Bare-Faced Bedroom Beauty for Valentine’s Day

It’s the same with makeup. You could go with dramatic cosmetics and look fabulous leading up to rocking the Casbah, but once there, do you really want your full face of makeup smeared over your Egyptian cotton sheets? I’ve been pondering this question and, with the help of Garnier and Maybelline, have found a few products that make for a happy medium this Valentine’s Day. They are as follows:

Base

I’ve never been a true BB Cream convert since it’s never given enough coverage for my liking and I often find the formulas to be a bit greasy. That is until I tried Garnier’s Skin Renew BB Cream for combination/oily skin. It has a mattifying effect and effortlessly reduces pores and imperfections. Since it’s formulated for oily skin (hello!), it also has a new active ingredient — volcanic mineral perlite — that’s five times more absorbant than talc. Moreover, I’ve noticed that when wearing this product, I can skip the powder and while it covers all the necessary evils, it still gives a light finish with great staying power.

Lips

Arguably the most important element when it comes to looking like a romantic beauty, many lipsticks are often loaded with wax, making it feel as though your significant other is kissing a candlestick. You really don’t want a heavy, sticky coating on your lips for any date, and neither does your partner, which is why I’m a huge fan of Maybelline’s Colour Whispers. They contain a new gel-matrix formula that doesn’t use any heavy waxes or oils, but just a sheer colour pigment suspended in a weightless gel. Whispers come in 20 shades, my favourites of which are Lust for Blush, One Size Fits All and Coral Ambition. Each of these colours are subtle, enticing and perfect for a barely-there appearance with no Coco the Clown kissing residuals.

Eyes

This is a little misleading because, when I say eyes, I also mean highlighting. During Toronto Fashion Week, I picked up a great tip from Maybelline’s chief makeup artist Grace Lee. She was demonstrating the new Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows and recommended that you also use them as highlighters beneath your brow line, down the bridge of your nose and across your cheekbones. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since and I’ve found the perfect, most romantic color for this trick to be Inked in Pink. Just sweep it across your lids for depth and wherever else you’d like to emphasize or add a little shimmer and, believe me, it won’t budge. Finally, compete the look with a lick of the infallible Maybelline Master Duo Eyeliner in Bronze Shimmer (you can never go wrong with a sexy eye flick), a coating of mascara (check out the new Rocket) and you’re ready for one romantic date night! Happy V-Day!


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