Inner Corners Are Where the Red Carpet Actually Sparkles

Before a sequin gets photographed or a crown catches the light, there is a smaller, quieter decision happening at the inner corner of the eye: a dab of shimmer, placed with precision rather than abandon. It is a trick pageant makeup artists have long understood on stage under unforgiving lights, and one red-carpet teams reach for before a single gown is even zipped. The payoff is not sparkle for its own sake but the illusion of a brighter, more awake eye, the kind that holds up under a camera flash. Small gesture, outsized effect, which is precisely why it has staying power on both the runway line and the stage walk.

With reporting from Harper's Bazaar.