With Valentine’s Day coming up and indoor dining restrictions slowly lifting, many are wondering not only what they should do on the day of love but also how they’d like to look. Whether you’re in a relationship, dating around or single this year, V-Day is a great time to show yourself some love and enhance the beauty you’ve already got. Here are four looks I encourage you to rock on Feb. 14!
If you’re looking for something simple, this is the perfect look for you. This will make you look fresh and glowy. And the best part? Besides the brows and highlighter, all I used was a singular liquid blush!
For this look, I first primed my face and eyelids with their designated primers. Then, I used the Rare Beauty soft pinch liquid blush at the high points of my cheekbones for a lifting effect. Then, after applying some of the blush to my hand, I dipped a fluffy makeup brush onto the product, swirled it around to get rid of the excess, and gently patted it onto my eyelid. Using what was left on the brush, I dragged some of the pigment under my lower lash line to enhance those eyelashes too. After building up the pigment and blending it towards the tail of my brows and temple (again, for a natural lift), I gently patted some blush onto my lips to ensure everything matched.
Blush aside, I topped off my cheekbones with a nice pink-toned highlighter and my lips with a nude gloss. I didn’t bother with false lashes for this look as I was trying to keep it natural, but if you’re looking for a way to really make your eyes pop, they are definitely a great option. This is not only a great look for Valentine’s Day but day-to-day as well!
Products used:
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in shade Believe
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
r.e.m. beauty Flourishing Lengthening mascara in shade Midnight Black
r.e.m. beauty On Your Collar Plumping Lip Gloss in shade VCR
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Soft Brown
wet n wild megaglo Highlighting Powder in shade Blossom Glow
Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation in shade Neutral Ivory
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Warm
Maybelline Fit Me! Finishing Powder in shade Fair
Looking for something a bit deeper? I’ve got you! If you’re into the classic smokey eye, this is the perfect look to try. Here, I focused on making the eyes pop. Instead of using black, I opted for purple to avoid making them look too heavy.
To start, I primed my eyelids and used a fluffy blending brush to buff a dusty rose shade into my crease. Then, I took a denser (but still slightly fluffy) packing brush and gently patted a deep plum shade into my eyes’ outer and inner corners. To create a “halo” effect, I blended a touch of concealer onto the center of my eyelid and topped it off with a light purple shimmer. This is a great way to lighten up a smokey look and bring attention to your eyes without making them look tiny! I used black eyeliner on the outer two-thirds of my lower waterline, dragged the deep plum eyeshadow onto my lower lash line, plopped on some false lashes and left the eyes as the star of the show by applying a nude lip, light blush and highlight.
Products used:
Natasha Denona Mini Love eyeshadow palette (shades 354DC, 355CM, 356CM, 357M)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in shade Believe
r.e.m. beauty Flourishing Lengthening mascara in shade Midnight Black
r.e.m. beauty On Your Collar Plumping Lip Gloss in shade VCR
Sephora Collection Dramatic Volume false lashes in style Swanky
Sephora Clear brush-tip eyelash adhesive
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Soft Brown
Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation in shade Neutral Ivory
e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Warm
Maybelline Fit Me! Finishing Powder in shade Fair
If you’re anything like me, you’re not only obsessed with the new season of HBO’s Euphoria, but you’re also in love with the makeup featured in it. This glittery eye is perfect for an evening with friends or even a date night if you’re feeling bold. It’s also incredibly simple and only requires four products: Glitter glue, cosmetic glitter, black eyeliner and lashes.
I skipped priming my eyelids for this one because the base will consist of cosmetic glitter glue. When working with glitters around the eyes, you have to be careful that all products used are safe for the area. Using one of my middle fingers, I gently dabbed some Too Faced glitter glue onto each eyelid and waited a couple of seconds for it to dry. Once tacky, I used a dense packing brush to apply a hot pink cosmetic glitter to my eyelid and tapered it outwards to make a lifted wing shape. Don’t worry too much about the edges being crisp—it’s glitter! As long as you’ve got the general shape, you’re golden.
Next, using a black eyeliner, I lined the outer two-thirds of my lower waterline and lash line. Using a small, densely packed brush, I blended the eyeliner upwards to create a very small wing for a seamless blend once I applied false lashes. Finally, I used a burgundy lip liner on my lips and topped it off with a reddish gloss to complete the look that Maddy Perez would be envious of.
Products used:
Rude Cosmetics United Shades of Glitter (shade AlaBAMa)
Too Faced Glitter Glue
NYX Cosmetics eye pencil in shade Black
NYX Cosmetics lip liner pencil in shade Burgundy
Sephora Collection Luxe false lashes in style Quill
Sephora Clear brush-tip eyelash adhesive
r.e.m. beauty Flourishing Lengthening mascara in shade Midnight Black
Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in shade Candy Apple
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Soft Brown
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in shade Believe
Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation in shade Neutral Ivory
e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Warm
Maybelline Fit Me! Finishing Powder in shade Fair
This one isn’t for the faint of heart: if you’re looking to really WOW people this year, this is a bright and fun look that’s surprisingly easy to recreate! With a hot pink cut crease accompanied by matching blush and lips, you’re sure to turn heads.
The first step is, of course, to prime. After priming my eyelids and face, I took a light pink pencil eyeliner and outlined the shape of the inverse wing shape I was going for. Once I had both sides looking as similar as possible, I used a small fluffy brush to gently tap a hot pink eyeshadow onto the eyeliner I had already placed. With a clean blending brush to ensure extra pigment wouldn’t go everywhere, I blended the hot pink upwards towards my brows. On the outer corner of my eyes, I blended downwards slightly, as I wanted to cut out the inner part of this wing and keep the hot pink glow alive all around my eyelids.
Next, I took a liquid concealer and dabbed it onto the back of my hand. With a flat brush, I gently carved out where I avoided blending the pink shadow. If you mess up, don’t worry! It’s always easier to add more product than take it away and start over. Once it’s shaped, I set the concealer with finishing powder to minimize creasing over time, and lined my lower waterline with the pink eyeliner I used to map out the wing at the beginning of this look.
On my face I used the same pink eyeshadow as a blush by dipping into it with a big fluffy brush, then I topped my cheekbones, inner eye corners and brow bones with a pink highlighter.
For my lips I used a pink lip liner first, then a nude gloss to blend the lines into my lips. I dipped my ring finger into the hot pink eyeshadow used for the rest of this look and gently tapped it onto my lips to brighten them up and make them match the eyes and blush perfectly.
Products used:
The Powerpuff Girls x Colourpop eyeshadow palette (shade Fashionistas)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
wet n wild megaglo Highlighting Powder in shade Blossom Glow
wet n wild Perfect Pout Gel Lip Liner in shade Never Petal Down
r.e.m. beauty Flourishing Lengthening mascara in shade Midnight Black
NYX Cosmetics Epic Wear Liner Stick in shade Pink Spirit
Sephora Collection Luxe false lashes in style Quill
Sephora Clear brush-tip eyelash adhesive
Rare Beauty Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm in shade Nearly Neutral
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Soft Brown
Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation in shade Neutral Ivory
e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer
e.l.f. Cosmetics 16hr Camo Concealer in shade Light Peach
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Warm
Maybelline Fit Me! Finishing Powder in shade 05 Fair
That’s all, folks! Have a lovely Valentine’s Day and remember that you don’t need to be in a relationship to celebrate—the only love you’ll ever need is from the person staring back at you in the mirror.
Featured image by Miranda Caley.
