Valentine’s Day is on its way. It’s essential now to start looking for your outfit depending on the style you’re going for. Also, do not forget that your underwear must fit with the style you will decide to choose. Make sure also to have a pretty hairstyle that will enhance your face.

The most important step, however, is a sublime makeup you choose according to your personality or your mood. Romantic with soft and delicious colors, Eastern princess with kohl and intense colors, or Pin-up with the doe eye and lips in blood like Dita Von Teese.

Before the day some gestures are important to care for the skin at the base as the first step to a nice make up is a beautiful skin. Indeed, for a bright, bubbly and zero defect make up you must prepare your skin and lips to receive materials.

The day before, in the evening, take a gentle scrub on your face to remove all impurities and dead skin cells to regain the natural glow. Then apply a moisturizing or nourishing mask depending on what your skin needs to plump and smooth. Finish by wrapping your face with a cream adapted to your skin. You can also do the same for your lips. A light lemon and sugar scrub for your lips smooth and free from small dead skin.You can finish with a nourishing lip contour balm, and this time a good night’s sleep and you’re ready to be stunning for the most beautiful evening for your Valentine.

My advice would be not to wear makeup during the day of the big day to let your skin breathe and relax before the big step of the evening preparation.

Look # 1: Romantic

Looks for Valentines Day- Romantic by Carla Dias

Opt for this look if you like natural and soft tones or the pastel tones with slightly iridescent and matte textures. Start to unify your complexion with a foundation of very slight effect nude, conceal dark circles and blemishes if you have some by using a concealer one shade lighter than your foundation, and a light veil of powder to set. Brush your eyebrows and correct redrawing the line if needed by using a pencil or an eye shadow tailored to your eyebrow color. Keep your hand soft and do not accentuate too much the eyebrows for this look to keep it natural. Dress your eyelids with one or two soft shades to melt with each other, e.g. warm brown and old rose or warm brown and apricot.

Colors will be chosen according to your outfit of course. Highlight the base of your upper and lower lashes with a brown kohl to give a light intensity to your look and finish with a brown mascara softer than black. Cheeks will be intense, fresh, baby doll style. Soft pink for fair complexions or apricot for dyed duller. The lips will be luscious and fresh also. A gloss with transparent tones will be adapted in this case.

My advice: Colors should be worked lightly on the eyes, and with more intensity on the cheeks. If the eyebrows are free from defects just brush and secure them with the help of a transparent mascara.

Look # 2: Oriental Princess

Looks for Valentines Day- Eastern Princess by Carla Dias

A glamorous look for those who like an intense makeup with a beautiful golden complexion, the famous line of mesmerizing black kohl  and sensual lips. As in the previous look you must begin to unify the complexion using a foundation approaching a maximum your carnation base. Do not forget to head to a foundation which tends more to yellow as the oriental woman has a hue of skin that has a tendency to be slightly olive. Light skins have no concerns to be worried as light foundations who tend to yellow exist!

The “smoky” look magnifies and intensifies the look and brings out the feminine side of the oriental woman. To create a beautiful eye makeup, we choose at least two tones; depending on the size of the eyelid and eye shape you can even add 4 or 5 colors; that you mix with a classic matte black. Mix a matte black eyeshadow on the entire eyelid and under the lower lashes to draw the shape and get almond eyes. Mix the chosen color on black (e.g. purple, blue, brown or green), take a lighter shade than the color chosen above and put it on the crease of the eye (the area between the eyelid and the eyebrow). To finish up your oriental princess eyes, draw a line of black eyeliner to add depth to the eyes followed by an intense line of Kohl Pencil inside the eye. A healthy dose of multilayer mascara and that’s it. You can try a pair of false eyelashes if your eyelashes are too thin or sparse. Brush and underline your eyebrows because they are the frame of your look. They give the character to it. The lips make up will be nude and mate. They are well defined in advance with a natural color lip liner following to an application of your matte nude lipstick.

My advice: Avoids the smoky green or blue eyes on very identified eyes or on a very dark skin tone.

Look # 3: Pin Up

Looks for Valentines Day- Pin Up by Carla Dias

The pin-up look of the 50’s, icon of sensuality and glamor for those who want a makeup worthy of the greatest like Marilyn or Dita.
It starts with the foundation, hide imperfections using a concealer or a device. Then we apply the foundation. The ideal is to use liquid, powder is suitable for the most skilled. The trick is to heat the foundation in your hands to spread better and rely more on our skin. We choose a shade lighter than our skin tone, because of the 50’s pinup complexion which is pale or clear translucent. Darker skin may not have the diaphanous, but the idea is to unify while remaining consistent with our skin. We end the work of the foundation by putting a bit of blush on the cheeks, it must be very light.

The doe eye is characteristic of the pin up. To get it, first apply a light eyeshadow (e.g. slightly pearly white), on the eyelid that is framed by dark shadows to intensify the look. Then we put the eyeliner along the lash line top and we spread it to the outer portion of the eye forming a small point. Finally we curl the eyelashes and we apply very black mascara  in multilayer. For those who want more or those who have thin and short eyelashes, a nice pair of false eyelashes will save you!

The mouth should be red. We begin by sketching the contours of the lips with a pencil and then we apply the lipstick.

My advice: The lip liner and lipstick should be the same color for not dividing the color and keeping it uniform. Lipstick should not be too bright and for the meeting place with the skin, apply a veil of transparent loose powder over.

Whatever your look choice is: romantic, oriental princess, or pin up, you will be ready to join your Valentine for a beautiful evening. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Photo credits go to Emmanuel Chandelier & Joel Benguigui and makeup credits in the photo go to Carla Dias