Everyone looks better in candlelight. But until the world’s fluorescent lights are replaced with votives, we need an easy way to fake that gorgeous glow. Enter fall’s hot new makeup look: a wash of gleaming satin-finish shades that give you the same soft radiance.

“The look of satin-finish makeup is really modern, and the reflective quality actually diminishes the appearance of fine lines,” notes Sarah Lucero, Stila celebrity makeup artist.

Plus, the new formulas and colors are so sheer, “you can use them all over your face—eyes, cheeks, lips—simultaneously, without it looking as if your features are competing for attention,” says Dick Page, Shiseido makeup artistic director.

Read on for tricks and product picks to help you pull off two great versions of the look: a subtle take for day and a richer, more dramatic one for night.

Eyes

Prep lids first
Before applying shadow, tap a small dab of foundation or eye shadow primer—try Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion ($18; sephora.com)—from lash lines to creases. This helps color last longer and prevents creams from creasing by absorbing your skin’s natural oils.

Pick one color family
“You want an all-over, soft, velvety finish with a gradation of color, not contrasting shades,” Lucero explains. Working with liquid or cream shadows, apply a light shade as a base from lash lines almost to brows, then blend a slightly darker hue along creases and—if you want extra definition—an even darker color along lash lines.

Next page: Cheeks