Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady

It seems like everyone’s searching for the perfect Valentine’s gift.  Tired are the roses, the candy hearts (especially those little ones that taste like toothpaste)… why not the gift of a Valentine’s Day you?

What!? Oh, yes, you read it all correctly.  Today I’m going to go through three different Valentine’s Day inspired looks.  If you like them you can even buy the very colors I used in each look from this site.

Now everyone has a different sense of style, so I’ve worked on three classic looks so you can choose the one that fits you.  First we’ll start with a true classic, the look I like to call:

Red Hot Honey

Move over Marilyn, because here you come!  This look was inspired by classic Hollywood Glamour.  For this look we keep the eyes relatively neutral and really pump up those ruby red lips. 

STEP 1

Once you’ve applied your foundation I pulled out the Opal Hollywood Lights and covered the whole eye area with the soft shimmer color.

STEP 2

Then I added Pink Champagne eye shadow in the crease area and onto the outer corner of the eye, blending the two colors together for a softer look.

Remember blending is the key to a fabulous eye shadow application.

STEP 3

Gently tugging at the corner of the line to ensure a smooth application I sketch in a soft line with a dark brown pro eye pencil with a freshly sharpened tip.  This will ensure a tight line and not a smudged look. 

STEP 4

Add a bit of your favorite mascara to pop those lashes.

STEP 5

Now onto those sculpted cheeks!  Using Natural blush I start just below the cheekbone and brush upward from the temple and ear area to contour the face.  I had Sandra smile and then brushed a bit more color on the apples of her cheeks to give her a soft healthy glow. 

STEP 6

To emphasize her cheekbones I added just a smidgen of the Opal Hollywood Lights shimmer right on top of the cheekbone as a highlight.

STEP 7

Last but certainly not the least is that pop of red on those luscious lips.  Using a square lip brush I washed Red Passion lipstick carefully across her lips.  A square brush gives you a nice sharp line.  Red Passion is a fantastic red that flatters any skin tone.  Anyone who says they can’t wear red: You can wear Red Passion.

There you have it, a look fit for the silver screen or for a passionate Valentine’s date.

Maybe bright lips are not your forte, maybe you’re not into that retro look.  You’re definitely a more natural girl… that doesn’t mean we’ll leave you out. Give our next look a try:

Be Mine Baby

This is the second look in our series is inspired by soft, fresh faced natural beauty.   Nothing says pretty and youthful like a soft pink blush.

STEP 1

Once you’ve applied your foundation you’ll want to pull out the flamingo gold Hollywood Lights and cover the whole eye area with the soft shimmer color.

STEP 2

Then I added magenta eye shadow in the crease area and onto the outer corner of the eye, blending the two colors together for a softer look.  If you want less of the darker magenta color, add a bit more of the lighter flamingo gold to soften the look and blend!

STEP 3

Gently tugging at the corner of the line to ensure a smooth application I sketch in a soft line with a violet pro eye pencil with a freshly sharpened tip.  This will ensure a tight line and not a smudged look. 

STEP 4

Add a bit of your favorite mascara to emphases your lashes and frame your eyes.

STEP 5

Now onto those rose-y cheeks!  Using Pink blush, don’t be afraid of the color, it actually goes on much more mild than you’d think.  I had Sandra smile and then brushed a bit of color on the apples of her cheeks to give her a soft healthy glow.  Then with anything left on the brush I dusted across her forehead and down her nose, almost like a bronzer.

STEP 6

To give her a youthful glow, I added just a touch of the flamingo gold Hollywood Lights shimmer right on top of the cheekbone as a highlight.

STEP 7

To finish the look off, I used a flat lip brush to put a wash of pink flower lipstick across Sandra’s lips giving them a sensuous tint.

And now you’re ready for a romantic day or night out, sure to shock your Valentine with your natural beauty.

Maybe neither of the two looks above are your thing.  You’re a girl that likes dark smoke-y dramatic eyes.  Something that’ll make a man’s jaw drop and hit the floor, then you may want to try out the look we like to call:

Goodnight Sweetheart

This look is inspired by the ever popular smoke-y eye definition where the eyes are the center of attention and lips are left very natural.  Always a striking look.

STEP 1

Once you’ve applied your foundation you’ll want to pull out the pink lace Hollywood Lights and cover the whole eye area with the soft shimmer color.

