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Rant & Rave: Glitter Eyeshadow

Tell us what you love and hate about...

Glitter Eyeshadow

I love the concept but am not so keen on the removal nor the wear (without a good adhesive primer/base!). The removal, though, keeps me from wearing it that often by choice.

— Christine

34 Comments

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AB Avatar

I just don’t have circumstances where I’d use it; I venture into ‘really shimmery’ territory only now and then as it is. Were I to have an opportunity, I’d probably not use it anyway because of the hassle factor.

Julia Avatar

I love shimmer, but I leave true “glitter” shadows to instagrammers who only have to look good for one shot. It looks pretty, but it never stays where it should and I hate fallout. Undereye sparkles look messy!

embriellon Avatar

Agree! I was just about to mention the LIT glitter base. LIT cosmetics lives up to all its claims. I used to have a video of swatches on my hand that I briskly rubbed with my finger under running water. Virtually NO glitter transfer with that waterproof base. A bit pricey but they have plenty of colors AND sizes, and that base is magical.

Deborah S. Avatar

I rarely use glitter. I like shimmer and shine but dealing with glitter is really a pain and there really isn’t anywhere in Montana that calls for a full out glitter fest.

Agona Avatar

I like very sparkly eye shadows that only require primer; if the chunks are so large that it’s literally glitter and requires adhesive, that’s too much work IMO unless you were a performer or something.

Nancy T Avatar

Rave: I love how beautiful it can look when I do a spotlight effect on my mobile lid or as a transformer over eyeliner! Just so pretty how it sparkles! My favorite ones are UD Moondust. ?

Rant: Removal at the end of the day. I don’t care how well I clean it off, there will still be particles left, and not necessarily near my eyes, either! Plus, it’s not exactly comfortable removing it, because I suffer from dry eyes and they are a bit sensitive, too.

Rachel R. Avatar

Rant: Messy to use, lots of fall out, and hard to clean up. Often with powder glitter shadows, the glitter is not really bound to the base. I usually go for super-shimmery over glittery.

Rave: They look really pretty and are a fun change of pace. My favorites are ColourPop’s, because the glitter is bound to the shadow really well, and I don’t have the mess and fallout that I do with others.

Jill Avatar

It often looks messy and frankly it looks silly on anyone over age 25. I’m sure I’ll get flamed for that because this is, after all, a makeup blog and a more adventurous crowd makeup-wise, but the truth is most people think you look silly wearing glitter after a certain age, and it’s certainly not appropriate in any professional setting.

Blue Avatar

I agree that it goes against conventions of professional makeup, but disagree with the implication that flashy, fun makeup is silly looking on people firmly into their adult years. Similar to things like short skirts, I’m uneasy with it being somehow more acceptable on someone very young than on someone who is more mature (both in years and outlook).

Betty Avatar

No way for all the same reasons others mentioned, just not worth the trouble when shimmers look great and are easy to work with and remove.

Mariella Avatar

Fallout, fallout, fallout, especially the type that defies removal – you can’t brush/swipe it away and about the only way to remove it from your under-eye area is with a loop of sticky tape (and sometimes, even that won’t do it). Fallout that continues to snow down all day (even after you’ve taken care of the mess during application) is the WORST

Shannon. N Avatar

I like em! I use a tack cream base, then gently pat the glittery shadow ontop; and as long as Im careful I get little to none fall out!!

I use a lotiony, non foaming cleanser to remove my makeup, and i massage that into my skin and eyes at the end of the day, and I never have ended up with irritated eyes!

Blue Avatar

I don’t reach for it often, but I’m pro-glitter. I’m also quirky in that a little bit of fallout often doesn’t bother me (from UD Sidecar e/s, for example) and can even add to the look in a kind of undone, glam rock kind of way.

Tammy Avatar

I love the look of glitter eyeshadow on people of any age. I really liked the little pot of glitter dust that came with the Too Faced × Vegas Nay Palette; just a tiny little dab over any eyeshadow had a really pretty effect. Now that I’ve been reading this thread I’m going to try to find it so I can wear it today!

Holly Avatar

I love UD Sidecar and Chopper. They look beautiful on. But I don’t wear them because of fallout. I can’t stand glitter on my face.

Stephanie Avatar

Rave: I love glitter so very much. I can’t help it!

Rant: The fallout and extra work associated with preventing fallout (setting spray on the brush, glitter glue, etc). It’s also not suitable for some settings/occasions.

Rant (of a different kind): I’m 38, not on Instagram/YouTube, live in the southern US, and I’m a mom…And not a one of these is a compelling reason to give up glitter, at least for me. If you’re not comfortable wearing it yourself, that’s great! You should absolutely wear what makes you feel good…Just forget the arbitrary age-based standards and don’t worry about what’s on my face, aiight? ?

sleepybird Avatar

My favorite glitter shadow I use is the Touch in Sol duo I got from Sephora. The metallic cream base and glitter topper have such a fine grained sparkle that it still looks flattering on my 45 y.o. eyes. And zero fallout! I also have a liquid moondust from UD that i like but it has a bit more fallout. At least it is still delicate. I think it’s just chunky glitter that is best left to the young ones.

Emilie Avatar

I love the look and I love how shiny you can get glitter shadows with a glitter adhesive/primer (I won’t use them without and I don’t know how anyone else does…) I don’t like the fallout and I don’t like that the glitter ends up all over my face when I try to remove it at the end of the day with a wipe.

Alecto Avatar

I despise glitter. I have some very lovely eyeshadows that have the most amazing base, highlights, etc., but also have some glitter, and when I’m putting them on, and then looking at myself throughout the day, there’s this exhausting ping-pong effect of love-hate between the base and the glitter. Emotional whiplash — it’s exhausting. And btw, I’m not talking about chunky glitter, which I won’t come within a mile of, I’m talking about fine, even very fine, glitter.

I wish there were such a thing as a glitter magnet that I could wave above my eyeshadows and suck the glitter out of them. 🙁

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