valentine’s day makeup 2018

Let’s talk romantic makeup looks that are somewhat natural but help to enhance and make you look polished and feel gorgeous. Today I am sharing two Valentine’s Day-inspired looks that fall into that category, one for daytime and another one subtly amp up for the evening. In the spirit of my ongoing Project Pan, I dug into my beauty collection to “re-discover and shop” my own collection to put together these looks. Guess what? It was so much fun getting creative and incorporating two palettes that I’ve owned for a while and just haven’t used enough. If you’re looking for accompanying style inspo, check out last week’s Valentine’s Day Style Edit. For now, onto the looks!

Plum Pretty

This look is all about the mauve and soft blush tones, created by Urban Decay’s Naked 3. This third iteration in Urban Decay’s cult-classic palette line focuses on rose-hued shadows. Previously, I avoided plum and pink shadow looks in order to prevent from looking like I had pink eye…or a bruised one. I started with a light to mid-tone matte shade (in this case, Limit) in the crease and added a deeper matte shadow, Nooner, to deepen the crease and build slightly above. What I found to be effective in combating the sickly look is to slowly apply color, blend to create a transitional colors, and to add dimension with a deeper outer-V shade, Darkside. Darkside has small purple glitter infused in the dark brown shadow, however, it becomes just a matte shadow with blending.

To make the look more cohesive, I added Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution Lipstick in Very Victoria, which is described as a rosy taupe nude. The finish of Charlotte Tilbury’s lipsticks are not drying but have a satin finish. For a bit of glow, I added the subtle side of the Fenty Beauty’s Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter duo onto the high points of the cheeks, brow bone, down the bridge of the nose, and the cupid’s bone. (Full review of Fenty Beauty’s initial launch, here.

Subtly Smokey

First things first. Yes, I accidentally overdrew my lipstick. No, it’s not supposed to look that way. No, I would never go out on the date or anywhere else otherwise looking like that. Yes, it might have happened in the past when I just started learning how to apply lipstick properly.

Okay, this second look brown and taupe glam look created by the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. Using the same techniques as described above, I used the brown shadows to create dimension. However, I added the shimmery bronze shadow, Marzipan on the lid. On top of that, I added the Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes in No. 35 Jazz Lounge, which a cool toned taupe shimmer/glitter. Typically, I do not care for glitter when it comes to makeup; it’s too flashy, difficult to apply, and ends up everywhere on the face and clothes. However, the Shine Fix Eyes are gorgeous. The formula is similar to a pressed pigment that is best applied with the finger for full opacity. There is an extensive range of colors that ranges from a glitter-infused sheen to full-base pigment shine. No. 35 is the latter. Based upon my quick online search, it seems like the brand may be phasing out this product but it’s still available in limited places!

I used Kat Von D’s Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Thunderstruck as a highlighter; it gives a soft pearl sheen. This red lip is a new-to-me product that I swapped in halfway through my Project Pan (more about that next week). It is the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme Lipstick in So Rouge (exclusive to Sephora VIB Rouge Members). It has a comfortable matte finish that does not move outside the lip lines (unless you accidentally overdrew), but it is not transfer proof. If you want to apply a red lip and don’t want to fuss with touch-ups, I would go with Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. My favorite crimson is Fiery.

I delved into my palette collection to create these looks, what are you favorite eye shadow palettes? Leave any questions/comments below. As always, feel free to include your email to be notified of new blog posts and check out my Instagram for daily inspiration.

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