Valentine’s Day Looks (Guest Post)

Guest Post by Ms. Aakriti Kochar, Beauty & Makeup Expert, Oriflame India

Valentine's Day is the perfect day to experiment with your look and to impress your true love. Whether you are hitting the town or spending a romantic evening in, looking your best is a major part of enjoying a beautiful night.

Brightly Colored Lips

Oriflame Gloss Booster in cherry (Left)

Oriflame Power Shine Satin Lipstick_ Red Lustre_ Rs. 398 (Right)

When dinner by the fireplace and hours of cuddling are a part of your Valentine's Day plans, expect your lips to be the focus of his attention.

Get the look

Even skin:

With a sponge, apply a sheer/luminous foundation on the entire face, blending well. This will eliminate any redness and gives a healthy glow to create the perfect base for your look.
Don't forget to use a creamy concealer to soften and fade any shadows at the inner and outer corners of the under eye area and on top of the eyelid.

Strong brows:

Fill in your eyebrows with a soft taupe brow pencil to frame the face and add balance to a strong lip
Gently work the pencil throughout the brow, from the bridge of the nose outward. Use vertical strokes, following the same direction as the hair growth. You are trying to create a shadow between the hairs, not actual hairs themselves.
Use a brow brush to blend the pencil up and out of the brow. It should look soft and subtle, never harsh or forced.
Finish with a coat of clear brow gel.

Black mascara:

Apply two coats of shiny, black mascara from the lash roots to the tips. Apply liberally, but never messily. You don't want your lashes to steal the focus away from your bright lips.

Highlighter:

Add a sheer, light reflecting cream or powder to the apple of your cheeks and down the bridge of your nose to enhance your natural bone structure, and create some reflectivity. Make sure you choose a lightweight formula, smooth in texture and without any obvious flecks of glitter. The perfect highlighter gives a subtle glow rather than appearing overtly glittery or shimmery

Bright lipstick:

Do not blindly follow the latest fashion when it comes to lipsticks. Make sure you choose a shade flattering to your skin tone. Whether it's bright pink, brick red or tangerine, always go with your gut. If you love how it looks, he will too.
If a bright lipstick makes you feel a little bit outside your comfort zone, simply dab the lipstick onto your lips with your fingertips. This technique will control the amount of pigment, softening the look and allowing you to create a custom lip stain.

Smouldering Smoky Eyes

Love Potion Eau de Parfum

It's fun to create a sexy, smoldering eye that will stand out during a candlelit dinner at your favorite restaurant. The moodier the lighting, the more dramatic you can take things. The secret is to play up the eyes, while keeping the cheeks and lips neutral.

Get the look

Even skin:

With a sponge, apply a sheer/luminous foundation on the entire face, blending well. This will eliminate any redness and gives a healthy glow to create the perfect base for your look.
Don't forget to use a creamy concealer to soften and fade any shadows at the inner and outer corners of the under eye area and on top of the eyelid.

Strong brows:

Fill in your eyebrows with a soft taupe brow pencil to frame the face and add balance to a strong lip.
Gently work the pencil throughout the brow, from the bridge of the nose outward. Use vertical strokes, following the same direction as the hair growth. You are trying to create a shadow between the hairs, not actual hairs themselves.
Use a brow brush to blend the pencil up and out of the brow. It should look soft and subtle, never harsh or forced.
Finish with a coat of clear brow gel.

Smoky eyes:

Choose three to four different eye shadows, in the color range of your choice (neutrals like gray and taupe are fool proof) always working from light to dark.
Using a large shadow brush, place the lightest eye shadow all over the entire eye area, from lash line to the crease of the eyelid.
Using a small shadow brush, place the second lightest color all over the entire ball of the lid area, and blend up (but not into) the crease.
Using a black kohl eyeliner pencil, fill the inner rim of the eye with pigment, and then squeeze the eye shut for about 10 seconds and then open. This will make the eye "pop" and create a deep, smudgy effect.
Again, using the black kohl eyeliner pencil, dot a line of black liner along the top of the lash line, using an upward and outward motion. This line does not need to be perfect because you are going to smudge the darkest shadow directly into this line and then blend. The dark eye shadow will set the eyeliner in place and create a "sunset effect" that is soft and smoky.
Apply a luminescent nude or white eye shadow on the brow bone to highlight it
Apply two coats of shiny, black mascara from the lash roots to the tips. Apply liberally, but never messily.

Highlighter:

Add a sheer, light reflecting cream or powder to the apple of your cheeks and down the bridge of your nose to enhance your natural bone structure, and highlight your key features. Make sure you choose a lightweight formula, smooth in texture, which spreads easily. The perfect highlighter gives a subtle glow rather than appearing overtly glittery or shimmery

Subtle cheeks & lips: