Try these 5 trendy looks for Valentine’s Day makeup

Makeup trends that are perfect for Valentine’s Day

Whether you have something special planned with your partner this Valentine’s Day or you’re hitting the town with your friends, you might want to try something new with your makeup.

The following five trends are worth trying out for enticing Valentine’s Day makeup. After you read up on the trends in question, you can check out the products you’ll need to achieve the looks. 

Shop this article: Anastasia Beverley Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette, BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream and e.l.f. Cosmetics Instant Lift Brow Pencil

Soft goth

Soft goth is a lighter yet still dramatic take on the goth makeup look. Instead of black, think browns, burgundies and plums blended around and under the eyes, with jet black eyeliner around the lash line and blended out. You can also go dramatic on the lips, with dark, rich hues, like deep reds or purplish burgundy lip stains. 

Bright pink eyes or lips

“Barbiecore” is still hot and isn’t going away for a while, thanks to the massive success of the movie. Bright Barbie pinks are fun and lighthearted for Valentine’s Day. Hot pink lipstick or lip gloss is an easy choice for Barbie makeup, but might not be the most practical if you’re hoping to kiss your date. Instead, you might prefer a pop of hot pink around the eyes. 

Fresh-faced 

If you prefer more subtle looks, you might like to go for the no makeup look that’s been gaining popularity for some time. Start with a tinted moisturizer or super light coverage foundation. This lets you go easy on or do without other types of makeup, such as blush or highlighter, since the natural hues of your skin show through. 

You can either skip the eyeshadow or go with a nude shade. Apply a thin line of brown eyeliner on the top and under the bottom lashes, blending lightly if the line looks too harsh. Use mascara that’s close in color to that of your eyelashes, sticking with one that gives natural results, rather than dramatic ones. If your eyebrows are patchy, fill them in with brow powder matching your eyebrows, but don’t go over the top. Or, use a clear brow gel to make them appear thicker. Finally, wear nude lipstick or even just a layer of lip balm. 

Glowing skin

In 2024, you’ll see a growing trend for intensely glowing skin. This is more than a natural glow, veering into ethereal shimmer territory. To get this look, you need highlighter and lots of it. Apply this on top of your usual foundation or on bare skin, if you usually go without. 

Highlighter is generally applied along the cheekbones, but for a dramatic look, also apply it on your forehead, down the bridge of your nose, just above your top lip and on your chin. Basically, think about where the sun would hit you and you might look naturally more tanned. For added illumination, you can also buy all-over glow enhancers that you mix with your usual foundation or apply alone. 

Bright or sparkling eyeshadow

Alongside more subtle makeup looks, you’ll find bold eyes are a hot trend this year. Try out those bright colors that you’ve been nervous to try or opt for rich sparkling hues. For a dramatic look, opt for blocks of color with harsh lines, instead of blending. 

Best makeup for Valentine’s Day looks

Anastasia Beverley Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette

With a range of gorgeous deep shades, this eyeshadow palette is perfect for achieving a soft goth look, but also contains lighter shades, making it a versatile choice. It comes with a dual-sided brush that’s great for application and blending. 

NYX Professional Makeup Epic Smoke Liner Sticks Vegan Smoky Eyeliner

Specifically designed to blend beautifully for the perfect smoky eye, this eyeliner is perfect for the soft goth trend and any other smoky eye looks. In addition to classic black, it comes in some interesting hues that could be fun to experiment with, including brick fire red, violet flash and hunter green. 

Juvia’s Place The Sweet Pinks Eyeshadow Palette

If you want to try out the Barbie pink trend, this eyeshadow palette is for you. It features six pink hues, including coral pink and pink glitter. 

 

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream 

Anyone who wants to try out the fresh-faced trend needs to start with the perfect base, such as this tinted moisturizer, which offers just enough coverage while letting your skin show. It’s available in a total of 20 hues to suit most skin tones and offers SPF 30 sun protection. 

Tarte Double Take Liquid and Gel Eyeliner

Thanks to its fine tips, it’s easy to tightline your lash line with this combination gel and liquid liner, making it ideal for a fresh-faced look, particularly in brown. It’s easy to control and also works for more dramatic looks when you want it to. 

e.l.f. Cosmetics Instant Lift Brow Pencil

Despite its affordable price, this eyebrow pencil does a great job of filling in any sparse areas while still looking natural, so it’s great for the fresh-face look and more. It also comes with a brush to perfect your brows. 

Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop ‘lit All-Over Glow Enhancer

If you want to try the glowing skin trend, this all-over glow enhancer from Fenty is a great place to start, giving your face a fresh, glowing look all over that you can build on with highlighter. You can choose from four shades to suit light to deep skin tones. 

Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter

Available in four shades, you can use this pink highlighter to give your skin an impressive glow, when you want to stay relatively subtle or go all out. It has a weightless texture, easily melting into the skin. 

NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette Brights

With 16 rich, bold and highly pigmented shades in the palette, this is a great choice for people who want a pop of color on their eyes this Valentine’s Day. It’s great for striking block colors but also blends easily. 

Too Faced Better Than Chocolate Cocoa-Infused Eye Shadow Palette

It’s easy to jump on the sparkling eyeshadow trend with this gorgeous eyeshadow palette. It includes 18 shades, more than half of which are sparkly, so you can give yourself the glitter eyelids of your dreams. 

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel

This clear, lightweight gel holds hairs in place while adding dimension and fullness to the brows. It’s a nice, more natural-looking alternative to brow pencil or powder. 

Maybelline Lifter Gloss with Hyaluronic Acid

This super-popular lip gloss is formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid and has a plumping effect for luscious-looking lips. It comes in 15 shades including nudes, various pinks and silvery pearl.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner

This waterproof matte lip liner performs beautifully for fuller, more alluring lips. It comes in 14 mostly neutral shades, though there are some dramatic pink, red and purple lip liners.

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush

This cream blush from Selena Gomez’s brand Rare Beauty won the Allure Best of Beauty award. It has a natural satin finish with a subtle blurring effect, available in neutral, rose, berry, mauve and apricot shades. It’ll give you a natural-looking flush for the ideal no-makeup look.

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