Aside from easier clean-up, DiStasio says that when she applies eyeshadow first, her final look ends up being lighter and more natural, especially when she’s going for the no-makeup makeup look. “When you do your face first, you end up wanting to clean your canvas, wipe off all imperfections and end up losing focus that you don’t need to perfect everything — imperfections are beautiful,” says DiStasio. “When you play up the eyes first, you’ll realize you don’t need ten pounds of concealer, but just a little bit of coverage.” She explains that when you place the focus on the eyes, you re-adjust how much foundation or concealer you think you need.
Another reason the makeup artists are on the eyeshadow first team? It gives them the freedom to experiment with their look and build up or emphasize different features as they work. “If I’m going to do a smoky eye, I’ll allow myself to build it up gradually rather than putting black all over off the bat,” says DiStasio. “Let’s say I decide to do a red lip and add more blush, I’ll leave the eye on the lighter, smoky side. But, if I decide on a nude lip, I’ll amp up the eye some more.”
The Argument: Apply Foundation Before Eyeshadow
While both makeup artists are on board with the eyeshadow first technique, I’m here to pose a counterargument. I wear eyeshadow day in and day out — mostly of the glitter variety — and I’ve never once done my eyeshadow before my foundation. My reasoning? It’s simply unnecessary. My everyday eyeshadow is either going to be a light neutral wash across my lid (maybe from my bronzer or blush palette) or a densely packed glitter pigment that I apply with my finger. Not only is it easier (and much quicker) for me to do my eyeshadow and bronzer all at once, but I rarely find myself dealing with any fallout. And if I do, I’ll simply wipe it away with a fan-like brush, use a tweezer to pick up glitter pigments or gently (I repeat: gently) pick up fallout with some tape. Easy as can be.
Another reason I like to work on my face first? It seems more natural to work from larger to smaller. I love beauty and can confidently navigate my way around a makeup bag, but I’m not a professional makeup artist. I find it a tad difficult to visualize what I want my eyeshadow to look like when my complexion is bare. Having my brows shaped and my concealer applied makes it much easier to decipher how high up my eyeshadow should go and how thick I want my eyeliner or shadow to be below my lash line.
What’s more, if I do eyeshadow first and then have to go back and apply my under-eye concealer (which I use a lot of), I find myself messing up my eyeshadow, smudging my lines and messing just about everything up. Maybe it’s just my personal preference, but I find the foundation first method to be way easier. To each their own, right?
As far as makeup goes, glitter eyeshadow undoubtedly create some of the most fun and irresistible looks. The shimmer and shine glitter picks up on every time it catches the light is universally alluring—it's nearly impossible to avoid looking at. It's no wonder glitter makeup is such a staple in the queer community, and we love its more-recent renaissance in light of the Euphoria effect. In short: we love glitter makeup, so we had to learn how to apply glitter eyeshadow.
First things first: there are different types of glitter eyeshadow. There's pressed glitter (which looks like your traditional eyeshadow compact), liquid glitter (basically just a liquid eyeshadow and typically comes with its own applicator which makes it easy to use), and loose glitter (the messiest type—it's glitter in dry form and really delivers on the pigment). Each type of eyeshadow creates a different type of look—from subtle to bold—and has slightly different application methods.
To understand how to best apply all types of glitter eyeshadow, we tapped two celebrity makeup artists and asked them for their step-by-step tips. So, even if you're a experimenting with glitter for the first time and/or are a makeup newbie, the application process only take a few minutes. Keep reading for their tips—you'll be shining in no time.
Meet the Expert
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Click Play to Watch MUA Matin's Glitter Eyeshadow Tutorial