5 Grown-Up Ways to Use Unicorn Makeup Without Looking Like a Freak

One of the many clues that should have tipped us all off that the "unicorn trend" had gone off the rails was when Too Faced came out with its Unicorn Tears lipstick.

The moment it hit the shelves, it was gone. People were so desperate to rub their lips with Unicorn Tears that they would stop at nothing, yet this iridescent shimmer can be a bit much for everyday life.

I am a fan of the same lipstick formula, but I prefer in shade Clueless ($22). It's still pink and shimmery but lacks the blue iridescence that says, "I am on my way to a rave!"

If you really do want that bluish tint to your lips, as most unicorns do, then try the IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss in shade News Anchor Blue ($24).

It's a little-known secret that blue tones on the lips will help to counteract yellow tones in teeth, so this gloss goes on as an extremely sheer, almost clear, blue, and makes such a difference! In addition, the formula drenches the lips in butters and antiaging ingredients so lips are smooth and hydrated. Sometimes these matte blues and greens that are trending can be very unflattering and can dry out your lips, so this IT blue gloss is a great solution.

This set comes with three glitter liners ($16), so they're affordable. I have tested hundreds of glitter liners and shadows, and I was over the moon when I discovered this set. The colors are pretty and the glitter is subtle and not chunky. Used softly in the corners of eyes or swept across the lashline, these liners add just a bit of unicorn feel without looking like you are going to a music festival. I have even taken a bit on my hand and stamped them over powder shadows to give just a touch of glitter over the lid. They are absolutely gorgeous.

These shadows (each $19) have microfine sparkle so the look is more sophisticated than much of the metallic glitter shadows on the market. The pigments are rich and lush and they last the day. I found that Solstice mixed with Glitter Rock (pictured here) was just the right amount of iridescence and sparkle to get tons of compliments and feel like I was on trend. Apply them wet it you want to kick it up a notch.

Tarte calls its limited-edition highlighter ($30) "magical highlighter inspired by mystical elements and make believe." Though this is not my usual aesthetic, these "Tarte unicorns" just might be on to something.

This unicorn-inspired product features a shimmering pastel rainbow of four shades that can be used to stripe a rainbow on your face if that's the look you're going for. However, if a rainbow across the face is not your thing, you can swirl your brush across all four shades to blend them together, which will create a light iridescence that is beautiful perfection to highlight features.

I am all for glowing and sparkling like a beautiful unicorn with a rainbow across her face, but sometimes the constraints of polite society get in the way. A little bit of shimmer can go a long way, and we don't need an entire bottle of glitter or a full rainbow across our cheeks to get our point across. It's fun to play with different trends in makeup, but we might find that in the end we don't really want to be unicorns after all. In fact, we are better off not being mythical make-believe creatures, but instead strong, smart, real women living in the real world, and we don't want too much glitter to get in the way of that very important fact.