The grown-up way to wear sparkly make-up
In this regular series, Ageless Beauty, The Telegraph’s beauty experts Annabel Jones and Lisa Armstrong tackle the conundrums they’ve been searching for answers to, and share their favourite tips and tricks.
This week, they discuss the one thing women get wrong with glittery makeup. Ask them your questions below...
As you do, I found myself down a YouTube rabbithole the other night watching early Debbie Harry videos. There’s one of her singing Atomic and wearing so much shimmery, wet-looking makeup you feel you could almost dive into her face. It looks beautiful. But then she’s Debbie Harry and, at that point, in her early 30s… it’s not a look to reference wholesale, but there are definitely elements. Think Debbie, act You.
Shiny lids can look beautiful at any age. I would avoid actual glitter, not just because it can get stuck in fine lines but because it’s the kind of gimmicky makeup trend that’s fun and charming on 20-somethings but looks jarring when you’re older.
For me in my 60s, the aim of any makeup I apply is to look rested and uplifted, physiognomy and spirit-wise. No one wants to hang out with Debbie Downer. I’m definitely not talking about fox eyes, but if you combine highlighter round your temples and at the tips of your cheekbones with some blusher and bronzer (minimal touches and well blended) you can enhance your bone structure.
I’ve never really liked wearing foundation and now don’t bother. There are so many other options. A non-greasy moisturiser that doesn’t pull will plump out the skin – DoSe, at £15, is a great choice and creates a good base for Merit’s gorgeous Great Skin Serum, £40, a sheer provider of glowy skin. Very current-period Pamela Anderson.
Then you can just add Victoria Beckham’s The Concealer Pen with TC8 – it’s like Touche Éclat, i.e. highlighter and concealer, but with skincare. Dot under the eyes, not too close to the lower rim, under the brows and in the marionette lines and blend to add a subtle glow. To set it, try RMS Beauty’s Clean Formulation, Hydra setting powder, £40
Then it’s about defining the eyes. Thanks to the tutorial Annabel and I had with Hermès a few months ago, I’ve become much more confident about lining my upper lids. Prada’s eye palette in Pulse is perfect for blue eyes: two shades of soft , iridescent brown, plus a dark matt brown for lining the lid, and an orange. You might think you’ll never use orange, but a blended dot at the centre of the eyelid really helps make everything pop. I do mean blend – you shouldn’t be able to see discernible orange when you’ve finished. It’s pricey but really is superb – the softest, longest-lasting powder with the best colour depth I’ve come across. Save on your mascara and lipsticks – there are some brilliant bargain buys. Telegraph makeup artist Oonagh Connor swears by Maybelline’s gold Kajal pencil, while No7’s Moisture Drench lipsticks combine the right level of shine in lovely colours. If more sparkle is required, CND’s long-lasting Vinylux It’s Getting Golder nail polish delivers a flattering, classy hit of metallic.
“I get the urge to put something glittery on my eyes at this time of year,” a colleague confided in me, before asking if it was age-appropriate to do so.
If Gregg Wallace has taught us anything, it is that ageism is a hard no. In other words, if sprinkling some sparkle on a weary complexion gives you joy, then by all means adorn away.
I’m naturally drawn to sparkly things, though ever since I discovered the nuances within the product category, I’ve learnt how to amp up my makeup without looking like cheap tinsel.
Glitter in its raw form has a rebellious way of settling in creases and dropping below its intended location. Therefore I now lean towards products with a balmy iridescence, a subset of sparkle that quietly stays in its place.
In the main I quench my thirst to glisten with no more than a highlighting balm, which I apply to the very tops of my cheekbones, my eyelids, the tip of my nose and crest of my cupid’s bow.
The subtlest of all highlighting balms is Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlight Stick, £44. The next level up is Merit’s Day Glow Highlighting Balm, £34, which comes in four shades to suit varying skin tones. Meanwhile Glossier’s Haloscope Dew Effect Highlighter, £22, is a nifty invention that blends a solid clear balm with an outer core of powdered crystals that conditions the skin while imparting a see-through glimmer to the high points of the face. I like the shade Moonstone for its pearlescent after-glow effect. I’m also fond of Tower 28’s SuperDew Highlighter Balm, £19, as it’s subtly effective and reasonably priced.
Eyes are the obvious zone for glitter but this is where things can fall apart. A sparkly eyeshadow in powder form is treacherous on eyelids that aren’t smooth enough to anchor the product in a seamless manner. Thus I avoid them at all costs.
A less passé alternative is a liquid shadow or eyeliner strewn with finely milled shimmer particles. Jones Road’s Sparkle Wash, £24, provides a sheen of glimmer that can be spread finely with a finger on bare skin or over a plain neutral eyeshadow. Like Lisa, I too am a fan of the brand’s Miracle Balm in Happy Hour, but Sparkle Wash is slightly more intentional.
Otherwise, I use Maybelline’s Space Diamond Top Coat Mascara, £12.99 (never do both together). It sounds gimmicky, but when the rest of your makeup is pared back to nothing but a sparing application of concealer and a matte nude lipstick, a coat of this over your usual black – even if it’s just the tips of your lashes – is so magically simple, you’ll thank me for the tip-off.
Let’s not forget nails, which get a hall pass when it comes to bling. For a quick splash of phosphorescence, get a high-glisten nail polish with a clear base and coat the nail of your ring finger as many times as you see fit. If you’ve already been for a gel manicure, even better, as a store-bought lacquer can be removed without disrupting the colour underneath. This means you can play around with varying degrees of sparkle depending on what you’re wearing – which, by the way, should be considered when deciding how much is too much twinkle.
Bottom line: Let out your inner showgirl. Just stick with balms and glosses. They’re hard to get wrong.
