Grown-up glitter and metallic makeup ideas to inspire your next party look

Perhaps you have an upcoming party or simply want to add a glitzy feel to your look for an evening out on the town. Either way, glitter and metallic makeup are a great way to take your look to dazzling new heights.

With the exception of perhaps the best red lipsticks, few other makeup items offer as quick and easy a route to makeup that’s special occasion ready as these two light-catching kinds of finishes. A quick sweep of a glittery eyeshadow or a bit of metallic liner and one’s look is instantly elevated.

A firm beauty belief we have here at woman&home is that one of the best places to get makeup inspiration is from celebrities. With that in mind, we scoured the beauty archives and shots from red carpet premieres galore to take you through more than two dozen of some of our all-time favourite looks. Let’s dive in…

32 grown-up glitter and metallic makeup looks to inspire you

Sandra Oh's frosted eyeshadow

These shiny, silvery lids are the stuff of makeup dreams, and we love the matchy-matchiness with Sandra Oh's gown here, worn to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2022. Pro tip: if you want to supercharge a metallic eyeshadow's shine, dampen your makeup brush with a little water or setting spray before going into the powder. Here are a few of our favourites for recreating Sandra's look.

Jodie Turner Smith's bold cobalt eyeshadow

This bold cobalt blue eyeshadow looks incredible on Jodie Turner Smith's complexion, and we love the pop of electric blue on the inner corners of her eyes – a look she wore to the New York premiere of The Agency in 2024.

Salma Hayek's forest green lids

The cohesive move of matching eye makeup to an outfit will always get our approval – much like this forest green shade on Salma Hayek, an excellent makeup look for brown eyes. Above, she's pictured attending the Baby2Baby Gala in 2023.

Eva Longoria's pink champagne shimmer

Tightlining of the eyes, fluttery lashes and champagne shimmer shadow? Tick, tick, tick for Eva Longoria's beautiful makeup look here on the Cannes red carpet in 2023.

Emma Stone's elongated glitter liner

In our opinion, this is one of the best Met Gala makeup ensembles of all time – Emma Stone's elongated silvery glitter liquid liner, paired with a bold red lipstick look and blushed cheeks. The star paired this with wet-look hair for the 2019 event, whose theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion".

Jennifer Lopez's rouge copper shadow

Bronze and copper shades are extremely versatile in that they work well on most complexions and eye colours. Here, Jennifer Lopez shows the power of a rust-meets-copper makeup palette for the 2025 GRAMMY Awards.

Priyanka Chopra's sparkly gold eyes

For the 2018 Met Gala, whose theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and The Catholic Imagination", Priyanka Chopra matched her sparkly gold eye makeup to the beaded hood of her gown – making for a gorgeously cohesive look.

Jessica Chastain's toasted copper sparkles

This warm shade of sparkly copper eyeshadow is a great makeup look for green eyes and makes for a pretty contrast with Jessica's paler complexion, a look she wore to the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Naomi Campbell's glitter lips

While most people think of eye makeup when we talk about glitter and metallic looks, Naomi Campbell stole the show when she stepped out for the 2016 VMAs with glittery lips. An incredible red carpet beauty moment!

Lucy Boynton's glitter tears

Now this is an eye-catching makeup look, using glitter shadow to create the look of glitter tears in the inner corners of Lucy Boynton's eyes. The star paired this with green liner and a glossy lip for the UK premiere of The Greatest Hits in 2024.

Penelope Cruz's warm sparkles

Proof that sparkly or metallic eye makeup can be lower-key chic, too, Penelope Cruz opted for this soft copper-bronze for the Chanel womenswear SS24 show during Paris Fashion Week in 2023.

Helen Mirren's pale gold shadow

This bright, pale gold shade of metallic eyeshadow frames Dame Helen Mirren's blue-green eyes perfectly, plus makes an ideal pairing with her rosy lipstick and blush – as seen at the Oscars back in 2018.

Mindy Kaling's gold shadow

Cool gold eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner are pretty much a failsafe combination every time – as Mindy Kaling demonstrates here on the Emmy FYC red carpet in 2025, paired with a raisin lip and lengthy lashes.

Andie MacDowell's thick glitter liner

This thick statement liner, blending charcoal grey with dazzling gold glitter, framed Andie MacDowell's eyes beautifully on the runway of the "Le Defile Walk Your Worth" L'Oréal Paris SS23 show during Paris Fashion Week in October 2022.

Serena Williams' lilac shimmer

Paired with the softest berry lipstick shade, a wash of lilac shimmer was Serena Williams' eyeshadow look of choice for the 2021 Met Gala, whose theme was "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion". Gorgeous!

Scarlett Johansson's peachy-pink palette

Perfectly matching her nude lipstick to the same soft peachy-pink metallic shade on her eyes, we love this cohesive look on Scarlett Johansson, as seen at the world premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth in 2025.

Kerry Washington's bronzed lids

This true bronze shade is a perfect complementary colour with Kerry Washington's deep eyes, paired with a sheeny brown-nude lipstick for the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Gemma Chan's rose copper shadow

Complementing the warmth of her bronzed cheeks and rosy pink lip, plus lashings of the best volumising mascara, Gemma Chan's equally warm blush copper eyeshadow was a perfect part of this makeup look for the 2023 ELLE Style Awards.

Kristen Stewart's graphic silver shadow

We love graphic liner looks, and the same goes for eyeshadow. Naturally, we were fans of Kristen Stewart's boxy application of this cool-toned silver shade. The star wore this look to the 2016 Met Gala, whose theme was "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology".

Demi Moore's metallic taupe lids

Cool-toned metallic shades, like this taupe eyeshadow on Demi Moore, are a great way to create and add definition alongside brown or black liner and mascara. The star wore this look to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2025.

Lupita Nyong'o's metallic copper eyes

This rich copper shade of metallic eyeshadow looks incredible on Lupita, and we love the pairing with deep grey liner and glossy, burgundy wine lips. The star wore this look when she received the Star of the Year award during CinemaCon 2024.

Brooke Shields' glitzy green liner

Working well against her green eyes, we're big fans of this sparkly green shade of liner on Brooke Shields, which she paired with generous amounts of the best bronzer and a sheeny pink lip for the premiere of My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay in 2025.

Nicole Kidman's silvery sparkles

Glittery silver eyeshadow is a great way to add a "party" vibe to your makeup look with minimal effort but maximal impact. The cool-toned sparkles contrast brilliantly with the pretty pink blush and lip colour on Nicole Kidman's complexion, worn to the 2025 National Board of Review Gala.

Sandra Bullock's cool-toned gold smokey eye

Perfectly matching the cool-toned, gold-meets-pewter colour of the sequins on her gown, we love Sandra Bullock's intense gold smoky eye, adding lovely definition to her brown eyes. She stepped out with this look for the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.

Viola Davis' bronze and smoky purple shadow

Catching the light in the same way as the sequins on her gown, we love this bronze and muted purple smoky eye look on Viola Davis, worn to the 2024 LACMA Art+Film Gala.

Ellen Pompeo's diffused powder pink shadow

We love a matchy-matchy makeup moment, so Ellen Pompeo serving up this powder pink lipstick and soft focus matching metallic eyeshadow scores a 10 from us – a look she wore to the Good American Family premiere in 2025.

Julianne Moore's metallic mauve

This metallic purple-meets-brown shade of eyeshadow makes for a gorgeous contrast with Julianne Moore's green eyes, paired with a soft coral lipstick for the New York screening of Gloria Bell in 2019.

Sofia Vergara's brown metallic smokey eye

If there's one makeup look that Sofia Vergara has made her signature over the years, it's the smoky eye, usually in rich browns that bring out the warmth in her brown eyes.

Gwyneth Paltrow's barely-there copper liner

At a glance, you may think this is a minimal makeup look with a healthy wash of the best blush. But look closer and you'll notice Gwyneth Paltrow's eyes are defined with a little bit of light-reflecting metallic copper liner, perfectly framing her blue eyes – as seen at the Swarovski x SKIMS Celebration event in 2023.

Lady Gaga

There's something satisfying about a makeup look that perfectly matches the colours of an outfit, so we're big fans of this coordinating metallic purple smoky eye on Lady Gaga. She stepped out with this eye-catching look for the UK premiere of House of Gucci in 2021.

Naomie Harris blush tones

Another strong case for the power of soft blush metallics, this is a great Naomie Harris beauty look – blush eyeshadow and a glossy lip, worn to the opening gala at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Sarah Jessica Parker's electric blue sparkles

An immaculate contrast with the bold fuchsia gown, Sarah Jessica Parker opted for a winged-out, sparkly, electric blue shade of eyeshadow for the 2019 New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala.