I’ve always thought of glossy lids as the epitome of editorial makeup. It is an absurd concept, made even more so by the fact that eye gloss, like lip gloss, has little to no lasting power. It requires upkeep throughout the day. Eye gloss is anything but practical, and that’s precisely why I’m fascinated by it.
Although MAC and other pro-oriented brands have carried eye gloss for ages, it hadn’t really been advertised to everyday makeup wearers until recently. And for someone, like me, it has always seemed too pricey to purchase based on mere curiosity. However, this has changed over the past year. Eye gloss has made its way into pop makeup culture, and now it’s everywhere on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms. As a result, it’s available at more wallet-friendly prices, too.
I decided to finally take the plunge on trying this juicy (excuse the pun) trend. I already know I like the aesthetic. The question is, will it work on my hooded, deep set eyes? Or, will it result in a sticky, uncomfortable mess?
The Product
For this experiment, I purchased Elf’s Jelly Pop Face and Eye Gloss in the shade “Creamsicle Pop,” a shimmery, champagne gold gel with fine, baby pink glitter strewn throughout. It costs a mere $6.00, though it looks like it’s currently only available on Elf’s website, here. Another affordable option you might try is the NYX Lid Lacquer ($9.00), though I haven’t used it myself.
Elf’s gloss comes in a glass pot, which is cute but not as hygienic as I’d prefer for a liquid product. All the same, it’s fairly easy to use. After washing my hands, I simply dab some gloss onto my finger and tap it onto the lid. If you choose to use a brush, I would recommend synthetic bristles. I can’t imagine natural hair bristles would fare well with this sticky gel. And sticky it is! It is, perhaps, even tackier than any lip gloss I’ve tried. Based on texture, I had little hope that my glossy lids wouldn’t cling to the hoods of my eyes.
Look One | Plain-Glazed Lids
For my first attempt, I tried the gloss by itself, without any eyeshadow underneath. In theory, this could be a really quick, fresh look. The only other addition to my eyes was a coat of mascara. It’s really important to balance the rest of the face out. A glossy lid paired with a shiny lip product would be overkill. A matte lip, such as the PUR x Barbie lipstick in Inspire that I wore, complements the eyes nicely.
Unfortunately, capturing the sheen of gloss on my eyes via camera was extremely difficult. I promise it’s there, though it did turn out even subtler in person than I expected. I don’t imagine this is the most high-shine eye gloss on the market. What I do really like is how it sets off the bold lip color. Despite my glossy lids, I felt like my lips were the star of the show.
In terms of performance, this was quite frustrating. I knew and accepted in advance that eye gloss would not be lasting. That’s part of the deal. What I didn’t expect was just how quickly the gloss migrated up the hoods of my eyes toward my brows and down around the corners of my eyes. Granted, I did use quite a bit of product–I was trying to capture it on camera after all. But, it was very sticky, and I could feel the gloss every time I blinked. I do think that my hooded lids made the product transfer more quickly outside the area where I applied it, unfortunately.
Look Two | Berry-Glazed Lids
Still, I just had to try this gloss over an eyeshadow. Perhaps the layer of powder would help the gloss to stay in place even just a little longer–or so I hoped. Alas, this was not the case.
I had applied a bright raspberry matte all over my lids, blending it up into the crease. I added a metallic pink on top of it and a bit of highlight on the inner corners of my eyes. Then, I “wrecked” it with the gloss. Initially, I really love the look of this. It’s purposefully disheveled and has a sort of rock n’ roll vibe. But after only an hour of wear, it creased hard. Not in a cool-looking way either. Like the first look, the mixture of gloss and pink eyeshadow began to migrate around my eyes past the outer corners. It was less rock n’ roll and more, “my prom date just stood me up.” Not cute.
As you could probably tell by my frustration throughout this post, I don’t think the Elf eye gloss worked well on my hooded eyes. It is possible that a more refined eye gloss would perform better, but just having experienced this sort of texture on my lids, I have a hunch that it’s not the most hooded eye-friendly look. Also, word of warning, the Elf gloss burns initially when applied to the lids. This sensation dissipates within 30 seconds or so, but, still, something to consider.
All said, I will still use this gloss for the fun it and pictures! Eye gloss really is best suited for editorial purposes, and there’s nothing wrong with putting on a face of makeup for that reason alone.
xo Kelli
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