Words by Nana Valdueza
Date-Night Makeup Looks in Five Minutes
When February rolls in, most women, if not all, look forward to Valentine's Day to dress up and put on extra effort when it comes to their makeup. This year, although a lot of people are spending their days at home, Valentine's Day is an opportunity to get more creative to celebrate this holiday.
Whether you're planning to go to a drive-in cinema, book a private room at a restaurant, or have a romantic home-cooked dinner for two, we're here to tell you: you can achieve a date night look in just five minutes.
We've enlisted the help of professional makeup artist Lea Ancheta on how to achieve these and believe us, by the end of five minutes, even you'd be surprised how easy it is to achieve them.
Ready to make him swoon on your date night?
Look # 1: Sweet Escape
Look sweet and lovely with a pink-flushed inspired no-makeup look that will surely flaunt your natural beauty. Emphasizing your natural tone and your beautiful eyes are the key points to this look. That natural glow will be your killing tactic to make him fall even more in love with you. And if you play your cards right, you might be able to convince him to wash the dishes after (wink)!
Start by putting on your shade of foundation. Use a Kabuki brush or a sponge to gently apply to your face.
Set your foundation using any loose setting powder, as we do not want any dewy finish with this look. Then, shape your eyebrows or simply brush it in place using a spoolie.
Pro tip: "Use tinted moisturizer if you want something lighter on the skin. This also nourishes your skin while covering the blemishes. A few dabs is enough to give that good coverage with a sheer finish."
For the eyes, check your eyeshadow palettes for two shades of pink, one lightest and the other dark. We suggest to use eye cream sticks as well.
Pro tip: "Use your fingers to apply eye makeup fast and easy. I'd use my pinky finger for the inner crease and my ring finger for the outer crease of my eye. I do them at the same time, so I rub each finger with the darkest color on my pinky and the lightest on my ring finger, inwards to my nose. The ring finger is said to be the lightest of the five. This allows your to highlight the eyes with your chosen hue. Use your middle finger to blend the colors."
Finish the look by highlighting your cheekbones and adding volume to your lashes with a mascara. A light pink shade lipstick will surely compliment this look.
Pro-tip: "My tip to applying lipstick quickly without smudging is to simply put the lipstick on from the middle of your lips and then use your fingers or a brush to blend its way out. This technique gives a gradient feel to your look and prevents you from smudging it out of your lip line."
Look # 2: Full-On Glam
If you feel like going all out with your look, this all-glam makeup is the way to go. This look highlights the eyes and the lips with bold choices of colors perfect for a night look. We're most certain that you'd still want to look glammed up even if the Valentine's Day celebration will only happen at home. So what? Put on that evening dress you've been dying to wear and slip on your favorite heels (or keep your comfy slippers, who cares?). Don't fret! This look can be achieved as easy as 1-2-3.
Apply your shade of foundation using a sponge gently and then set it with a loose powder to mattify the look. Contour your face, along the cheekbone area, the nose bridge, and the top of your forehead. Blend it through with a brush. Use a small one for your nose area. Follow through by shaping your eyebrows and combing them.
Pro tip: "Always begin any look with a primer. Not only does it give that poreless canvas, it also helps for your makeup to stay all day without creasing, slipping, or fading."
On your eyeshadow palette, choose two complimenting colors of the darker shade. Same rule applies: darker shade on the inner crease while the lighter shade goes on the outer portion to highlight the arch between your brows and eyes. Blend the two colors—darker shade to the creases going away from the eyes and lighter shade in the middle and outer portions. Grab an eyeliner, outline your eyes, and smudge it for a smokey effect.
Pro-tip: "When choosing your shade of eyeshadow, always consider the undertones of your skin. Choosing colors that don't match your undertone will not make your eyes pop on any glam look."
Apply gold highlighter on your cheeks, forehead, nose, and jaw to illuminate these features. Volumize your eyelashes using mascara. We suggest NARS Climax Mascara - Extreme. For the lips, go for a bold shade to finish the look—red is always a good idea.
Pro tip: "For a gradient look to your lips, use two shades of lipsticks: your main lipstick and a darker shade from it. Apply the darker shade on the middle, and then brush your main lipstick on the outer portion blending them on an outward motion. The darker color will shape the inner parts of your lips."
Whatever look you choose, remember that this Valentine's Day, what matters most is to celebrate your relationship with your loved one and with yourself. Makeup enhances the looks, but the confidence within is more than enough to make your partner fall in love with you over and over and over again.
Photographer: Oliver Tam
Art Director: Kevin Dexter Magno
Production Designers: Mica Carreon and Claudine Vizconde
Makeup and Hair: Lea Ancheta
Model: Kahlea Belonia for Elite Manila
Production Assistant: Elaine Contreras
Shot on location at Parallax Studio
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