Sparkle Time
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

There’s an easy way to shine this season, even if you’re partied out: Brush on a layer of shimmer. From the tried-and-true to the brand new, sparkling powders, creams, and glosses can have you glowing in an instant.
“It’s the easiest opportunity to really glam up your look for the holidays,” a makeup artist and founder of Jeni Lee Cosmetics, Jeni Lee, said.
Applying a shimmer product is an easy step that should add just a minute to your beauty routine, Ms. Lee said. The only real risk is overdoing it. “Most women use too much,” she said, adding that shimmer products are best limited to the eyes, lips, shoulders, and decolletage.
Makeup artist Timothy Alan, author of “Two-Faced: Confessions of a Soap Opera Make-Up Artist” (Benbella), agrees. “I tell people to keep it within the eye shadow area, lips, or cheeks,” he said. “More than that and you’ll look swollen.”
Mr. Alan likes powder products for the face because he believes they’re easier to control. He recommends iridescent eye shadow products by M.A.C. Two other options are the limited edition holiday set from Benefit Cosmetics, called Swinging Sweeties, which includes three loose, sparkling eye powders ($28 at www.benefitcosmetics.com), and Jeni Lee’s Shimmer Powder ($25 at www.jenilee.com), available in gold, bronze, and platinum.
If you prefer cream formulas, Bobbi Brown’s new limited edition Eyelights Palette ($30 at Bobbi Brown counters) features four shades of creamy Shimmer Eye Shadow. Both cream and powder shimmer formulas can add a subtle glow when applied over regular eye shadow. “The cool thing about doing that is the shimmer has something to attach itself to, so it stays on better,” Ms. Lee said.
If you still crave an all-over glow, skip the sweeping powder brush and apply an illuminating product instead for a soft, lit-from-within look, Mr. Alan said. His pick: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer ($52.50 at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave., between 49th and 50th streets, 877-551-SAKS).
For the body, Mr. Alan recommends getting dressed and then carefully applying a shimmer product. “If you apply an iridescent product first and then get dressed, you’ll get coverage where you don’t need it and waste a lot of product,” he said.
Two of his favorites are Scott Barnes Body Bling, a moisturizing bronze body lotion that makes skin glisten ($48 at Saks Fifth Avenue), and Girlactik Beauty’s Celebrity Gel, a sparkling gel with a fresh scent ($18 at www.girlactik.com). Another lightly scented shimmer cream is Hollywood Glo Body Lustre by Benefit Cosmetics ($26 at www.benefitcosmetics.com), a rose-gold body balm.
Whatever formula you choose, Mr. Alan offers a final tip: Keep it tasteful. “It’s not so much what the product is, but where and how you use it,” he said. “If you use it tastefully, there really are no rules.”