This Season’s Most Viral Glitter Makeup — & What’s Worth It

Glitter makeup is a little bit like red lipstick. It's not something you'll grab every single day, so you really just need one good glitter something. And like a classic red lipstick with a thousand nuanced finishes and undertones, the glitter makeup category is broad: You have shimmery liquid eye paints, chrome eyeshadow palettes, sparkle lip balms, loose glitter, glitter packed in a pan, chunky and fine-grained glitter. To make it easier to navigate, we curated a list of glitter favourites.

Ahead, we rounded up the best of the best in glitter makeup — the ones we're sending each other along with a sparkle emoji. So if you're looking for something you can wear through the holidays and beyond, on those days when you just want an extra pop, this is your guide.

More than one beauty influencer called the MAC Fizzy Feels Lip Balm the "prettiest thing" they've ever seen. High praise for lipstick but how does it wear on the lips? It's essentially a sparkly lip balm that adds a "subtle twinkle" over your bare lips or a neutral lip liner. Given that the influencers have influenced this holiday season, this particular sparkle balm is currently sold out (although another colourway is available at David Jones). If you're so inclined, hop on that waitlist. Or, keep reading for others like it. 

The Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump has already had its viral moment — and the formula is really good if you're looking for a wash of creamy colour that's more of a gloss than a lipstick. This season, Tarte added eight new shimmer shades to the line. Influencers call it a "frosted, metallic" lip that pops in direct sunlight. With glitter and everything, good light helps.

We can't talk about fantastic glitter without referencing Half Magic, the makeup brand created by the lead makeup artist on Euphoria, Donni Davy. The entire collection is sparkly — from rhinestone face gems to a duo-chrome blush that is purple but shocking wearable — but the best of them all is this Chromeaddiction Glitter Eye Paint. You can use it as an eyeliner, just a swipe across the top lash line. Or, slap it across the entire lid for a wet-looking sparkle that has pigment to boot. Spirit Guide, a periwinkle with lilac shimmer, is a bestseller.

It's not new but this is one of my favorite glitter eyeshadows of all time and it tends to trend during the holidays, for good reason. I love that the glitter is super, super fine — which I actually find makes it more reflective — and the colours are also pigmented so it doesn't require a base shadow underneath. I'd recommend Blaze for a warm gold shimmer lid that makes your eyes sparkle.

Makeup artist Danessa Myricks is a genius when it comes to multi-use makeup. With this little tube, she has made a universal glitter for any glitter occasion, from NYE to your friend's birthday party at a club in the dead of winter. You want a glitter topper to your lipstick? Swipe it on. Want your cheekbones to pop on camera? Add some of this shimmer over your blush. Eyeshadow? Done.

Ganni? That's a fashion label. Yes, but they also low-key have one of the best glitter makeup products available in large part because it's a zero-plastic glitter. Ganni recently partnered with Submission Beauty to design a glitter made from natural and plant-derived materials, with cellulose from eucalyptus trees, so it's softer on the skin than traditional glitter and more sustainable, too.

For electric, provocative, insanely creative makeup inspiration (glitter and otherwise), follow makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. If you like what you see, consider the new Liplacq 2.0, a maximizing lip serum featuring a sparkle derived from iron oxide and a "proprietary botanical lip puffer," that stimulates circulation for a volumizing, warming effect. More, sometimes really is more.