STEP 2

Then I dotted galaxy eye shadow just above the crease and onto the outer corner of the eye, blending the two colors together for a softer look.  If you want less of the darker galaxy color, add a bit more of the lighter pink lace to soften the look and continue to blend

STEP 3

Gently tugging at the corner of the line to ensure a smooth application I sketch in a soft line with a purple pro eye pencil.  I go over the pencil with a little more of the galaxy shadow to soften and smudge the look of the line.

STEP 4

Add a bit of your favorite mascara to enhance your lashes and frame your eyes.

STEP 5

Now onto those contoured cheeks!  Using berry blush, don’t be afraid of the color, it actually goes on much more mild than you’d think. I start just below the cheekbone and brush upward from the temple and ear area to contour the face; then I had Sandra smile and then brushed a bit of color on the apples of her cheeks to give her a soft glow. 

STEP 6

To give her a dramatic flair, I added just a touch of the pink lace Hollywood Lights shimmer right on top of the cheekbone as a highlight.

STEP 7

To finish the look off, I used a flat lip brush to put a wash of champagne lipstick across Sandra’s lips giving them a neutral shine.

If you love any of the looks and want to try them out using the colors, take advantage of the Valentine's Sale available right here on Get Your Beauty. 

Have fun playing with your own looks and make it a sultry Valentine's Day!

To Line or Not To Line? That is the Question!

Okay so this is not Shakespeare, but it is a question that I’m asked more often than not. Should you line the lips? Well, that really depends on a few things. Lining the lips can be a corrective technique or a fashion decision. Let me explain.
CORRECTIVE
Like fingerprints, lips come in all different shapes and sizes. Lip liner is used to help correct simple things like thin lips you’d like to make fuller, bleeding lipstick, giving a more definite look to shapeless lips, or balancing out uneven lips. If you’re trying to correct an issue you have with lipstick, this is a great reason to use a lip liner.
Making Thin Lips Fuller
One of the most popular trends are full, sensuous lips. Lining thin lips just outside the natural line will give the illusion of fuller lips.
Liner Tip – Feather or color in from the line onto your lips to keep from having that obvious “liner look” when your lipstick starts to wear down.
Stopping Lipstick Bleed
If you’ve got fine lines around your lips, or if you’re just a weird freak of lip nature (like me) and lipstick just slides off your lips, this is a perfect reason to wear liner. Lining your lips will create a makeup-based wall to stop the lipstick from sliding where it’s not supposed to. Once you’ve applied your liner, powder it down then apply your lipstick. This will set the liner in place and keep it from moving.
Liner Tip- If your liner’s tip keeps breaking when you sharpen the pencil it usually means the liner has been dropped and the inside pencil has shattered. You’ll need to replace the liner.

Shapeless Lips
So your lips don’t have that cute bow or a full enough bottom. Well, you’ve got to sketch out the shape you want. Using a freshly sharpened liner sketch (meaning short, quick lines that connect, not one big drawn on line) the shapes you want to create just beyond your natural lip line. Then apply lipstick as usual.

Liner Tip – If you keep the tip of your liner sharp it’ll keep your lines crisper and less noticeable, giving you a much cleaner and natural look.

Uneven Lips
Ah, yes, another reason I personally use liner when I wear lipstick. I have what I like to call “Joker Lips.” I have a big bow on top and a full bottom lip—but when I smile--the top sides of my lips disappear and I look like the Joker from Batman when I wear lipstick. So I correct them with liner to fill out the thinner bits, using the fuller part as a guide, I just round out the line.

Liner Tip—Use liner colors that are approximately the same color or just a shade darker than the lipstick you plan to wear. This will keep the liner looking more natural.
FASHION
You remember that wave a good while back where girls would line their lips in a really dark color and then fill in the lips with a nude lipstick or gloss? That was a fashion choice. Whenever you make a conscious decision to do something different for the sheer look, that’s what we’re talking about here.

Now with fashion you can be creative, or copy a recent trend from any of the magazines. You’re only limited here by your imagination.

Liner Tip—Putting creamier liners in the freezer for give minutes will make it easier to get clean lines when using them.

Trendy Liner with Gloss
A popular trend is people wearing lip liner all over their lips then washing it over with a close lip gloss color in place of lipstick. This gives a high shine and wet look as opposed to a matte or shimmer of a lipstick.

My personal favorite brand of lip liners are by Ben Nye. Their colors are beautiful and the most common matches to any variety of lipstick shades and natural tones. They usually run about $8.00 which is far less expensive than $14.00 or more for similar quality brands. MAC’s Spice is also a dead match of Ben Nye’s pencil of the same name.

So now you’ve got the straight line answer on lip liners. Go on, make that choice, will you? Or won’t you?