Beauty Panel: 10 foolproof Valentine’s Day hair and makeup looks

Date February 5, 2015

Valentine’s Day is a touchy subject for many people, but you know what’s not? Looking good. No matter what your plans are for February 14th, these hair and makeup ideas are perfect and totally easy to pull off. From romantic dinner dates to hanging out at home with your closest girlfriends, a statement eye or lip and dewy skin will never steer you in the wrong direction. As they say, smoky eyes before guys. Actually, no one says that because we just made it up, but we want you to feel like your best self on Valentine’s Day, and our Beauty Panel shares how they do just that.

Challenge 85: What beauty looks will you be wearing on Valentine’s Day? See the answers now! »

Have a beauty question you want to see the panel answer? Send it our way at [email protected]. Read on for the answers to this week’s challenge and for more goodness, get to know all contributors on our Beauty Panel hub page.

Brittany Messner
Calgary | Life, Set Sail

This Valentine’s Day I’m foregoing bold, high-maintenance makeup and trading it in for healthy glowing skin and “come hither” eyes. The thing I like most about this look is that it’s not too over-the-top so it lets your natural beauty shine through. Opting for a tinted lip balm supplies both ample moisture as well as a pucker that wont scare away your guy from planting a big one on you! Shimmery lids and illuminator on key points are sure to light up even the dimmest restaurant lighting, and a thick black liner will draw attention to the eyes.

My inspiration for this look comes from old Hollywoods classic babes, Bridget Bardot and Jane Birkin. I love their iconic cat-flicked eyeliner paired with dishevelled, devil-may-care tresses. I did have to fake the beach babe glow as I’m quite fair, but NARS Laguna Bronzer and Copacobana Illuminator made easy work of that!

Products Used: L’Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation in W1-2, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, NARS Laguna Bronzer and Copacobana Illuminator, Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe, Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in I-514, Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Exposure, Lancôme Grandiôse Mascara, Dior Lip Glow in Pink, Make Up For Ever Graphic Liner

Cassy Jones
Ottawa | Exquisitely Chic

This Valentine’s Day will be the first one I’m spending as a “Mrs.” and although I don’t have any big plans I do plan on making it count by getting some quality time in with my husband. Maybe a little dinner?

I like to let my natural beauty shine through with my makeup and I tend to play up my eyes. How could you go wrong with a light eye, a cut crease and a simple cat eye? You can’t! Fresh skin and a tinted balm finish off the look with something simple yet elegant, perfect for an evening out (or in) with your special someone.

I started with a white cream base and set the cream with a light pink matte eyeshadow from lid to brow. Then I cut the crease with a dark brown matte eyeshadow and added jet black winged liner. Followed up with several coats of black volumizing mascara and my normal foundation routine.

Ellie Somfelean
Montreal | My Beauty Box

I am lucky to have a boyfriend that is incredibly supportive of my passion for makeup and puts up with all the challenges it involves. I mean, the poor guy goes in for the air kiss when he sees me wearing a bright lip.

Given that it’s Valentine’s Day I decided to go for a look I know my boyfriend would dig: dewy skin, a neutral lip and a seductive cat eye. He always tells me how beautiful I am without make-up so I went with a minimalist look (at least in my books). I kept the skin soft and touchable, brightened up the cheeks with a peachy blush and a generous dose of highlighter for a soft glow. You can never go wrong with a cat eye and soft lashes and my soft neutral lippie won’t make him hesitate going in for a kiss.

I kept my hair soft and touchable by using a conditioning mask and going for soft bouncy curls.

Products used: ZuZu Luxe powder foundation, MAC Peaches Blush, The Balm Mary Lou Manizer, Make Up For Ever Graphic Liner, Marcelle Xtension Plus mascara, Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, Revlon HD lipstick in Rose, L’Oreal Fibrology Mask

Genevieve Peeke
Montreal | Gen In The City

My go-to Valentine’s day look is definitely flirty, glowy, and fun. For hair, I like to create bouncy curls with a clip-less curling iron and either leave it down or pulled up in a high ponytail. For makeup, I wanted to do a pink/rose-gold look that would really bring out the eyes and create a kissable pout.

To start off, I applied a face oil and a moisturizer to keep my face glowy and moisturized. It is definitely my number one step because it is going to be very cold and drying here in Canada on Valentine’s Day! I also applied a makeup primer spray as well as a foundation primer that will minimize the appearance of pores. Next, I applied a full coverage foundation and tons of brightening concealer under my eyes. I then used a highlighter to brighten up my cheek bones and a sunny bronzer to give me a bit of a tan and chiseled look.

