There are times when you want your makeup to look subtle, natural, ethereal. Think Elle Fanning, Cate Blanchett, peaches and cream.

And then there are times you just want to have fun with makeup. (Paging Lady Gaga.)

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to preview the brand-new Urban Decay Electric Palette. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but when I opened it up and took a look at the colors, I was like, “Um…is this a palette for drunk clowns?” They are BRIGHT.

But after playing around with it, I fell in love with and starting using the (yes) electric colors as accents for my normal smokey eye look. You might be surprised to discover that these shades are actually wearable–even for non-pop-star human types. The trick is to start small, adding a few swipes of color to your normal look. If you’re addicted to, say, taupe eyeshadow and want to throw a little makeup caution to the wind, use an eyeliner brush to paint a blue Chaos or purple Urban on the outer corners of your lashes. Try putting some orangey Slowburn in your crease, to mimic a bit of time in the sun. Dab a little silvery Revolt on the inner corners of your eyes. Or just go whole hog and smear a bunch of turquoise Fringe across your entire lid.

As always with eyeshadow, the key when using over-the-top shades like these is to blend, blend, blend!

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Once you’re done blending? Blend some more!

Psst: when you’re applying dark eyeshadow, it’s all but guaranteed to smear on your cheeks. To keep yourself from getting into raccoon territory, wait until you’re finished with your eyeshadow to apply foundation. And if you have messy smudges under your eyes–well, that’s what makeup wipes are for!