Category: Tutorial

makeup tutorials

2018-04-25 Makeup, Tutorial

Face glitter makeup ideas: 3 easy tutorials

cosmetic glitter for face glitter makeup

Face glitter makeup ideas with three easy tutorials, cosmetic glitter safety tips, and instructions on how to remove glitter from your skin.

Quick answer for face glitter makeup

  • Use only cosmetic-grade glitter on your face, never craft glitter.
  • Use glitter primer or glitter glue on eyelids so glitter stays put and does not fall into your eyes.
  • Use a soft balm or Vaseline-style base for cheekbones, under-eyes, shoulders, and hairline details.
  • Remove most of the glitter with tape or a lint roller before cleansing, so it does not go straight into the sink.

Glitter makeup is as fun as it gets. It is especially popular during festival season, and those dazzling looks can seem more complicated than they are. In reality, a face glitter look can be one of the easiest party looks to do.

I love playing with glitter, and it is uplifting to do on other people too: you get such positive and joyous feedback instantly. Most of us are drawn to shiny things, and having your face literally lit up does work wonders for your mood as well. If you are planning a festival look, you might also like my colorful festival makeup tutorial.

Safety: use cosmetic glitter only

Always use cosmetic-grade glitter, never craft glitter. There is a big difference, and you do not want craft glitter anywhere near your eyes. Check the product label before using glitter near the eye area, and avoid chunky glitter on the waterline or inside the lash line. In this post I used cosmetic-grade glitter and linked a few current product options below.

three face glitter makeup ideas

face glitter makeup placement ideas

3 face glitter makeup ideas

You can apply glitter almost anywhere on your body and hair, but you cannot go wrong with a glitter highlight, sparkly under-eyes, or dazzling eyelids. You can also make different geometrical shapes easily by using tape as your guideline.

The easiest way to apply glitter is Vaseline, but you could try another balm, cream, or wax as well. Glitter glues and glitter primers are perfect for this job, but not everyone has one ready in the drawer. I have to say that NYX Glitter Primer is a must-have for me. I do not only use it for glitter, but for sparkly eyeshadows as well. It gives the perfect base for anything sparkly.

Links to current glitter products can be found near the end of this post.

face glitter highlight and geometric glitter makeup
Two glitter looks I did: for Eve, I did a classic glitter highlight on the cheek and then covered her chest in glitter. For Risto I used tape to get a sharp edge.

Glitter eyelids

You need: glitter glue, flat brushes, and cosmetic glitter.

turquoise glitter eyelids

step by step turquoise glitter eyelid tutorial

How to: First apply some glitter glue on your lids. Get an even layer and blend it towards the brow bone. Then apply the glitter of your choice. I used a flat brush for this as well. I used turquoise glitter first and then silver glitter on the edges, so it looks like a gradient. If you prefer a more perfected look, apply a matching eyeshadow under the glitter so that no skin shows through.

Note: Vaseline is not enough for eyelids. Use a proper glitter glue or glitter primer for this look. The base needs to be sticky and long-lasting so the glitter does not fall into your eyes.

Glitter under-eyes

You need: Vaseline, brushes or fingers, and cosmetic glitter.

glitter under-eye makeup

silver and turquoise glitter under the eyes

two step glitter under-eye makeup tutorial

How to: Apply Vaseline under your eyes where you want the glitter to stick. Try to blend the edges by tapping. Then apply the glitter of your choice. I have found that mixing two colors and different sizes works best. I applied bigger glitter in the center and finer glitter on the edges to get a gradient look.

You could use glitter glue for this, but since the skin around the eyes is thin and sensitive, I prefer Vaseline. It is easier to remove and it does not feel as dry as glitter glue might.

Glitter highlight

You need: Vaseline and cosmetic glitter.

silver glitter highlight on cheekbone

how to apply glitter highlight

How to: Apply Vaseline as your highlight and blend the edges. Then apply your glitter. You can use your fingers and tap it on, or use brushes. You can do this look with just one glitter or mix a few different glitters. I used silver glitter, which reflects light and looks colorful, and a very fine white iridescent glitter on the bottom. For regular glow placement, see my guide on how to highlight your face.

finished glitter highlight makeup

Where to buy cosmetic glitter

*Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk. Product links were checked on 25 May 2026, but availability can change.

Here are a few options for cosmetic glitter and glitter primer. I mostly use and buy glitters from the Finnish makeup artist behind Glitternisti, and I prefer biodegradable glitter when possible.

How to remove glitter makeup from your skin

Removing glitter from your skin takes patience. Especially if you are not using biodegradable glitter, this is the one time you need to focus. Glitter is messy, so you need to be careful with both application and removal so it does not end up in the ecosystem. These tips might not be the gentlest for your skin, but I think a little inconvenience is better than washing glitter straight down the sink.

