up was the result of a pre-schoolerโ€™s princess/fairy fantasies?! To help you out (because everyone needs a bit of glitter in their lives!), hereโ€™s our guide for injecting a bit of sparkle to your make-up look without going OTT!

EYES

My absolute favourite all-time eye shadows are these amazing Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill pots of magic. I wear these very frequently and nearly always get complimented on them when I do, I promise! Theyโ€™re a very finely milled loose powder thatโ€™s been compressed and compacted down into being almost solid โ€“ so theyโ€™re as easy to use as your regular pressed eye shadows except with an even softer and smoother texture, but whilst boasting the intense rich pigmentation of a loose shadow. They also combine two different colours of pigment in one pot, so you often get a gorgeous multi-dimensional effect.

Left to right: #24 Smoky Copper, #27 Oxidised Silver, #28 Rose Platine

Pretty much all of the Eyes To Kill have a metallic cast that give a beautiful shimmer and glimmer without being a full-on spangles oโ€™ clock glitter. They also wearโ€ฆ and wearโ€ฆ and wear! Such great staying power means theyโ€™re ideal for bunging on at the start of the day and not worrying about. My favourite shades are 27 Oxidised Silver (a silver mixed with a rusty red that gives an almost mercury maroon look) and 28 Rose Platine (bright gold mixed with rosy pink โ€“ just stunning), although you canโ€™t go far wrong with any of them to be honest. Theyโ€™re a surprisingly subtle and elegant take on glitter (use them wet for greater intensity), classy rather than in-yer-face get the disco-ball out and a total no-brainer in my book. Perfect for partiesโ€ฆ and pretty much any other time really!

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense Eye Shadows, $260, see all Giorgio Armani locations in Hong Kong here

LIPS

Letโ€™s face it โ€“ lips packing more glitter than a fairyโ€™s wand are probably not going to be very wearable at many other times of the year. So rather than investing in a shimmery lippie that youโ€™re only going to wear one day then let gather dust in your make-up case, instead just re-invent your current go-to colour!

Max Factorโ€™s Flipstick Colour Effects give you two options for the price of one โ€“ one end is a โ€œnormalโ€ lip colour, and the other is a lighter shimmering shade that you can layer over the top for extra glam. If youโ€™re not so sure about Max Factorโ€™s choice of lip colours , just layer the shiny side over your normal lipstick for a similar effect! My fave is Gipsy Red, a colour-popping bright red that really comes alive combined with the gorgeous golden glow on the other end.

If you prefer a wet look, simply invest in a glittery but nude gloss that you can slick over the top โ€“ Laura Mercierโ€™s and MACโ€™s both get my vote for being fairly non-sticky and smelling positively delicious (Sassy disclaimer: please donโ€™t actually try to eat them though!).

Max Factor Flipstick Colour Effects, $98, available from selected Watsons and Mannings

NAILS

Lots of brands have jumped on the glitter bandwagon, producing polishes filled with giant rainbow glitters โ€“ which may be tonnes of fun, but donโ€™t exactly scream elegance (in addition to being hell to remove!). For a cool take on glitzy rather than ritzy nails, try these awesome gold flake top coats โ€“ Zoya, OPI (both available from Sassy fave Cher2!) and Jessica have all brought out versions this season and theyโ€™re all near identical, so just snap up whichever you see first!

Simply choose a base colour of your choice (black always works a charm), and then dab on the gold flake top coat for a truly magical look. Easy peasy but totally divine and (as Australiaโ€™s Next Top Model judge Alex Perry would say) expensive!

Zoya Gilty Pleasures 18k Top Coat Gift Box, $350; OPI The Man With The Golden Gun 18k Top Coat, $390

Both available from Cher2, 1202A Century Square, 1-13 Dโ€™Aguilar Street, Central, Hong Kong, 2810 0171; see all locations here

As ever, just remember to confine your glitter to selected areas โ€“ too much and youโ€™ll end up looking like an extra from Cirque du Soleil!

So now you know my top tricks, thereโ€™s no excuse not to sparkle this holiday season!

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