The Grown-Up Way To Wear Glitter, As Seen At NYFW Spring/Summer 2020

Maybe it's my inner three-year-old peeking out, but to me, there's never not an inopportune time for sparkles. Which is why I'm thrilled that glitter eyeshadow looks are trending on the New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 runways, and in a very grown-up way at that.

Pyer Moss Spring/Summer 2020

First up, Pyer Moss Collection 3, held on Sept. 8. Lead makeup artist Daniel Sallstrom and designer Kerby Jean-Raymond aimed for a look based on rock 'n roll and how "dark skin [was so] whitewashed and has completely disappeared from Black history," he says. "So the designer wanted to reclaim that with this collection. We're focused on very dramatic big eyes, with the eye blended out to a blusher. The skin is really fresh, simple, and natural. Nothing overpowering on the lip. It's all about the eye, and very in the '70s era."

Using the UOMA Beauty Black Magic Color Palettes, Sallstrom used primary colors of red, blue, and yellow on the models (depending on their outfits), aiming for touches of gold yellow wherever applicable. Because the Black Magic Color Palettes have so much sparkle, he opted to apply base makeup after sweeping the pigment on the lids to avoid fallout. "Skin is always last," he advises.

LaQuan Smith Spring/Summer 2020

But at LaQuan Smith on Sept. 8, Sir John let me in on his secret — layering with a gel. "Loose glitter is a recipe for disaster," he says. "I don't have any fallout anymore [since I stopped using it]. There are so many technological advances in glitter now." To be proactive, he teamed the Black Magic Color Palette with Glossier Play Glitter Gelée and Lemonhead L.A. for maximum impact — but not before creating a precise winged shape. "We're using color as liner but spinning it on its head to make it fun," he notes. "It's great for people with contacts and glasses, and great way to embrace color with open arms."

To make sure that your wings really fly, Sir John suggests using super tiny cotton swabs to clean up your edges. "Every woman should have a million of these at their house," he notes. "If you ever have trouble making sure your wings are going to the same party, this is the way to do it."

R13 Spring/Summer 2020

If you don't want to play with color, Diane Kendal (for MAC Cosmetics) has a trick for you. At R13 on Sept. 7, she crafted a "deconstructed" smoky eye, citing Stephen Sprouse and the 1980s as inspiration. If you know Kendal's work, then you're familiar with the classic and elegant smoky eyes that she always does for Tom Ford. The point of differentiation here, she notes, is the shimmer. "It helps make it raw and not so defined or finished," she says, explaining that she simply presses the glitter directly onto the lid (with MAC Cosmetics Mixing Medium Eyeliner) as an adhesive.

Jeremy Scott Spring/Summer 2020

Kabuki, who keyed the makeup (inspired by Jem and the Holograms!) at Jeremy Scott on Sept. 6, used a similar method backstage, tapping MAC Reflects Glitters into various shades of Paintsticks.

Brandon Maxwell Spring/Summer 2020

And lastly, Tom Pecheux gave some new MAC Cosmetics products a test-drive at Brandon Maxwell Spring/Summer 2020 on Sept. 7, including the Spellbinder Shadows in Wishful Thinking and Swing On A Star. "It's incredible technology," he tells TZR of the magnetic singles. "It's [hard to find] glitter that won't fall off on your cheeks." But sadly, you'll have to be patient — those don't launch until November 2019.