Is the New Glossy Eyelid Trend Actually Wearable?
As a beauty writer and blogger, I am always eager to try out the latest beauty craze.
I started seeing glossy eyelids popping up on Instagram late last year on some of my favorite makeup artists and beauty pages (shout out to @KatieJaneHughes and @Glossier) and I knew instantly I wanted to try it out myself.
With something like a glossy lid, there are choices–lots of choices. Do I want to go for a clear gloss, or something more colorful, like lilac?
Or how about something dark and vampy, like a charcoal or light gray?
I love the grungy, charcoal eye gloss but I quickly decided that it's a bit too intense for my personal taste and makeup aesthetic—and tbh looks like it could get messy real fast—so I opted to go the freshest route possible with clear, glossy lids.
But, how to create the clear glossy lid brings me to another set of choices. Do I go with a DIY concoction or go purchase an actual eye gloss? Because I decided to go with clear, I opted to go for a DIY version with things I already had at home… aka clear lip gloss.
So going to try out this trend #glossylids ⚡️
Note to self: You can't just put any lip gloss on your lids and expect to look like a Vogue spread. After a bit of trial and error, I figured out how to pull off the look without feeling like my eyelids were going to permanently stick to my brow bone every time I blinked (because, yes that did happen to me the first time I tried it).
Step 1: Eyeshadow
Even if you are going for a clear, glossy look, you still need to prep the lid with a shadow to keep everything in place. This is also the way you can get a jolt of color, like blue or black! I went with a shadow in a light taupe shade.
Step 2: Gloss
Here comes the fun part! Apply gloss to your eye lid by tapping it on with your finger. I used Glossier's Balm Dotcom (the second time) because it's not super duper sticky, but you can also go with a lip gloss, like MAC's lip glass.
If you do decide to go the gloss route, make sure you choose one that isn't too liquidy and stays in place. This was where I went wrong the first go around and my lids were an ooey goey mess. Another expert tip—avoid the crease! It sounds weird, but the crease is the area where you really notice the stickiness, so I like to dab the balm onto the lid and right above the crease, leaving the actual crease balm free.
Alright, so you're probably wondering—how wearable is this? I'll be honest, I really don't like things that feel sticky, and even when I used a balm and avoided the crease, I still kind of felt like my eyes were going to get stuck every time I went to blink, so about three times every minute. Would I wear this on the reg? Absolutely not. But, I can totally see myself wearing this for a fun night out, or even for a blog shoot. I've been known to sacrifice comfort for a great heel or makeup look every now and then.
And if there is a next time, I'm totally going for a crazy color, like electric blue! If you do decide to try out this makeup look, tag @SweetyHigh and @allisonmcnamara on Instagram so I can see how it turned out!
Want to try out another cool beauty look? HERE is a step-by-step guide on how to nail the snow bunny makeup trend.