Soft, Pretty, Sexy: Our Valentine's Makeup Tutorial
Here's our sweet Valentine's makeup tutorial, easy to copy and courtesy of one of our fav Beauty Bloggers - Emma Nahod of Compassionate Beauty RI:
Welcome to this soft, pretty, kinda sexy, kinda smokey Valentine's Day inspired makeup tutorial! Whether you are going on a romantic date, spending time with friends, or want to look fierce and fabulous watching Netflix in your pjs, this look can suit it all. I will be using specific colors, however, you can take this basic formula and run with it. Have fun, use whatever colors you really love, and create something that makes you feel amazing.
I will be featuring two 3-pan (and $3) eyeshadow palettes from Wet n Wild. While you might assume this is a cheap, drugstore brand, Wet n Wild has some of the best quality eyeshadows I have in my entire collection. Soft, pigmented, easy to work with, beautiful colors, not to mention cruelty free, I can't recommend them highly enough. The palettes I'll be using for this look are Silent Treatment and Walking on Eggshells. (FYI, Walking on Eggshells contains dupes for 3 MAC shadows, Shroom, Cork, and Naked Lunch) For a full list of products used, visit my blog, Compassionate Beauty.
1- Start out with clean and well moisturized skin. Good skincare is key to good makeup but, as Alton Brown would say, "That's another show". I'm going to do the eye makeup first, before the skin, so it will be easier and less time consuming to clean up any fallout.
2- First, fill in your eyebrows. This will give you a frame for the eye and a guide for your shadow application. Prime your lids with a base or eyeshadow primer, if you wish. This is an optional step but a primer will help the shadow to last longer and look more vibrant. Next, take a matte, flesh-toned shadow and sweep it all over, from lid to brow. This look is all about the blending (no treble) and this base color will make it much easier.
3- Now, we need a transition color. This will act as a guide for the rest of the look, add dimension, and pull the final look together. Blend the warm soft, brown in Walking on Eggshells from the crease towards the brow, really blending out since you want this color to be quite soft. The warmth of the brown will add a nice balance to the cool tones of the rest of the colors.
4- For the top lid, apply the pale, shimmery pink "Eyelid" color from Walking on Eggshells. To intensify the payoff, use a flat shadow brush (or even a finger) and pat the product on the lid, rather than sweeping or blending it on.
5- Then, pat the silvery lavender color from Silent Treatment on to the outer corner of the top lid and along the bottom lash-line. Again, this will add dimension and keep everything looking perfectly blended.
6- Now to deepen and dramatize the look. Dab the dark, purple-toned grey from Silent Treatment into the outer corner crease and along the upper lash-line, in a V shape. After you have the dark color placed, blend, blend, blend! You may want to do this process a couple times, depending on the intensity you want. Also blend the dark shadow along the outer corner of the lower lash-line. Clean up the shadow and, if needed, add a bit more of the lid color (it can get a little washed out after all that blending!)
7- Once you are happy with the shadow, line the upper lash-line with a black pencil or gel liner. Don't worry about making it perfect because after you line, use a small brush and smudge the liner so it looks soft and smokey. You can even go over it with dark shadow we were just using in the outer lid. Line the upper waterline (tightline) if you feel comfortable doing so and smudge a little of that liner on the bottom lash line. Add mascara and, if it suits your fancy, apply false lashes.
8- Whew, eyes are done! Now moving on the the skin. If you like to use one, apply a primer. Since it is winter and our skin tends to dry out a bit, you could also "prime" with a tinted moisturizer.
9- Apply a thin, even base of foundation (or similar product of your choosing) all over the face and blend into the neck. You can always add a little more to any areas that need it but start with less than you think you need. This will help the makeup look more naturally flawless and keep your face from looking cake-y.
10- Use concealer under the eyes and over any blemishes or spots you want to cover. I like to use powder to set concealer and any places I get oily (forehead and nose in the winter). If you have drier skin or don't need much concealing, you can skip the powder altogether.
11- To bring a little more life and color back into the face, it is my humble opinion that blush is a must. Dab a soft, pink blush on the apple of the cheek and then blend back and up. This way, the blush will also lift the face. An optional step is to add a soft contour. I am using a cool, brownish blush but you can use an eyeshadow or bronzer. Something cool toned will look more natural since it is a closer mimic of the "shadow" you are going for. Lightly sweep that from ear and under the cheekbone and blend.
12- Another optional step is adding highlight. This doesn't necessarily have to be shimmery but I like shimmer so that's what I'm using! I'm actually using the pale, cream colored eyeshadow in Walking on Eggshells and dusting it under the arch of the brow, in the inner corner of the eye, along the tops of the cheekbones, and on the cupids bow. You could also add some to the forehead and nose.
13- Last but not least are the lips. If you are going out for dinner and/or want something a little more low maintenance, a nude or soft pink lip would look great. However, I can't say no to a red lip so that's what I'm going with. First, line and fill in the lips with a lip liner. This will keep the lipstick crisp and clean as well as add longevity. Apply a thin layer of color, blot gently with a tissue, and repeat another time or two. This will also help the lipstick to last longer and help it fade evenly.