They say fashion trends come and go, only to return again — but we reckon makeup trends work the same way too. Any 90s kid would know the familiar feeling of applying sticky gloss on your lips, only to have it smear all over your hair and face, as we shake our heads at why we bothered in the first place. Still, it seems like we never quite learned our lesson, because — guess what — all-over gloss has been making a comeback.
And why not? This is no teenage disaster we’re talking about here; with the right amount of shine, the glossy look can be a very flattering one indeed. On your lips, gloss adds a layer of high shine that makes them look extra plump and kissable, and as not-so-subtle highlights on the high points of your cheeks, it gives you a healthy, hydrated glow that looks like you freshly stepped out of the shower. And then there’s the look du jour of high fashion runways, wet eyelids, that instantly draw attention to your peepers. Either way, it’s certainly not something you want to simply gloss over.
The best way we started tackling this trend would be to try to enhance what we already have — and that starts from our eyes, you know, the windows to your soul and all that, which is why we found ourselves in love with the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ beauty lenses.
You’ve seen the videos with Fiona Fussi where she stars as the cutest girl-next-door, and probably envied her sparkling eyes in the process; but try this latest version on and you’ll realise that it’s an unbelievably easy way to have your eyes look just as pretty, with a dewy, tear-filled effect, which then makes them a perfect fit for the glossy makeup trend. Glossy eye makeup, literally glossy, sparkling eyes, you get the drift!
The effect is achieved by the lenses reflecting, enhancing and enlarging the iris, and the advanced science of blending layers of espresso, brown and tan together — if you realise, this means the lenses are there to accentuate the natural beauty of your eyes, rather than masking them unnaturally. Then, there’s also how it looks when worn.
On our model Valerie Wang, fashion blogger, and founder of the trendy fashion label store UNDA, the beauty lenses make her look even more radiant than she usually is, which is truly saying a lot. Together with makeup artist Peter Khor, we went ahead to create 3 different glossy makeup looks, together with the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ lenses of course, that you’ll want to emulate — a natural look with glossy highlights, a day look with glossy lids, and an evening stunner with shimmery gold eyes — all perfect for your upcoming festive parties and gatherings.
LOOK 1: Glossy Highlights — for a natural, daily look
Nothing says ‘on fleek’ better than skin that looks literally lit from within, and this time, we’re more than happy to take on the whole Korean glass skin trend here — the look calls for glowy cheeks and intensely hydrated skin that light practically bounces off, which is easily achieved with a good primer and some appropriately-placed highlights.
It’s a rather simple, natural “no makeup” look, but easy enough to achieve, especially if you’re just beginning to experiment with glossy makeup. When seamlessly paired with the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ lenses, you’ll look even more radiant and glowy too.
- Start off by priming your skin — we used the YSL All Hours Primer to ensure our makeup stays on under any weather, and also a touch of Boscia’s Tsubaki Glotion right on the cheeks for a subtle glow. Then, layer on your foundation and concealer for a clean base, followed by your eyeliner, mascara and a brow product.
- The key focal point here should be your cheeks — lightly dab YSL’s Kiss & Blush Duo Stick in No. 4 on the top of your cheeks, then add a little more shimmer with Milk Makeup’s Liquid Strobe in Light Pink. The latter is a liquid highlighter that gives a nice pearlescent effect.
- Finish the look with some subtle colour on the eyes — try THREE’s Whisper Gloss For Eye in Wanderlust Rhythm, a light peach pink.
And we’re done!
LOOK 2: Glossy Eyelids — for a trendy, wearable look
Now, we get to really amping up the gloss, especially over the eyes, but also keeping the look sweet with soft pink accents. To keep it truly versatile though, we’ll show you how to achieve this after you’re already done with the simple look from earlier — you get to see how it transitions into this more fancy glossed-up look should your party or event call for more shine.
You’ll also get to feel completely safe about having your contact lenses on while applying your makeup and then wearing them throughout the day. See, the pigments in the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ lenses come safely sealed in between two layers of lens material to ensure they never get in direct contact with eyes, so eyes will always feel as good as radiant and healthy as they look.
- Apply a sheer layer of pink lipstick directly on your eyelids, by lightly dabbing it on — try Tom Ford Beauty’s Boys & Girls Lipstick in Greta.
- Then, blend this outwards towards your brow bone with your finger, using its natural warmth to help create a soft pink base for your eyelids.
- Onto the gloss! We used Chanel’s Rouge Coco Gloss in Subtil, a non-sticky formula that contains tiny flecks of glow-enhancing pigments, though you can use any high-shine gloss for this. With a light hand, layer the gloss onto the top of your eyelids near your crease. Then, finish the look with lipstick with a matching shade for a monochrome look.
You’re now ready to take on the day! There’s the whole sweet, girl-next-door vibe going on with this look, though the difference is really that gloss — with it, you know there’s a certain edginess about you, and yet, you don’t really have to feel intimidated by runway trends either because this one’s just so easy to emulate.
LOOK 3: Festive Gold — for the ultimate party look
Finally, here’s a glamorous look that you’ll want at the next party you hit, and certainly very festive too — dreamy gold eyes, with glimmery specks of glitter to boot! This definitely takes up the gloss factor several notches, we’d say, and as with all our looks, is surprisingly easy to achieve too. Once again, the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ lenses does a subtle job of making your eyes extra glowy, and yes, even underneath all that gold, they still glitter.
- Rather than go for the obvious powder-based eyeshadows, try some gold gloss on your eyes for a truly gilded effect. The Photogloss Lip Lacquer in Muse, part of Man Ray for NARS’ holiday collection, comes in perfectly here. Similar to the previous use of gloss, apply with a light hand onto the top of your eyelids.
- We recommend pairing this look with a nude lip so that it doesn’t compete for attention with the eyes.
- Now, it’s time to add the glitter. We used M.A.C’s Glitter in Gold, a totally necessary step if you’re looking for some serious next-level sparkle. That’s where the gloss comes in handy too — it creates a sticky base for the glitter pigments to adhere to when you dab it on with a q-tip.
What a look right! Go ahead and paint the town gold with utter confidence with this trendy, yet classy, makeup look.
By this time though, and with the entire duration of our shoot spent under the studio lights, you’d think that Valerie might be feeling a little uncomfortable with her contact lenses on — well, rest assured because she tells us that this brand is one of the most comfortable ones she trusts. Not only do they give her eyes a healthy, glossy effect, the lenses also provide a 20-hour cushion of moisture so they don’t feel dry and uncomfortable over time. No easy feat for beauty lenses, by the way. This means that you can truly go all out to party and celebrate, and hang out with your loved ones for hours, once you’ve mastered these glossed-up looks first!
If you’re thinking of stocking up on the latest ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ series, just for this festive season, they’re releasing an exclusive new addition to its collection of collectible pouches — a beautiful limited edition collectible designer travel pouch (in collaboration with popular Korean illustrator Jaesuk Kim), housing your DEFINE® lenses and beauty essentials on-the-go! You can get yours with every purchase of 4 boxes.
Check out 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ at a DEFINE® Experience Studio today! To locate the nearest one to you, go to acuvue.com.sg/des to find out more. Download the MyACUVUE™ mobile application for $30 off your first ACUVUE® purchase!
WIN! We’re also giving away 3 ACUVUE® DEFINE® sets, consisting of a month’s supply of the 1-Day ACUVUE® DEFINE® Radiant Sweet™ beauty lenses + a limited edition designer travel pouch. For a chance to win, like & share our Facebook post here.
Makeup by Peter Khor.
Model, Valerie Wang.
Photographed by Amelia Tan.
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