Whether you’re getting ready for an office holiday gathering or a New Year’s Eve bash, perfecting party makeup for an end-of-the-year fiesta can be tough. You want to be festive without appearing over-the-top, elegant but not too formal.

While walking the line between holiday cheer and evening chic may seem tricky, it can be easy to master, as long as you’re armed with the right products and a bit of expert insight.

Glitter is perhaps the biggest component of great holiday makeup – it adds instant flash, while upping your look’s glam factor. Cover your lids with a shadow that is chock full of sparkle, like Too Faced Shimmer Veils, but remember to keep brightly colored pigment below your crease. A bold hue that contains a lot of shimmer can be too much for your entire eye. To create a gorgeous look that sparkles all over, use a glittery nude shadow above your crease and on your brow bone to add flash without overdosing on color.

You can also coat your lips with a shiny lip gloss that boasts a healthy helping of glitter. While some products contain pigment and shimmer, we suggest using a lip stain to add color to your pout and then finishing your smile with a sparkling formula, like Liptini Topper Lip Gloss in On the Rocks (silver glitter) or Spritzer (gold glitter). This way, you can replenish the shimmer throughout the night without worrying about adding too much color.

If you want to wear glittery makeup, remember to choose to emphasize one feature or the other – if you opt for sparkly eyes, a matte mouth or lips that boast a subtle sheen will be the perfect complement, and you won’t look like you are heading to Studio 54.

Glitter can be subtle as well. Too Faced Starry Eyed Liquid Eye Liner will add a small stripe of sparkle and the brand’s Electric Lash Ultra Thickening Mascara and Shimmering Topcoat will cover your lashes with a subtle sprinkling of glitter. If you are interested in a more refined sparkle, add a bit of shine by applying a shimmering highlighter like GloMinerals gloDust 24K, on your cheekbones and brow bones, and a touch in the center of your lower lip.

However, glitter isn’t for everybody – especially if your ensemble is sequined (then your outfit will already boast enough flash without sparkling makeup). Instead of showering your face in shimmer, opt for a pop of color instead. A bold red lip or a smoky cobalt eye will make any evening look come alive for the holiday season.

If you’re wearing a little black dress, you can get away with makeup of almost any hue (as long as it flatters your complexion as well, of course). But if the getup is a bright color, you have two options- select cosmetics that match your outfit or shades that contrast with it. While a bright pink pout will look fantastic with a magenta dress, plum eye shadow is a perfect pairing with a gold number – the choice is yours.

Remember – don’t forget your nails! No look is complete without a perfect manicure, and nail polish is easiest way to add sparkle or color (or both!) to your ensemble. Lippmann Collection offers a range of lacquers that contain a lot of glitter, like Across the Universe (navy polish with blue and green glitter) and Ruby Red Slippers (deep red polish with matching sparkles), as well as metallic formulas that provide a simple sheen, such as Stardust (platinum frost). Pop Beauty Nail Glam is available in a wide range of hues, from Nude (a basic neutral) to Tomato (a classic red) to Turquoise.