How to Rock Metallic Makeup: Your Day-by-Day Glow Guide

If you make one beauty move in 2014, let it be this: metallic makeup. So flattering, sexy, and, yes, wearable night or day! But trust us: What works on Saturday nightwon’t on Monday morning! A few metallic rules:

11 A.M. on Sunday:

The trick for casual days: Use metallics subtly—done right, they can actually make you look more awake. To hide a lack of sleep, dab peach liquid highlighter at the corners of your eyes (we swear by Smashbox Under Eye Brightener, $20, smashbox.com). Or fake an allover glow by sweeping an iridescent pressed powder like Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight ($44, beauty.com) across your hairline, brow bones, cheekbones, and chin.

9 A.M. on Monday:

There’s a time and place to channel Lady Gaga; the office is not it. But a small hit of sheen is a modern way to feel polished at work. How-to: Apply matte eyeshadow in any color, blend up from the crease, then layer a shimmering shadow in the same shade family only on the lids. You won’t see sparkle when your eyes are open, but a glimpse will flash when you blink. Add black liner and mascara, and keep the rest

of your face simple.

8 P.M. on Thursday:

Want a look that’s sexy but not full-on dance floor? Use metallics to shake up your go-to smoky eye, starting with liner: Trade black kohl for glittery burgundy or navy (try Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Ether and LSD, $19 each, sephora.com), line eyes, then add shimmery shadows in the same palette, saving the lightest hue for the brow bone. Don’t worry if the lighter shadow falls onto your cheekbones; it’ll act as a highlighter (but do wipe away dark crumbles with a Q-tip).

1 A.M. on Saturday

For a go-big-or-go-home metallic makeup look, some advice: Choose one area (eyes, cheekbones, hair...) so you can maximize the impact. We love the artistry of gold leaf (get it at a local art store); “it can look like liquid metal,” says makeup artist Justine Purdue, who created the looks here. To apply, use a small stiff brush to transfer a little bit of leafing to skin, and pat into place. Define eyes with dark liner, and enjoy! In the words of Paris Hilton, “Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins.”