If you’re going out for a romantic Valentine’s Day date this Feb. 14, we suggest matching your makeup look to the loved-up mood of the day. No matter where you’re heading, we have some expert tips for getting a fabulous, romantic look you and your Valentine are sure to love.
Romantic beauty must-dos
We turned to celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert Neelam Harish of Neha Beauty Clinic for her makeup tips on creating the ultimate romantic look for Valentine’s Day.
Romantic palettes by skin type
First things first! To create a romantic look, you need the right shades. Neelam provides some insight into what hues to look for based on your skin type.
Porcelain
If you have porcelain skin, look for a lipstick shade that is brownish pink or soft apricot, cheeks should be in a pale peach, apricot or very soft natural-blush pink and for eyes, stick to cool neutrals or soft pastels. Shades of gray can also work for an evening makeup look.
Fair
If you have fair skin, look for lipstick colors in warm neutrals like nudes and pinks, a pink shade for the cheeks (anything from brownish pink to fuchsia) and for eye makeup, you can wear almost any shade in the warm and cool tone range. Just avoid anything yellow or orange and keep the shades muted.
Medium to olive
Light olive skin should look for coral and peachy pinks or berry, plum and browns for lipsticks, coral pink and soft orange tones for blush and neutrals within the earthy brown and mossy green shades for eye makeup.
Olive
Dark olive skin tones look great with a dark, warm color to warm the lips, apricot and peachy pinks on the cheeks and warm gold, peach, olive or plum tones on the eyes.
Darker tones
Deep skin looks great with almost any deep shade (think berry, rose, coral, coffee) on the lip, plums and apricots on the cheeks and bronze, burnt orange, olive, sapphire and plum colors are flattering for eye makeup.
Getting started
The first thing Neelam stresses is that even though you want to look great, it’s important not to go overboard. “The number one thing to avoid is thinking that you need to look like a completely different person. Your husband, boyfriend or partner wants to see the ‘you’ they love, so make sure you look like yourself, but your most gorgeous self,” she says. “Generally, men aren’t fans of too much makeup, so don’t freak them out by using too much color. Save extreme makeup looks for another occasion and aim for natural, feminine beauty.”
Use cream formulas rather than powders, but nothing too heavy. “If you pile on the foundation, you can end up accentuating rather than masking even the smallest imperfections,” the makeup artist explains. Further, Soufflé are a awesome product if used in the right shade.
Getting the look
Taking good care of your skin is the first step towards successfully creating any desired makeup look. “The key to romantic makeup is flawless dewy skin, so be sure to keep the skin hydrated,” says Neelam Harish. She provides some simple steps for getting gorgeous for Valentine’s Day.
Hydrate & correct
First, prepare the skin by moisturizing. Follow with a citrus-based color corrector to counteract undereye blue/purple undertones and neutralize any unwanted red tones, such as spots and blemishes. Use in conjunction with the apricot shade to further brighten and even the skin tone.
Hydrate & correct
First, prepare the skin by moisturizing. Follow with a citrus-based color corrector to counteract undereye blue/purple undertones and neutralize any unwanted red tones, such as spots and blemishes. Use in conjunction with the apricot shade to further brighten and even the skin tone.
Add cheek color
Apply a blend of sandy beige and pink powder blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend along the cheekbone. To add some extra warmth to skin, finish with a light dusting of bronzer along the edges of your face and gently across the bridge of the nose, where the sunlight would naturally fall.
Add eye makeup
rush on neutral beige eye shadow and blend shimmery mocha eye shadow on top, working it from the lash line to the socket creases. For a sultrier look, blend plum eye shadow into the hollow of the socket focusing on the outer corners. Using a fine eyeliner brush, apply a thin line of shimmery mocha shadow just under the roots of the lower lashes and blend to touch in the inner corners to open up your eyes.
Enhance eyes
For added definition, draw along the upper lash line with a black eyeliner pencil and thicken the line gradually from the middle of the eyelid towards the outer corner of the eye, extending it slightly beyond the eye and curving it upwards to create a subtle flick. Draw along the inner rim of the lower lid to elongate the eye. Curl lashes and apply mascara.
Paint your pout
Apply silky lip gloss in shell pink for a touch of color and a glossy finish. Try a gloss, which changes color depending on pH balance to give a natural finish.
