If you've ever found yourself standing in front of your vanity, your makeup kit, or your trash bag full of assorted beauty products, scratching your head thinking, Where has the glow gone? please let us be the first to inform you that all of the glow is right here in this story. Makeup has been pretty matte in recent years. Sure, there's plenty of focus on glowy skin—but matte lipstick, matte bronzer, matte shadow palettes? It's all far too flat for your gleaming personality. That, and as the weather begins to brighten, shouldn't your makeup trash bag get the same shimmering injection of levity? Yes, it should! It's practically begging for it!
Now, glow can mean a lot of things. Heck, you can get sunscreen with glow in it thanks to Dr. Jart. (It's a pretty good sunscreen actually.) But for today's purposes, we're talking metallics: that glinting middle ground between superfine shimmer and hardcore glitter. No, not unicorn or mermaid—but some grown-up-but-still-lives-for-the-drama type silvers, golds, and chromes. It can be elegant! What, don't buy it? Keep scrolling. The glow is good for you.
Cover FX Drops in Candlelight
Pure, unadulterated, sunkissed glow in a tiny bottle with a dropper. Cover FX's Custom Enhancer Drops are made to be used as just that: an enhancer. On their own, they blend out into an almost-imperceptible gleam. Added to moisturizer or foundation or bronzer or tint or smoothies probably, you've made yourself a brand-new-for-the-summer pearlescent version of whatever you were working with before. You'll never not be radiating.
Maybelline Shadows in Gold School + Electric Emerald
Two shades that are perfect for people who like depth or sports teams with uniforms in green and gold (the Packers, maybe?). The Gold School powder starts as a gilded veil and builds from there—also works perfectly well as a highlighter if you're into that. (You are.) And the Color Tattoo in Electric Emerald has the staying power of a reality TV star who also did Dancing With The Stars. It's serious and it wants to hang on to you for good.
Estée Edit Fluid Metal Shadow in Not Sorry + So Extra
Shimmery, creamy shadows have a tendency to crease—it's sad, but sometimes the draw of metallic lids is too strong to resist. But there's no creasing with the Estée Edit's entry into the field. The colors are gorgeous, the glitter is real, and the staying power is strong. Mix on your hand or palette first... Layering multiple can get tricky but they're practically begging to be worn all together in some sort of ombré situation.
MAC Metallic Lipstick in Disobedient
Once you remember that there is, in fact, lip color beyond matte liquid caulk, lipstick gets a whole lot more exciting. Take this MAC bullet for instance: Is it high-impact? Hell yes. But does it blend out to the most lovely shade of raspberry? It does!! And that shimmering you see in the pigment isn't hokey—it's what you do to plump up your lips without fillers. Don't sleep on this very easy trick.
Stila Liquid Shadow in Diamond Dust
Glitter glue. But grown up. And totally dermatologically safe to put on your eyelids. Blended out, this is the easiest solution for that lid shine you've been searching for these past few years—chunky glitter with pink and blue tones that dries down without stickiness. (See it in action on Madeleine Angus here.) But really layer it on and you get what we see here on Mayowa, which is full ice queen in a way that says "Please invite me to the next Met Gala–I won't do you wrong, Anna Wintour."
Bite Prismatic Pearl Crème Lip Gloss in Peacock
Blue-green lips can be intimidating. But you know what's too fun to be overly aggressive? Lip gloss! Put the two together and you've got a product that's just on the other side of your comfort zone. You can do it; we believe in you.
Mayowa Nicholas (The Society) photographed by Tom Newton. Makeup by Benjamin Puckey. Video edited by William Kitchings. Music by Eric Biondo.
Mayowa wears dresses by Creatures of Comfort, outerwear by Nanushka, and tops by Nanushka and Samuji. Jewelry by Jennifer Fisher.
