Shiny strands, dewy skin, popping cheekbones and now, glossy lids. They're gorgeous, ethereal and, let's be honest, a pain in the ass to pull off. You can thank New York Fashion Week (well, and Kylie Jenner) for popularizing eye gloss. After watching models strut the runways in lacquered lids, Kylie recreated the glazed lid look, the beauty world went berserk, and the oh-so-Instagrammable look has stuck ever since. And we're not mad about it.
"It's a rule-breaking trend, and that makes people feel empowered and in charge," says glossy lid queen and New York makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes. While it is a rebellious trend, there are a few rules, or guidelines rather, for successfully rocking the high-shine look. Here's how to pull it off without turning into a melted, sticky mess.
Keep glossy eye shadow looks simple, says Hughes. "A glossy lid will crease and become very textured after about 15 minutes," Hughes says. "The simpler the color under your gloss, the easier it is to maintain throughout the evening by simply smoothing with a brush or finger." Which is why she sticks with a single color or just concealer.
Now, that's not to say you can't rock eye gloss with a heavy smoky eye, just keep in mind that multiple colors and darker shadows have more obvious wear and tear. And if it's that editorial shine you're after, Hughes recommends a shimmer shadow, as the gloss will play on the already satiny texture.
Ahead, the must-have eye shadows and glosses for slaying the slick-eyelid look.
If you want an eye gloss that doesn't mess around when it comes to shine, then this particular product is one to consider. The eye gloss creates a beautiful, shiny finish that catches the light and adds a nice, subtle shimmer to the eyes. While its finish isn't as wet as the packaging might suggest, it still leaves eyes gleaming and our editors happy with the finished look.
Of all the formulas we tried, this eye gloss can feel tacky and heavy on the eyes. So be sure to keep your application light (pea-size between the two eyes), as Hughes says the biggest mistake she sees people make with their eye gloss is over saturating.
We've got to give it to Milk, they really killed the game on this one. To make life as simple as possible (especially when working with a conventionally messy product), this eye gloss comes in the form of a click-pen, which dispenses the perfect amount of product and allows you to easily draw on your gloss. The gloss comes in four shades: clear, purple, black and nude, and holds up a full eight-hour work day without creasing. One editor reported she loved the way the product made her eye shadow stand out and the eye gloss "instantly gave her eye shadow life."
True to its name, this eye gloss contains small diamond-like particles, which instantly brightens the eye area and adds a glowing sheen over eye makeup.
And get your cameras ready ladies, because your selfie game just went up a notch. One editor noticed how much more her eyes popped on camera after applying this, and received several compliments on her eye makeup color throughout the day. While the eye gloss certainly enhances your eye look, it can feel a bit sticky and begin to look oily when over-applied. Simply dab throughout the evening to smooth out the texture and creasing.
While eye gloss is an earth-shatteringly beautiful look all on its own, it can also be used to accentuate a sexy eye look. This buildable black gloss, which also comes in clear, instantly upgrades a smoky eye to a glossy, high-fashion look when you add a little of the product to the outer corners of the eye. Due to its silky (not sticky) consistency, it is much more fuss-free than some of the others we tested, and lies on top of eye makeup without disturbing it. In fact, one editor didn't notice any creasing until late afternoon — five hours after applying it. Plus, it didn't feel like she had anything on her eyes (a rarity with most eye glosses). Can we get an amen?
