The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer | Styled By Lauren

Glittery and sparkly infused makeup products are always quite like marmite in the beauty world. You either love a little sparkle or you really don’t. I for one definitely love it! Although at Christmas time it really is the excuse to drown yourself in glitter and sparkly stuff and no one will even bat an eyelid. Glitter might seem a little scary for some but there is some easy ways to add a little sparkle to your look. I’ve rounded up some of my favourite ways to add that sparkle and shine to your festive beauty routine…

Base Products

Adding anything glittery or sparkly to your base is always a bit intimidating but there is easy ways to do it without looking like you’ve used one of those glitter roller-balls (remember those!?). Highlighters are a completely obvious one. When it comes to going out or particularly at Christmas time I always look out my most intense highlighters. I am currently loving the Mary Lou-Manizer which adds a gorgeous sheen to the cheekbones without adding large flecks of glitter. If you want to see more of my highlighter picks check out my edit here.

Blush is also a great way to add a little glimmer to your cheeks without overdoing it. Nars Orgasm is a classic, a gorgeous rose pink shade with gold shimmer running through it. A lot of people find the gold shimmer off-putting but it isn’t really detectable on the skin, it adds a beautiful glow to the cheeks. The Hourglass blushes are also another great pick as they have highlighting properties to really brighten your appearance.

Eye Products

Eyeshadow is one of my favorite ways to add a little shimmer to my look. I am forever a shimmer over matte kinda gal when it comes to eye products so I have quite a lot of products that fit the bill. One of the best products to really get your glitter on is Pigments. They always appear like they are a right hassle although after trying a couple from Mac I am totally obsessed and don’t really find them too much bother! Mac have a great variety of shades and they look super beautiful and intense on the lid. I talked about my pigment set here. I totally now have my eye on Mac Copper Sparkle and I also so need Vanilla, what a gorgeous inner corner highlight!

I also have a couple of gorgeous sparkly shades from Nars. The first being from the Steven Klein collection, Stud, a gorgeous pewter bronze shade which is one of the most beautiful eyeshadows I have ever seen. I spoke about it here but it is definitely a must have and a fail safe option when in doubt! I also picked up one of the cream eyeshadows from Nars last year, the shade Interstellar which is a gorgeous metallic silver shade which is great if you are more into your silvery shades rather than gold tones. The formula is also super creamy and the shade is greatly pigmented too!

Nail Polish

A completely fail safe option for adding glitter, probably my favourite too! I love a good bit of glitter on my nails whether its all over as a top coat or as an accent nail for just a subtle hint of sparkle! I spoke about the Nails Inc x Alice and Olivia set here which holds one of the most beautiful gold glitters. The shade Gold Goddess is perfect for the festive season and can be built up to a fully opaque finish. Another great glitter option comes from Essie who have a great range of sparkly shades. I picked up Summit of Style which is from last year’s winter collection although can still be picked up from Amazon. This is one I know I will be wearing over the Christmas period as an accent nail teamed with probably something berry toned!

How do you get your glitter on?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

If there is one type of makeup product I have always had a strong love for it is highlighter. I just love that glowy and sparkly look. With Christmas time upon us, there is no time better than present to get that highlight on ‘fleek’! I’ve gathered quite a few highlighters in my collection and thought I would give you a little look at some of my favourites. I’ve split my highlighters into categories due to their formula so you will find cream-based, liquid and powder highlighters in my edit as well as a mix of drugstore and high end products. Time to get that highlight on!

Cream Highlighters

Cream based highlights are great for the warmer seasons and are a great convenient way to highlight. Both my picks are from Topshop and are two of my all time favourites.

Topshop Glow Stick in Play-up – This was probably my first ever highlight purchase if I can remember rightly. It is also my most used with only a tiny amount of product left. The shade is a gorgeous pearl-y champagne colour and is great for people with fair skin. The wind up stick is super easy and great for on the go as you can simply swipe it directly onto the cheekbones and pat in with your finger. The formula is super creamy too and sits beautifully on the skin. It is also a total bargain at £10.

Topshop Glow Pot in Polished – A very similar highlighter to Play up although this is in a pot form and more creamier. This is one of my all time favourites, it offers again a pearl-y white highlight shade which is much more intense. I like to apply this highlighter using my fingers and just dab it on to my skin for a gorgeous radiant glow.

Liquid Highlighters

Similar to cream products, liquid highlighters offer a gorgeous glow perfect for the summertime. I have a high end favourite and a more budget friendly alternative.

Nars Illuminator in Copacabana – I am a huge fan of Nars as a brand and nothing has seemed to disappoint me so far so this highlighter is no exception. It offers a gorgeous pearl-y pink shade that looks super dewy and fresh on the skin. It is a great one if you are looking for something natural and glowy. With a 30ml size tube, it lasts for ages as you only need a tiny drop.

Seventeen Skin Wow! Primer – This drugstore highlighter is a great dupe for the Nars option. It offers a very similar product although I would say the Nars one is slightly more pigmented whereas this is more of a subtle sheen. Although this highlighter is marketed as being a 3 use product by being a highlighter, primer or mixed in with foundation. Applied as a highlighter it offers a gorgeous natural healthy glow.

Powder Highlighters

Probably my favourite type of highlighter from the bunch. I love the intense look on the skin that a powder formulation offers and my two picks definitely offer that.

The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer – One of the most talked about highlighters in the beauty world. Surprisingly one I only picked up last month! This is totally worth the hype though! A gorgeous gold-y champagne shade that is super intense on the skin. The formula is super smooth and applies beautifully! It also isn’t too badly priced either so definitely one I suggest picking up especially if you have fair skin!

Becca Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal – Becca highlighters are also another well hyped product and one I had only tried recently. As part of their Christmas offering this year I picked up a little mini in the set I spoke about here. Opal is very similar to The Balm option although it is slightly more Gold-er and peachier in colour. The formula of these though are unbeatable, super buttery and smooth. They really are a dream to apply and one you have to try! I also may have picked up Champagne Pop last week…

What is your favourite highlighter?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram