Pink eyeshadows are joyful – from a Schiaparelli shocking pink to the pale, ethereal pink of Glossier fame, pink is a happy color (see this wonderful piece on pink in fashion here). I love to wear pink everywhere – eyes, lips, clothes, shoes, I even shop pink for my partner – not all at once, of course, but whether as an accent or a statement, pink has a powerful place in my life, and an eternal one in the world of beauty. My favourite way to wear pink eyeshadow is with a red lip - inspired by the fabulous Katie Jane Hughes; and there is a special place for sparkly pinks in my heart. Matte pink shadows can be avant-garde, or very skin-like if applied with a light touch, but sparkly pinks – oh, sparkly pinks are tiny little firecrackers on eyelids, bursting with the energy of the color and making everything around them come just a little bit more alive. A touch of pink sparkle on the lids, a swipe of a bright matte red on the lips, and I am ready to take on the patriarchy – and everything else that’s wrong with the world. In this post, I want to spread the joy of pink – and share some new pink eyeshadow finds. These are all sparkly and they are all creams – easy, happy, and sometimes just a smidge outrageous.

Bodyography Glitter Pigments – Solar Flare

Bodyography makes some of the best glitter cream eyeshadows on the market and for all of us who were sitting here, fervently hoping for more pink glitter offerings from them, Solar Flare does not disappoint. Pale gold and silver glitter is seamlessly enmeshed in a neutral pink base – not too warm, and not too cool. Satisfyingly creamy and opaque, these can be lightly dusted on as a top coat or smeared on more thickly for a full-on sparkler of an eye. Very glittery, very spreadable, and the perfect shade of pink on my skintone, this one is a keeper.

Victoria Beckham Beauty Lid Lustre – Tea Rose

Thicker than Bodyography, creamier, and somehow still light as a feather on the eyes, this Lid Lustre formula by VB Beauty is unique and in the vast world of creamy eye shadow formulas, to be unique is no small feat. Tea Rose is a dusty-rose, brown-ish, taupe-y study of a more muted (for a glitter eye shadow) pink. While it might look chunky in the pan, I can guarantee that is like silk to the touch and unless you pile on eighteen layers (which I do for swatching purposes), it feels like nothing on the eyes. The sparkle comes from bits of gold, pink, and almost green shimmers, imperceptible to the touch but dazzling on the eyes. For those who are just dipping their feet into pink and are a little skittish about going full-on with color but still want all the razzle and dazzle of sparkly eye shadows, this is it.

Natasha Denona Chromium Liquid Eyeshadow – Dragonfly

Just swatching this one on your hand will not do it justice – because like most multichrome pigments, these eyeshadows need the curvature and movement of your eyes to really come alive. That’s kind of poetic no? A color that doesn’t really dance until you dance with it. Dragonfly is a slightly thick liquid eyeshadow that is a peachy-green-yellow gold when my eyes turn one way, and a warm, almost plum-y pink when I turn another way. They can be patted on with a finger or a brush and a single swipe has a lot of color payoff – work quickly because when they set, they are not going anywhere. These could be worn nonchalantly I suppose, as an eyeliner, but why do that? These eyeshadows make you brave, they make you stand out, they are for the days you want to prove something to the world – mostly that you can do whatever the hell you want. They look beautiful on the eyes and the only accessory you need with a pair of jeans and a white shirt.

Charlotte Tilbury Jewel Pots – Pillow Talk

The vast Pillow Talk empire keeps growing and these Jewel Pots (isn’t that just the perfect name?!) are tiny tubs trapping liquid, glassy, shine. Pillow Talk is a slightly cool-toned pink and the shine comes from impossibly fine bits of purple, green, and gold shimmers sewn deep into a silky cream base. You can’t feel them, but you can most definitely see them. When the light hits at a certain angle, these are probably one of the most sparkly eyeshadows in this lineup. The formula is incredibly soft to the touch, almost like a cashmere sweater. Swipe them on with a finger – they are super easy to wear and you can layer them on and on and they just won’t ever feel thick or heavy.

Byredo Color Stick – Great Sands

Another winner for the easily scared and distant admirers of pink eyeshadows. This creamy, emollient, balm-like formula is easy to apply, is the shyest of pinks on the eyelid and is so natural-looking that it can be paired with basically anything you want. The pink is a light, dusty rose and the silver shimmer is so fine that you would almost be tricked into believing that it isn’t there. However, the shine is real – this eyeshadow is like a lip gloss for your eyes. I wouldn’t vouch for its lasting power, but its ease of application means you can keep putting it on all day probably even without a mirror. Glossy, ethereal, editorial - its effect on my eyes is unlike any other eyeshadow I own.

Kat Von D Dazzle Stick – Force Field

Everyone was raving about this formula and I can see why – while they come with a bit of a learning curve in terms of application, when you get it right, the metallic dazzle is pretty spectacular. Force Field is a peachy-plum-bronze-y pink with miniscule gold, pale green, purple, and possibly silver shimmers that somehow all come together to produce a strong, opaque, metallic effect on the eyes. The formula is hard to understand – it’s an almost flakey pigment placed in a transparent gel-like base but the gel goes on like a paste-like cream, and feels cooling on the skin. But wait – I said these go on opaque – they do! Like I said, I do not understand what’s in this stuff! However, take the time to build them in layers on the lids and I can guarantee a knock-my-socks-off moment. And – they last and last and last.

Danessa Myricks ColorFix Foil – Venus

Another glitter pigment that rests in a transparent gel base, Venus is a neutral pink – a cool toned pink pigment and a warm toned peach glitter keeps it from leaning any one way too much. To me, these are a little like old school glitter glues that we used to play with in school. If you spread this in a thin layer over the lids, at some angles, you can’t even see it and it looks almost muddy – it only glitters when the light catches it. But you can also build it up so that your eye is essentially a massive glitter bomb of gorgeous, sparkling, pink. Once set, these do not move. However, I find this formula the hardest to work with – it’s very liquid-y, comes out too quickly, spreads a little too thin. If you are a makeup magician though, you’ll be fine.

Milk Makeup Color Chalk – Skip It

Speaking of glitter glue and schools – what was more satisfying than writing with chalk on a blackboard – maybe it’s just me, but I loved the satisfying graze of chalk and all the fun things I could draw with it. These Color Chalks by Milk don’t slide as satisfyingly on my skin and the formula is a little dry, but this slightly metallic, cool-toned, lilac-y pink shade is just sitting there all cheeky, aiming little arrows at my heart. In fact, these are hard to apply because of the shape of the ‘chalk’, hard to blend, a little tug-y on my lids, and yet, the pink is so beautiful that I couldn’t resist. So if like me, you fall incurably in love with this color, just bit the bullet.

Swatches