Photography by ImaxTree

How to Wear Glitter This Holiday Season—The Cool Girl Way

Date November 30, 2016

It had been just over a month since David Bowie’s death when Burberry’s Fall 2016 show took place, and memories of Ziggy Stardust still lingered in the air. The collection mashed up bold checks, snakeskin, tailoring and military details, so makeup artist Wendy Rowe designed three different looks for models: one that was nude and two that were all about glitter. “The glitter needed to look like it had fallen naturally onto the face so that the overall effect looked a little worn and lived in,” she says of her inexact approach. Dipping into sparkle is a seemingly off-brand move for Burberry, which traditionally embraces a rosy nude palette, but it confirms that glitter is a trend that has legs.

Elsewhere this season, twinkling makeup appeared not just on the eyes—as it did at Tommy Hilfiger, Vetements and Emanuel Ungaro—but in more creative places like on the ears at Opening Ceremony and below the eyebrows at Giambattista Valli. “People were treating it more like an accessory,” says Caitlin Callahan, a senior artist at M.A.C, who points out that it was often paired with super-hydrated skin. “What makes it new and interesting is what’s missing. You have to leave other things aside and focus on primer and foundation.” But even if you show restraint with your application, you will still make an impression. “Glitter is a crowd-pleaser,” she says. “Anytime you can throw a bit on, it makes people happy.”

Browse the gallery below to see our favourite glitter moments on the Fall runways, and the products you can use to get each look.