GET THE LOOK | Glossy Eyes

Yes, true story, it’s definitely not the most practical look for everyday, but neither are plenty of fashion looks.  Yet despite its fleeting real-life wear-time, the glossy lid look continues to be a staple on the runways and in trend reports.  Whether it’s anchored by a black eyeshadow or a neutral lid, the glossy lid look is here to stay… (well, at least for as long as it doesn’t slide off the lids!).
I can’t help but love the glossy eye (probably because it speaks my inner grunge-loving teenager and/or my affinity for shiny things)!   Here’s how to get a glossy black lid look to last (hopefully for longer than a strut down the runway):

1.  Line your eyes with your blackest eyeliner.  Do the top and bottom as close to the lashline as possible (so there are no visible gaps), and also tightline your waterline.  No need to worry about being too precise here – you’re going to blend other products over it.

Try L’oreal’s Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Liner (approx $12 CAD), an eyeliner with liquid liner intensity and awesome staying power.

2.  Pat a black gel liner or cream shadow all over the lid and blend into the crease of your eye.  Use a fluff brush to blend edges if needed.  Using a cream shadow/gel liner here will give the look an opaque, true black finish (versus using eyeshadow on its own)….and the more layers the better – since this look will start to shift once gloss is added.
Try Maybelline’s EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black (approx $12 CAD), a long-lasting gel liner that doesn’t dry too quickly so you’ll have time to blend those edges.

3.  Press a true, black matte eyeshadow all over where the gel liner/cream shadow was applied and blend the edges into the crease, using the same fluff brush.  The eyeshadow will set your cream layer and give the gloss some grip.
I like Urban Decay’s Stiletto eyeshadow, but that came in a palette I got using points from Sephora so I’m not sure if you can buy it as an individual shade.  Try Make-up Forever’s Eyeshadow in Matte Black ($24 CAD), another super pigmented black eyeshadow that will help the shifty glossy eye go the distance.

4.  Do your mascara.  Waterproof, of course.

5.  Add la pièce de résistance – gloss!!  I find the stickier the better…so skip the Vaseline on the lids and reach for your goopy-est gloss.   We all know how sticky MAC Lipglass in Clear ($18 CAD) is from those years of getting our hair stuck in it, as gloss-loving teenagers that didn’t know any better.  (Guilty as charged. I had a collection equivalent to a set of Mr. Sketch markers…).  Use a tiny amount and tap onto the black-shadowed part of the lid.

Taaaa-daaaa!  Isn’t it pretty?
As much as I’d love to wear this look out, my lids are oily enough on their own…so I usually just let nature run its course for my own interpretation of the glossy (more like creasing) eye by the end of the night.  If you wear it, you gotta accept that it’s commitment-phobic and it’s going to crease.  As beautiful as it is…

Just. Accept. It.

The glossy eye is pretty much the beauty equivalent of me trying to wear anything taller than 3-inch heels, aka pretty-stuff-that-I love-that’s-good-in-theory, but also stuff that never happens because it’s simply not practical!

I must admit that this look works really beautifully on shoots though…and my inner teen rejoices in those moments. :)

Would you wear this look?  Discuss…