We all remember, sometimes not so fondly, our middle school days, and in particular our middle school fashion choices. My school had a very strict dress code, and on the weekends I chose to rebel, much to my mother’s dismay, by sporting cut-off jean skirts, overpriced Abercrombie & Fitch shirts with precious slogans such as “My Boyfriend is Cuter Than Yours,” despite the fact that I did not have a boyfriend, and last but not least, loads of sparkly eyeshadow in unflattering combinations of white, blue, and green. As I look back on these days with a laugh and a shutter, I realize that the reason I may sometimes shy away from sparkles in my eye makeup is due to my sparkle faux pas of the past. However, the sparkly genre of eye makeup should not be stereotyped into the category of “middle school” or “heinous” where it is sometimes mistakenly placed. In fact, when done correctly, sparkly eye makeup can look downright chic, especially during the holiday season.
A few tricks to keep your sparkles classy, not trashy, courtesy of Refinery 29 are as follows: 1. Keep color (and sparkles) on your lids only, do not extend to your browbone. 2. Mix a loose shimmer powder into your foundation, and apply to the “high points” of your face, such as your cheekbones and down the center of your nose. My favorite shimmer is Laura Mercier Loose Shimmer Powder in Star Dust. The powder can be applied over foundation, rather than mixed in, and gives the skin a soft glow without too much sparkle. My favorite “classy” sparkle eye shadow is NARS Shimmer Eyeshadow in Bombshell, available in 25 different shades. The shadow provides a sexy light-reflecting shimmer without overdoing the sparkle. Although we can’t go back and erase our middle school mistakes, we can choose to shimmer now in a classy, age-appropriate and festive way, with plenty of sparkles and without Abercrombie & Fitch.
Amy is a senior at the University of Georgia studying Advertising, Spanish, and New Media. She has a passion for all things fashion and style related, and hopes to start her career in the fashion industry following graduation.
Amy B. has 17 post(s) on RTR On Campus