My glitter removal tools:

  1. Lint roller
  2. Tape
  3. Cotton pads and makeup remover, micellar water, or toner
  4. Makeup wipes

I have found that using just cotton pads or makeup wipes is a waste of time. I want to lift off most of the glitter first. Lint rollers and tape grab glitter better than cotton pads, and then you can throw the used tape in the trash. Always finish with makeup remover and skincare so your skin does not get irritated.

removing glitter makeup with tape before cleansing

Here I first removed most of the glitter with tape. When there were only a few sparkles left, I used a cotton pad and makeup remover.

finished silver face glitter makeup
Thanks again sisters for being my models!

More party makeup ideas

So, are you ready to sparkle? Any glitter events coming up?

2018-04-18 Tutorial

Colorful festival makeup tutorial

festival makeup colors tutorial

Spring and summer are full of fun festivities and for me the best part about any party or festival is obviously makeup. Festival makeup can be bold, colorful and different.

In this post I will show you step by step how to create this colorful rainbow on your eyelids. I know it looks complex, but it’s actually very simple and easy to do! Easy? Yes, it really is. Even a beginner can manage this, I dare say. Especially, if you follow my tips on how to blend different colors together and how to pull of a colorful look.

Sidenote: the little unicorn inside me gets very happy, when seeing this many colors.

festival makeup look

colorful festival makeup tutorial

festival makeup tutorial

Colorful festival makeup tutorial

  1. Prime your eyelids and set the primer.
  2. Contour the eye just a little bit using a light shade, that is close to your own skin color. I used a light peachy shade. This also gives a nice base to all the colors and makes them look like they fade gradually towards the brow.
  3. Start applying the colors one by one. Use tapping motions and let those taps do the blending for you. The only color you’re really gonna blend is the very first one: orange. You want to make the ‘tail’ of your eyeshadow nice and smooth, so go ahead and blend it to the shape that you want.
  4. When you’re done with all the colors (on your lower lashline as well!), go ahead and make a black liner. You can make it sharp, or smoky, as I did here. Apply your mascara and lashes and you are done!

I paired this eye look with orange lips. You could go for nude lips, but choosing a color from the eye makeup looks very nice! Additional glitter won’t hurt you either.

colorful eyeshadow tutorial

Color placement.
The lightest shade right below the brow bone is the transition color. I used a light peachy shade. It gives some definition to the eye and a nice base for all the colors. Then my main colors were: orange, pink, blue and yellow. I used the tiniest amount of rose gold between the orange and the pink, just to make them blend together even more seamlessly. I also applied a tiny amount of lavender between pink and blue. On hindsight, I should have applied some green between blue and yellow too.

Using these ‘additional’ colors between the ‘main’ colors, makes them blend together more seamlessly, since the additional color already contains both of those colors a little. For example rose gold already has some pink and some orange in it. Obviously you could just blend these colors together too, but this way you get more control over the colors and how they act.

colorful eye makeup

How to blend different colors together, when doing a colorful look?

When you’re doing a colorful look, there are just a few things you should keep in mind.

First of all: don’t blend too much. I know it’s usually all about blending and swiping and windshield motions and what not. But this time I will say to you: don’t blend! If you blend all these crazy colors together, they might look muddy and messy. Especially if they don’t naturally fit together. Instead – do small tapping motions and let those taps do the blending for you. In this look I did a very minimal blending job by tapping my brush gently.

So do this: take some color to your brush and start applying it right where you want the color to be most pigmented (right next to the lashline).Then once your brush only has some color left in it, start to move towards the edges.

Second: use black. Black eyeshadow or black liner is meant for saving any colorful look. You can use all the colors of the rainbow, as long as you pull the look together using black. It somehow makes all the difference in the world and even in this tutorial you can see how big of a difference a black liner and black lashes make.

Third: every color needs it’s own brush. Don’t even think about getting away with just one or two brushes! In this makeup look I used a new brush for every color: so seven altogether! Or actually eight, if you count the brush I used to blend the light peach base color, before starting to apply the actual colors.

colorful festival makeup

Thank you sister for being my model! Do you see the resemblance in us?

Btw, if you haven’t already participated, check out the giveaway I have going on right now – it’s international and all you need to do is comment on the blog post.

If this makeup is too bold for you, check out my other tutorials including this ‘Colorful, but wearable makeup tutorial’. There’s also one for blue eyes, where I used brown and gold tones, so it’s definitely wearable as well: Makeup for blue eyes.

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