I still find myself in moments of admiring beauty too much
There is nothing wrong with admiring beauty. In fact you can embrace it and own it while you admire it and that comes of as charming. You just have to understand that the way in which you interact conveys subcontext that can really help you or hurt you. That is where the nuance and subtlety comes into play.
I've had charming men compliment my looks in a most direct way and had it come off sincere and charming because they are admiring beauty in the same way a man admires a fine sports car. It's an appreciation. Everybody likes to be genuinely appreciated. In thinking about the way men successfully compliment a woman's beauty there are several key factors.
1. It's expressed openly and naturally
2. It's stated as a statement of fact
3. It's unapologetically direct
4. You don't linger around expecting something "in exchange" for your compliment
Here's a little experiment you guys can road test. If you see a woman who you find gorgeous, tell her. And do not butter her up AT ALL. There is a big difference between saying
"I know you must hear this all the time but you are a gorgeous woman"
and
"My God. You are a gorgeous woman!"
The first line is supplicating. You are making an assumption and a presumption, you are using a qualifier (which gives her a chance to brace for whatever you are about to say), and you lose the impact of the surprise you can create by making such a strong comment to someone who you do not know. THINK about that.
My challenge is to do this with 10 women. Use the first line 5 times, and the second line 5 times. Alternate. In both cases move along and do not stop whatever you are doing, and if you are in a social environment like a bar or a party you give the compliment and then purposely turn your attention to someone or something else (turn away and ask the server for a menu...something to communicate that you are NOT awaiting/expecting a response.) I think you'll find the results fascinating. I won't say what I expect the outcomes will be, so somebody do this and report back how it goes. Might be a good little exercise.