Goodbye clean girls, hello maximalism. Bold face beats have always been here, but no one’s been the same since Zara Larsson’s looks on the Midnight Sun tour. Come April, Euphoria will return with season 3. Between the 10-year anniversary of the cut crease and Donni Davy’s dreamy make-up looks, it’s undeniable—we’re in the mood for glitter make-up.
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And yes, that means you can dust off the eyeshadow palettes. In 2016, we were putting glitter in the centre of the lids and the inner corners, or sweeping it across the cheekbones to strobe them. While it’s clear that some beauty fiends are calling for the return of the concealer-defined eye, there are so many other ways that glitter can be worn to express every kind of mood and feeling.
After the reign of five-minute GRWMs and pared-back looks, we are now looking for artistry. Below, see the new ways that everybody is wearing glitter—and if you were looking to refresh your look, this is your sign to give one of these a try.
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Ice, ice baby
Britney’s fire engine red lycra jumpsuit might be the first thing we remember from the ‘Oops!…I Did It Again’ music video, but it was her frosted lids that cemented the look. Seen on the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé and Paris Hilton, frosty eyes defined an era—and it’s back to define this one too. Whether you’re opting for silver, baby blue, or a mix of both, the glacial look will enlarge the eyes and open up your visage.
If it’s your first venture into icy terrain, try concentrating silver glitter in the inner corners, or take a sparkly blue eyeliner to the waterline for an arctic touch. To update the Y2K look, keep the glitter to the centre of the lids and have fun with your white eyeshadow placement to create a halo effect.
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Technicolour drenching
Forget the eyeshadow rules you learnt from the leaflet of your first-ever eyeshadow palette. The professionals and gurus have spoken, and it’s clear that glitter doesn’t always have to be neutral-hued, nor confined to the inner two-thirds of the eye.
In the world of Rowi Singh, Sophia Sinot and maximalist makeup, glitter is everywhere: on the cheekbones, beneath the brows (sometimes even in them) and pressed into the inner parts of the nose bridge. As for the types of colours you can use, the answer is: anything goes. The time for restraint is over, and it’s all about experimenting with every single colour in your 16-pan eyeshadow palettes. A tip from the pros? Let tape or cotton buds dipped in micellar water carve out new shapes and silhouettes on the eyelids.
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Multiverse of textures
The traditional formulations—shimmer, frost and loose glitters—may have stood the test of time, but it’s 2026 and the glitter technology is here to impress. Glossy lids may not be a new thing, but you no longer need to use Aquaphor or Vaseline to create it. From liquid-metal creams to duo-chrome pigments, brands like Pat McGrath Labs and Kaleidos deliver wet-effect shine designed to mimic light dancing across the water.
Beyond the eyes, adding glitter to your go-to lip combo will instantly imbue it with a shine that’s detectable from outer space. To start, tap a little eyeshadow onto the centre of your lips and top it off with clear lipgloss.
