Looking to park your brown matte eyeshadow for the summer, and go for something a little more playful and – dare we say – fun? Exciting? A little bit... festive?
Well, it's time to become re-acquainted with metallics, friend. Remember them?! Because they're back. And they're having a serious moment right now – just in time for party season.
Whether you want to go for something bronze, silver or glittery gold, the metallic eye makeup trend is both flattering and chic – and perfect for every festive event.
Watch: Bridal makeup artist Natalie Wright teaches us her techniques for a smoky eye with a twist... there's no black eyeshadow in sight. Post continues below.
"Nearly every party or festive-season eye look involves metallic or shimmery shadows," shared celebrity makeup artist Michael Brown. "But not all people can wear shimmer the same as others due to eye shape, and that textured eye skin that comes with ageing."
The good news? It's a super-versatile trend, and there are a few easy ways to incorporate it into your look, whether you want to go bold or subtle.
Brown said, "If you want to 'dress up' your eye makeup look this party season, I've pulled together four different ways to get the best effects to suit different eyes in shape and age."
So grab that jazzy eyeshadow palette and let's go!
1. Metallic pressed into eyelid.
For a classic high-impact look, Brown said to apply a pigmented metallic eyeshadow straight onto your lids with your fingers (or a brush), pressing it into your entire lid.
"This technique works on the majority of eyes, and the eye look can be seen when looking down/blinking and slightly visible when eyes are open," he said. "Keeping the metallic very concentrated on the mobile eyelid, with the eye socket shaded for lift/definition is the most balanced and traditional effect."
You can also add some pigment below the lower lash line, depending on how bold you want to go.
If you're looking for metallic shadow options, we like Revlon ColorStay Crème Eyeshadow, $9.99, and Trinny London Eyetallics, $40.
If you're a powder girl and want to go a little bougie, you could go for something like Dior DiorShow Fusion Mono Long-Wear Eyeshadow, $55 or Hermes Ombres d'Hermès Eye Shadow Quartet, $175.
2. Vertical shimmer.
If you want to create an open and lifted eye, this one's for you. "This works on upper eye areas with a larger space from lash to brow," explained Brown.
"Perfect for Asian eyes and vertically wide eyes with lots of space. Rather than applying metallics to the whole mobile eyelid, keep this super central and use fingertip to literally sweep vertically to create a central longer highlight."
The result? Bigger, brighter eyes.
"This means the highlight is visible even when eyes are open. The eye socket is still defined, but the very centre of the eye socket is open and lifted."
3. Metallic liner.
"This technique is for someone who does not have a strong or very defined mobile eyelid/eye socket. It's perfect for hooded eyes or mature, ageing [crepey] eyelid skin," said Brown.
Using shimmer and metallic can often put focus on ageing skin, he explained, or can end up highlighting an area that needs to be shaded to appear deeper.
The answer? Metallic liner.
"I recommend keeping the majority of the eyelid and eye socket shaded and only use a metallic shadow or liner at the upper lash line, not creeping up too much into the eyelid area," said Brown.
"This will guarantee the metallic is only lifting the lash line area and not disturbing other parts of the eye that need more matte tones for lift and definition."
If you're looking for some metallic liner options, we recommend checking out Stila Stay All Day® ArtiStix Graphic Liner, $38, or NYX Cosmetics Epic Wear Metallic Liquid Liner, $11.
4. The inner tear duct spotlight
"For very heavy-lidded eyes, aged/mature eyes, or those with basically no eyelid space at all, the inner tear duct of an eye is always exposed can be highlighted with metallics to get that party-eye inspo," said Brown.
Try keeping the rest of the eye matte for definition and contrast, he added, using a brighter metallic shade to trace the outline of the inner tear duct to create the look.
"The brighter and more metallic, the better the party-eye look will be.
"This will give this eye shape the opportunity to have a dual-toned eye makeup look and it can elongate the eyes, making them look wider for extra shape. (Just be careful if your eyes are already very wide set!)."
Would you wear metallic eyeshadow? Why/why not? Share your thoughts on your favourite party season makeup below.
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Feature image credit: Instagram; Grece Ghanem/@greceghanem.
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