Happy (almost) Valentine's Day! I don't know about you, but I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, even though I've been with my boyfriend for the last 5 of them. We have little date nights multiple times a week, so doing something special just because it's Valentine's Day has never really been important to us. But I'm all for creating a romantic makeup look just for the occasion!
First things first, my apologies for not including a picture of the products on my face. We've been having snowstorm after snowstorm here, and the lighting simply would not allow a good picture of the makeup look. Next time I do this look I'll be sure to post a picture on my Instagram, so keep an eye out there.
For a romantic look like this, I want to start with a really flawless yet natural and luminous base - a layer of the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer followed by the NARS Sheer Glow foundation work perfectly. The primer nourishes the skin to give you a natural, radiant glow with no shimmer whatsoever, and a light layer of the Sheer Glow gives a natural, luminous (but not dewy) finish. I do any extra concealing with my beloved NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and cover up dark circles while bringing light to the undereyes with the Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush-On-Glow BB Highlighter.
Moving on to eyes, I just adore pinky tones for a look like this. The Urban Decay Naked3 Palette is an obvious choice, but I dug out my old favorite Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Duo in Raisins (unfortunately no longer available, but the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Kuala Lumpur has similar shades). This has a beautiful pink-gold shade that I like to wear all over the lid and a lovely burgundy/berry shade that I put on the outer corner and blend into the crease and also along the outer lower lashline. The colors compliment each other so nicely and add a soft pink look to the eyes without looking like you have an infection. For eyeliner, I like to do a smudgy line of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencil in Darkside from the pencil that goes with the Naked3 palette. I'll curl my eyelashes and apply something like the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara that gives great length and separation, perfect for a fluttery look.
Going back to cheeks, there isn't a more perfect blush for Valentine's Day than the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub. It's a beautiful soft pink shade that really brings life to the complexion and has great staying power. If I feel like contouring my cheekbones, I'll use The Body Shop Honey Bronzer as it's as subtle as it gets. I may not want a contour, but I'm always up for a highlight. I've been loving the Benefit Watt's Up lightly blended on the cheekbones and browbone for a supermodel-esque candlelit glow.
For lips, as I'm not a huge red lip lover, I thought I'd stick to my trusty MAC Lip Pencil in Soar with a bit of the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita patted on top - a lovely, polished pink lip that isn't going anywhere.
Now onto the date ideas, I'm a bit of a homebody so my ideas may seem super lame to those of you that are more adventurous. But these are all things I've done with my boyfriend, and we always have a blast. I realize it's kind of silly to put a whole face of makeup on to stay in, but it's all part of the fun and makes a night in feel more special!
- Cook something together (or one of you cooks dinner, one does dessert) - the process of picking the food and going shopping for ingredients together is almost as fun as the cooking part! We're going to be making Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheeses (!!!) from this recipe.
- Cozy up together and watch a movie neither of you have seen before, perhaps from a genre you would have never considered (we watched Silence of the Lambs recently and despite being a total wimp about scary movies I absolutely loved it and wasn't too scared!)
- Similarly, find a new show on Netflix to binge-watch together (we can't get enough of Parks & Recreation lately)
- If you like gaming, break out an old gaming system and relive your favorite childhood game together (bonus points if you also make a kid-favorite dinner together, like mac & cheese and hotdogs or grilled cheese & tomato soup)
- Similarly, find any game you love playing together/taking turns playing (we love playing Grand Theft Auto V - he does all the missions and I just run around knocking people over)
- If you just have to go out, try going out to eat somewhere you've never been before - I suggest somewhere more low-key to avoid the Valentine's Day rush (a little while ago we went to a local Mexican restaurant after reading an article in the newspaper that they served up the best burritos around to see if it was true)
I hope you haven't found my date ideas too boring, and I hope you liked my ideas for a makeup look as well! What are your plans for Valentine's Day?