Starry nights; Megawatt metallics-with a modern, minimal a-brighten the face, and the evening.

Byline: Jane Shin Park

If the recent runways are any indication, it's going to be a heavy-metal holiday. It started at the fall shows, where models at Giambattista Valli dazzled in rich sequined columns and Viktor & Rolf presented a series of stiff silver-plated cocktail dresses. John Galliano conjured Joan of Arc-complete with armor and chain-mail headdress-at Dior Couture, and for spring, Marc Jacobs played with texture and translucency, with light-reflective fabrics and blindingly blinged-out accessories.

But it wasn't just the fashion that had been dipped in molten silver and gold. Metallic makeup-focused on the eyes-brightened faces everywhere from Chanel to Versace. It was the kind of sparkle that softly shimmers and shines-no glitter here-tailor-made for holiday parties, when a little drama goes a long way.

The idea this season is minimal makeup with maximum impact (what makeup artist James Kaliardos calls the "Helmut Lang philosophy"), so before dipping into an arsenal of pearlized powders, liners, and creams, consider your strategy. "When you use highlighter or shine, you have to be really careful where you put it," says Kaliardos, who created

the clean, cyberchic look-lids cast in icy ...