How to master the art of the grown-up glitter

In a world that is testing us beyond anything in recent memory, shimmer is unapologetically feel-good. It’s that much harder to feel anxious when you catch a glimpse of yourself and you... twinkle.

First of all, your base is your business. Now is not the time for me to interfere with that except to say, make it flawless and make it matte. You don’t want shine, piled upon gleam, heaped upon blotch. You’ll get no differentiation. And glitter, however scattered a look you are after, must be used with clarity. Or you’ll look deranged.

There are degrees of dazzle and I would counsel you to start gently with a gleaming highlighter. Pat McGrath is a make-up artist’s make-up artist and her range has become synonymous with brave and bold use of shine. Her double-ended Skin Fetish 003 Illuminator Kit in ‘golden’ takes strobing and makes it classy. Makes it catwalk. One end holds a pale gold — quite Goddess-y — cream and the other, a clear balm that allows you to buff the sheen into some submission and blend it so that your cheekbones catch the light just so. Dab on a smudge of fine gold pigment to turbo-charge the sheen, taking it stratospheric.

When precision is not the aim and you’re after more of a diamond-like veil, Fenty Beauty’s Diamond Bomb compact in ‘how many carats’ allows you to, in effect, ice yourself. All glitz, no grit, I would recommend dusting this over the cheekbones and/or the collarbones. It may be high-octane but the quality is such that it is not vulgar. I wear this most evenings now. And I’m in my 40s. So there.

Urban Decay is the mothership when it comes to glitter eyeliners. No brand does it better. These liquid eyeliners run the gamut from pale, holographic and barely there to blues, purples and graphites. But they are buildable — one coat is a hint, two is a comment, three is a statement. I layer the Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in ‘glamrock’ silver over a dark grey feline flick. You can also smudge them across the eyelid for a super-subtle shadow: ‘Hmmmm... Is that woman wearing sparkle on her eyelids or am I imagining it? She certainly seems to have a certain glow...’ Mystery. Bottled.

Charlotte Tilbury has always been stand-out excellent at sparkling eyeshadows because she understands that essential place where glamour meets ease. Her Palette of Pops in ‘starlight’ houses four shadows in elegant greys and khakis but with shimmer, while the one in ‘supersonic girl’ is more about rusts and coppers. If Tilbury’s shadows are Studio 54, then Lime Crime’s Diamond Dews are Burning Man. These smudge-proof liquid pigments are all about playfulness and late nights. Apply with a finger, allow to dry, then build. I am currently fiddling with the vivid purple ‘holy shift’ (good for green peepers) but the properly metallic ‘gold dust’ is utterly fabulous. And I never use that word.

For a metallic, high-fashion mouth I head straight for Primark’s lip gloss in ‘fearless’. Doesn’t matter so much if I lose it because it costs two quid. But it’s gorgeous and stays put for hours, which is rare for a gloss and almost unheard of with the posh ones. Lime Crime’s Diamond Crusher in ‘choke’, meanwhile, can be applied over any lipstick to take it somewhere space-age.

From the gleam to the out-and-out starry, we all know that glitter can be fantastically flirty and marvellously light-hearted. What we forget is that it can also be very beautiful. Like walking around with your very own director of photography. Because, as women, we all need to learn how to find our light.