3 Beauty Editors Share Their Take on Valentines Day Makeup Looks

February 04, 2022

By: Alyssa Kaplan | Makeup.com by L'Oréal

While we can make a strong case that romantic makeup looks are always appropriate, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to get even more creative and play up our favorite features with dreamy hues. If you’re in need of makeup inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. From an eye-focused look, to flushed cheeks and a bold lip, we’re sharing a variety of ways to put a romantic spin on your makeup 一 regardless of your V-Day plans.

All About the Eyes

Alyssa, Assistant Editor

I’ve been really into metallic and glitter eyeshadow looks lately, and I decided to create a sparkly pink look. When working with glitter, I always do my eyes first in case I get fallout. First, I applied the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in Rose Gold to my eyelids and blended it into my crease with a fluffy blending brush. I also blended a bit of the cream shadow on my lower lash line for subtle definition. I then applied the Bodyography Glitter Pigment in Solar Flare to my lids with my fingers to give the look some luster and enhance the rosy tone. I finished my eyes with two coats of the Lancôme Monsieur Big Volumizing Mascara on my top eyelashes and the Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Waterproof Mascara on my bottom lashes. Although the process of creating the eye look was incredibly simple, the glimmering finish made the eyes the focal point of the look.

I then moved on to my skin and evened out my complexion with the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare 一 which is great for natural-looking skin 一 and brightened my under-eye area with the NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Face And Body Hydrating Concealer Serum. I added a subtle bronze glow with the Saie Beauty Sun Melt Cream Bronzer and popped some color to my cheeks with the Lawless Beauty Make Me Blush Velvet Blush in Sakura 一 the perfect baby pink blush shade in my opinion.

Finally, I opted for a nude lip by applying the Urban Decay Vice Hydrating Lipstick in Oatmilk and topped it off with the Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss in Spring Fling. Finally, I applied the Dermablend Lock and Last Water-Resistant Setting Spray to set my Valentine’s Day look.

Perfect Pout

Katlyn, Social Media Editor

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to go bold with your lipstick, which is why this year, I’m reaching for my favorite red. After seeing so many TikTok videos surrounding the NYX Professional Makeup Shine Loud Vegan High Shine Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick, I knew I had to try it for myself. To keep up with the theme of Valentine’s Day, I chose “On a Mission,” a stunning blue red shade that makes my teeth appear whiter. I applied the base coat first and allowed it to dry for 90 seconds before following up with the glossy top coat to keep everything in place.

Wanting my lips to do the talking, I opted for a more natural look for the rest of my face. I primed my face with the NYX Professional Makeup Plump Right Back Electrolytes Plumping Primer Serum which gives my face a boost of hydration while offering a dewy base for any complexion products. I followed up with the perfect complement to this primer, the NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Hydrating Face & Body Concealer Serum. These products paired together offer a very glowy, healthy looking complexion, which is just what I was looking for.

No look is complete without brows, so I went in with the Urban Decay Brow Blade Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil & Ink Stain with soft strokes to give me a bushy brow look. I followed up with my favorite Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Melting Color Balm in Brick Red and applied it across the apples of my cheeks and lightly on my lids for a monochromatic look. I finished up the eyes with a generous coat of the L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Noir Balm Volumizing Mascara. To lock everything in place, I completed the look with a final spritz of the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Setting Spray + Hydrating Mist.

Flushed and Flirty

Caitlyn, Assistant Editor

When it comes to an on-theme look, I like to go all out. For Valentine’s Day, I plan to wear lots of pink and purple, tons of sparkle and a heaping dose of blush to give me a romantic flush that can be seen from across the dinner table. I recently did a trial run, and here’s how I got the look: I started by applying a combination of the Armani Beauty Neo Nude Color Melting Cream Blush in Warm Plum and the NUDESTIX Nudies Blush in Moodie Blu to contour my face using the blush draping technique. I then placed a bit of each blush along the top of my cheekbones and, using an angled blush brush, blended the pigments in an upward motion towards my temples.

For the rest of my makeup, I applied a dime-sized amount of the YSL Beauty Nu Blotting Lotion; I find that it’s effective in controlling shine throughout the day, long into the night. Then, I smoothed the Caliray Free Dreaming Clean Wellness Tint onto my skin and let it set in before applying tiny dots of the Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Concealer underneath my eyes on areas where I have a lot of redness. After that, I grabbed the NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Prism, a euphoric, sparkly light purple eyeshadow stick, and filled my eyelids with color before coating my lashes with the YSL Beauty Lash Clash Mascara. Then, I contoured my face using the blush draping technique, making sure it looked pigmented enough to be seen in the dim lighting of the restaurant my boyfriend picked for our Valentine’s Day dinner. And finally, because every Valentine’s Day look needs juicy, kissable lips, I topped off the look off with the Lawless Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Lip Gloss in Velvet.