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How to rock glitter at your Christmas parties without going OTT

Our beauty expert shows you how to make the most of glitter this winter.

As the festive season approaches, it’s the perfect opportunity to add an extra sweep of seductive shimmer to your make-up palette.

But the art of Christmas sparkle is a tricky trend. Too much and you’ll look like you’ve had a mishap in Santa’s Grotto, all glitz and no glamour.

[11 ways to revamp your beauty regime this winter]

[How to achieve the perfect eyebrows]

My golden rule is to use sparkle sparingly. If you’re adding a touch of glitter to the eyelids, refrain from using a shimmery gloss on the lips, and vice versa.

1.    Apply your base foundation/tinted moisturiser of choice as usual. I used a Real Techniques Stippling brush to apply MAC Cosmetics Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW25.



2.    Accentuate the eyebrows. I used the bottom left shade from the HD Brows Palette in Bombshell. Keep brush strokes soft, layering up the powder to fill out the brows. I add a slight arch to my brows, and drag out to a point. A handy tip is to take a pencil and line up from the nose to the corner of the eye. The end of the pencil will show where your eyebrow should finish.



3.    Warm up the skin by lightly applying a bronzer. Apply slightly more to the hollows of the cheeks and temples, where the face naturally contours inwards. I used a HD Brows Bronzer in shade 2.



4.     Suck in the cheeks (as pictured – how attractive!) and apply blusher in soft circular motions to the apples of the cheeks. I used Smashbox Halo Long Wear Blush in Bloom.



5.    I’m creating a smouldering purple eyeshadow look, but you can adapt these rules to any shades. Take your darkest shadow, I used the deep purple shade ‘Hustle’ (third from the right) from the Urban Decay Naked palette, and apply to the outer edge of the eyelid.



6.    Then take a more vibrant, lighter tone and apply to the mid section of the eyelid, blending into the darker tone. I used ‘Rosette’ from the Stila In the Garden palette. I dampened my brush slightly for a more intense colour application.



7.    Take a lighter shade of your chosen colour and use this in the corners of the eyelids, blending into your mid section colour. I used the dusky pink shade of ‘Toasted’, again from the Naked palette. Add a light, reflective, shade to the tear duct area to open up the eyes. I used ‘Sin’ from the same palette.



8.    Take a really soft, fluffy, clean brush and use this to blend out the hard edges of the shadow. I used a Real Techniques Duo-Fibre brush for this.



9.    And it’s time for the glorious glitter! The MAC Cosmetics pressed pigment pots are packed full of shimmery delight. I used a deep aubergine shade, ‘Black Grape’, and applied to the outer edges of the eyelid, along the lash line, and applied a very light sweep just above the eyelid crease.



10.    Add lashings of mascara and eyeliner to frame the eyes. I used Clinique brush-on cream liner in ‘True Black’ and Smashbox Photo Op Eye Brightening Mascara.



11.    Conceal underneath the eyes (as well as any trouble spots) and dust the T-section of the face with a powder to keep shine at bay. I used Clarins Instant Concealer and Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder.



12.     Sweep a light dusting of highlighter across the most prominent line of the cheekbones. I used Poudre Signee de Chanel.



13.    And finally, add your lippy of choice. Refrain from sticky, shimmery lip wear, as this will push the glitter-o-meter into Tacky Town. I opted for a Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in ‘Fresh Raspberry’.



14.    Lip colours that work well with this look (clockwise): Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in ‘Infrared’, Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in ‘Fresh Raspberry’, MAC Cosmetics Lustre Lipstick in ‘Freckletone’, Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in ‘Vivid Violet’.