It’s glitter season and you know what that means—it’s going to be everywhere. Wearing sequin shirts and sparkly accessories is one thing, but having loose glitter cascading down your cheeks is another. Sporting glitter eye makeup at a party can be super fun, but it can also leave you wondering “was it worth it?” the next day. Yep, the clean up can get pretty messy!

It is a bit more complicated than your average eyeshadow application, but wearing glitter isn’t impossible by any means. Read these tips and you’ll be ready to rock glitter at Christmas, NYE, or in 2015!

Too Faced Eye Shadow Primer / e.l.f Cosmetics Eyebrow Comb / Urban Decay Setting Spray / Napoleon Perdis Loose Eye Dust / Bare Minerals Prime Time / Sigma Eye Shadow Brush / Make Up For Ever Glitter / American Apparel Glitter Nail Polish / em Sparkling Shadow Top Coats

Tips for Applying Glitter

Get the right type. It seems like a no brainer, but it’s important: That beautiful glitter sitting in your desk drawer from a leftover craft project is not the same as cosmetic glitter and can irritate and actually harm your skin and eyes. Stick with either glitter shadow or cosmetic loose glitters.

Start with glitter. If it’s glittery eyes you’re after, complete your eye look first. That way you can wipe away any excess glitter and start fresh on the rest of your face.

Prime your eyes. Use either an eyeshadow primer or sealer, especially if you have oily lids. This will not only keep the makeup from sliding off of your eyes, but will create an even base and help it last longer.

Prevent fall out. Still not confident you won’t get glitter everywhere? Hold a clean tissue below your lower lash line to catch any strays. Applying the glitter with a slightly damp brush will also help keep it in place.

Find your best shade. Just because it’s glitter doesn’t mean you have to go all out! If you’re not comfortable with full-on glitter, try it just in the corners of your lids or along your lower lash line. If you aren’t sure about going with a vibrant color, find a shade that’s neutral or close to what you’d normally wear. Simply adding sparkle is a lot less intimidating than switching up your color, too.

Use setting spray. Lastly, you may want to consider a makeup setting spray if you’ll be strutting your sparkle all night!

Tips for Removing Glitter

Remove fall out. For those pesky individual pieces of glitter that land on your cheeks (and just about everywhere else), some like to have scotch tape handy to give it something to cling to. Personally, I gently swipe a brow brush over my skin and see if it catches it before reaching for the tape.

Use oil-based remover. Because you used cosmetic grade (right?!), remover should do the trick. Switch to an oil-based makeup remover for a heavy duty cleaning, but be extra gentle. It’s better to go over the area several times than to rub and irritate your skin and eyes, and possibly get glitter in them.

And if you’re looking to remove glitter nail polish, think back to this post.

Now tell me, have you ever had a glitter makeup disaster?!

<3 Mish