How to Apply Glitter Eyeshadow Like a Pro, According to the "Euphoria" Makeup Artist

Gather Your Makeup Tools

Whether you're using pressed, liquid, or loose glitter, having the right tools is essential for creating your bejeweled makeup look. As liquid glitter eyeshadow typically comes with its own applicator, all you'll need is an eyeshadow brush to spread and blend it out. Alternatively, you could use your fingers. Pressed glitter also requires a makeup brush—Davy recommends Half Magic's Pyramid Eyeshadow Brush ($18), which is conveniently shaped to create everything from a cut-crease to a winged look. Now, when working with loose glitter, Matin says you'll need to gather cotton swabs, a mixing medium (or a setting spray), tape, and a clean spoolie brush.

Clean Your Surrounding Areas

As we all know, glitter is a pain to clean up. So before you even start this journey journey, you want to make sure to prepare your area for a mess. Move all of your other makeup out of the way and put down paper towels on your vanity or bathroom counter. This way, all you have to do is throw away the towel, and clean-up is done in a snap.

Prep and Hydrate the Lids

Before applying any type of makeup, make sure that your face is clean and hydrated. Use a gentle and hydrating cleanser, like Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser ($19,) and follow up with a hydrating skincare routine.

One major thing you probably want to avoid is using any hydrating product with oil as oil will make it harder for your glitter to stick to your lid. We suggest using a hydrating toner—we love the Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer ($36)—as it'll keep your lids hydrated without the extra slick, greasy feeling.

Apply an Eyeshadow Primer

Your eyeshadow primer is the step that is going to hold your entire look together. Not only does it help your glitter stick to your lid, but it also helps the color look vibrant all day.

It's fine to use a regular primer, but if you really want to make sure you don't end up with glitter fallout all over your face by the end of the night, it's best to invest in a primer formulated to grip glitter, like the NYX Glitter Primer ($6.50). To apply, squeeze out a tiny, pea-sized or smaller amount onto your finger and gently tap it onto your eyelid.

Prep For Glitter Fallout With an Under-Eye Shield

To catch any glitter fallout and to prevent it from getting all over your face, we also suggest you use an under-eye mask.

They're pretty easy to use—simply remove the sticky backing and apply the patch directly underneath your eyes to catch any fallout that can potentially mess up your whole look. Once you're done with your makeup look, you can simply toss them in the trash.

Apply a Base Shadow

After your eyeshadow primer, apply a base eyeshadow. "My favorite way to create a high-impact glitter look is to use a matte eye paint as a colored primer and then layer glitter straight over it," agrees Davy. Doing so will keep your glitter looking rich and pigmented, absorb any extra oil to prevent creasing, and stop your glitter from smudging or transferring all over your face.

Apply Loose Glitter With a Mixing Liquid and Cotton Swab

If you're using loose glitter, you'll benefit from using a mixing medium, like Mehron's Mixing Liquid, to give glitter a more spreadable consistency that makes for easy application. So, start the application process by dipping your cotton swab into a mixing medium. (Note: You can damp a cotton swab with setting spray if you don't have a mixing medium on hand, but the glitter will have less staying power.)

Then, roll your wet cotton swab in the loose glitter, ensuring that the entire bulb of the cotton swab is covered in glitter. You can use anything from chunky stars to loose glitter powder, like MAC's Glitter ($23).

To create your glitter look, you might opt to create more of a glitter eyeliner look by keeping the pigment closer to the lash line, or you can go full throttle and cover your entire lid in glitter. To create an eyeliner look, tap the glitter onto your eye using patting motions with the cotton swab, moving slowly across your lash line.

To cover the entire lid, Matin says to use a rolling motion to sweep shadow in an upward motion from the lash line to the crease of your eyelid. Using a rolling motion helps to evenly distribute the glitter across your lid, which is often a pain point when it comes to applying loose glitter.

Apply Liquid Glitter With Your Fingers or a Brush

As previously mentioned, most liquid glitter eyeshadows come with an applicator, like e.l.f.'s Glitter Eyeshadow ($6) which makes the process a lot easier. To apply, simply apply the eyeshadow to the lid with the applicator, and gently tap it into your lid or use a flat eyeshadow brush to blend it out.

Apply Pressed Glitter With an Eyeshadow Brush

For a more intense application, Davy says to swipe and pat on the glitter with your finger. For a lighter application, she says to swirl an eyeshadow brush and gently dust all over eyelids. 

Clean Up Any Excess Glitter

You can easily remove any excess or clumped glitter by using the clean end of your cotton swab, just sweep anywhere that's unevenly concentrated. To create sharp edges along the crease or "wing" of the eye, swipe your clean spoolie brush along the desired edge (the soft spirals of your spoolie are extremely effective at picking up glitter from the skin).

Once you have your desired glitter eye look, you'll want to remove any fallout from under your eyes and on your cheeks. Matin has an easy, affordable way to do this: Tape. Using either medical tape (preferred) or basic Scotch tape, simply dab areas (sticky side down) of the skin where there has been glitter fallout. If any tape residue is left on the skin, simply go over this area with micellar water or a makeup remover wipe. Once all of the excess glitter has been removed, go about your normal makeup routine, just be careful not to mess up your glittery lids.