Next I applied my current favourite shimmery rose blush. I then went on to create a gorgeous rose gold eye by applying a shimmery champagne colour to the lids, two darker brown colours to the crease and a matte cream-coloured highlight to the brow bone. I applied some mascara primer, some volumizing mascara, as well as some black eyeliner to the waterline. Next I filled in my brows with a tinted brow gel and finish it all off with a bright matte pink lip!

Products used: The Body Shop Beautifying Olive Oil, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +, Skindinavia Makeup Primer Spray, Maybelline Baby Skin Primer, Covergirl 3 in 1 Outlast Foundation, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in “15 Fair”, Arbonne Sheer Glow Highlighter, Essence Sun Club Bronzer in “Brunettes”, Make Up For Ever Desire Me Fifty Shades of Grey Cheek Trio, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Stila Kitten Eyeshadow, Urban Decay Naked Palette (colours Toasted and Hustle for crease, Virgin for brow bone), Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Eyeliner in “10”, Estee Lauder Little Black Mascara Primer, Lancome Grandiose Mascara, Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in “220 Showy”

Jayne Lim
Vancouver | Cosmetic Proof

This will be the ninth Valentine’s Day for my husband and I so I don’t exactly go for overly seductive makeup looks when it comes to a romantic night out. Instead I go for a bit of a compromise between what he loves seeing on me and one of my favourites: a bold lip. He loves neutral shades on me so for my eyes I chose a shimmery brown palette in Sandstorm from Mary Kay with a very subtle winged liner.

For such a romantic look, I love looking almost angelic in appearance which means a glowy complexion and cheeks. For a dewy pink glow, I used Vasanti’s Cream Blush in Pinnacle and then highlighted the tops of my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose with Peripera’s Highlighter in Gold Aura.

To make this more of a Valentine’s look, nothing says “Gimme a kiss!” like a kissable-looking pout using NARS Audacious Lipstick in Grace and a dab of MAC Lipglass in Strawberry Malt.

Big loose curls scream romance to me so using a flat iron, I loosely curled all of my hair and gave the ends some extra shine with Dove’s Pure Care Dry Oil. If you’re wanting some extra volume at the roots, use a dry shampoo or my new favourite, Bumble and Bumble’s Pret a Powder to get a bit of lift.

Now, put on your favourite dress, some amazing baubles and go enjoy your night out with your guy or girl(s)!

Products used: Skindinavia Primer Setting Spray, Boscia BB Cream, Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow, Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin, Mary Kay Mineral Eye Shadow Quad in Sandstorm, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black, Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, Vasanti Cream Blush in Pinnacle, Peripera Highlighter Stick in Gold Aura, NARS Audacious Lipstick in Grace, MAC Lipglass in Strawberry Malt

Laurelle Alexandra
Toronto | Paint Me Pretty

Whenever I think of Valentine’s Day, I always picture bright, vibrant pink lips. Valentine’s Day is day you can be a little more daring with your make up choices. You can rock a sultry smokey eye and nude lip or a sexy winged liner with a bold true red lip. I personally prefer to play up my lips on this romantic holiday, with a nice bold red or a hot pop pink. This year I decided to go with my personal favourite lip colour from M.A.C, ‘Girl About Town’, a beautiful bright pink. Since the colour is so fabulous on it’s own I decided to keep my eyes super natural using only matte based shadows, in brown neutral tones, with a very subtle black liquid liner and lots and lots of mascara! What would a girl do without mascara? I added a touch of bronzer to give a nice subtle glow and pretty pink blush to make me look extra girly. I mean, if you’re going to look girly you might as well do it on Valentine’s Day. I like to keep my hair simple so that I still look like myself, with just a subtle touch of makeup to enhance my natural beauty.

And of course since I am a nail technician after all, I had to rock some romantic nails in the spirit of Valentines Day. I decided to go with a true red colour with a negative space heart painted on one nail. Nail art is a nice subtle touch to celebrate the cheesy romantic holiday, when else are you going to paint a heart on your nail?! Happy Valentine’s Day Beauties.

Products Used: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Cover FX Cream Foundation, Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder, Benefit Bronze ‘Hoola’, NARS Blush in ‘Gaiety’, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer, Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Eyeshadow, Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ‘Trooper’, Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara, MAC ‘Girl About Town’ Lipstick, MAC ‘More to Love’ Lip Pencil

Megan Joy
Toronto | Megan Joy

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! I normally keep it low-key on Cupid’s favourite holiday, but I still like to go out for a nice dinner with my husband and get a little dressed up. While I don’t think it’s necessary to shower your loved one with gifts, I do think it’s a lovely occasion to show some extra love. So when I was creating this Valentine’s Day look I wanted it to be soft and romantic.

For makeup I kept all the colours very rosy and warm. For eyeshadow I used two different shades of pink and then a dark grey in the crease for some contrast and dimension. And little winged liner never hurt anyone! This super-black liquid liner adds some drama against the pastel eyeshadow colour.

For my face I used a powder foundation to keep the look soft and natural. This look is all about glow, so I made sure to add some pink shimmery highlight to my cheekbones.

To finish off the makeup I used a pink lipstick to give my lips that “I just ate berries” flush. It’s still natural but a little more defined than bare lips. I added a flower headband and tucked my hair into a messy chignon to complete the look. I love that this hairstyle doesn’t need to be perfect and if a few pieces fall out it still looks great.

I hope you all enjoy Valentine’s Day (or Gal-entine’s Day) this year!

Products used: Wet n Wild Poster Child Eyeshadow Palette, Marc Jacobs Magic Marc’er Eyeliner, Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara, Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in Fair-Light Neutral, NARS Blush/Brozner Duo in Laguna/Orgasm, Benefit Cosmetics High Beam, MAC Lipstick in Pink Nouveau

Shayna Wiwierski
Winnipeg | A Pop of Colour

Although I don’t have a significant other to celebrate Valentine’s Day with this year (#friesbeforeguys), it’s still one of my favourite holidays. I mean what’s not to love when everything is pink and red, with hearts all over? This year, I will be having a few drinks and munching on red velvet cupcakes with friends, but it doesn’t mean that I still can’t look romantic even though they are pal-entines.

For this look I chose soft curls, done with a barrel curling iron for a more romantic look. For the eyes, I went with a pink and grey eye and a baby pink lip complete with pink cheeks. Sweet, soft, and romantic!

Products used: Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows in “S-556”, “I-628”, “ME 612”, and “I-514”, Glo Minerals Luxe Liquid Foundation in “Naturelle”, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner, L’Oreal Paris Miss Manga Black Angel mascara, Revlon Cream Blush in “Flushed”, YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick in “19”

Stephanie Lau
Toronto | Fun Size Beauty

“Wear whatever makes you feel most confident, because when you’re confident you smile more.” That’s what my boyfriend told me when I asked him what makeup he likes to see me in. Sweet, right? But let’s be real. Boys don’t like makeup, at least the ones that I know. The thought of getting marsala-coloured lipstick all over their faces is probably pretty daunting.

So, when dressing up for a significant other, the trick is to keep it soft, simple and radiant. I started off with a light-medium coverage base with a satin finish and topped it off with a pink blush and added a bit of ambient lighting to my face dipping into all three of the powders in Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Palette. On my eyes, I applied a light brown shadow to the outer edges to ever so slightly define them. I did go a bit “heavy” on the eyeliner for a natural look, but it adds a little edge to such a soft, glowy base. To finish, I applied Benefit Posie Balm on the lips, a non-offensive, sheer pink for kissably smooth lips.

And there you have it. A make-up look that won’t scare your boyfriend away.

Products Used: Shu Uemura matte brown eyeshadow, Make Up For Ever Ink Liner, Rimmel Wonder Lash Mascara, Benefit Posie Balm, Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Foundation, Guerlain Meteorites Blush in Angelic Radiance, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Zoë Danielle
Halifax | Writing Whimsy

Although I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, I sometimes still want an excuse to glam up. I wore the look I’m sharing to work, but it’s definitely what I would pick for a night out as well.

I feel most polished with sleek, straight hair so the first thing I do is add a heat protectant before using my flat iron. I follow up with some hair spray to cut down on the potential frizz, although luckily that’s less of an issue during the winter months.

My skin is being nice at the moment so I went with a tinted moisturizer and concealer, but if it wasn’t I would add a fuller coverage foundation to start off with an even base. Using a cream blush adds a natural-looking radiance to the cheeks, but for me the most essential part is adding a shimmery highlight along the cheekbones for an extra glow as well as some bone structure I might not actually have.

To help my makeup last through the night, I apply a cream shadow base to my eyes. I also add some shimmer, using a brightening inner-corner shade and an extra coat of mascara to really widen the eyes–especially if I’ll be up late.

For the final bit of drama, I went outside my comfortable neutral zone with a bright statement lip colour.

One final warning: I went with a creamy and comfortable shade on my lips, but depending on your evening, you may want to opt for transfer-proof stain instead!

Products used: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Glow Sheers Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in Fair, MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Cream Blush in #225, Tarte Cheek Stain in Fantasy, Benefit Gimme Brow, MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque, L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara, Sephora Collection Harmony Trio Bronzer in Bronze, Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Playful