Yesterday, I posted steps for a soft, romantic Valentine’s beat, from celeb makeup artist Monika Blunder, for the girl who likes to keep the vibe sweet and natural for a tender evening with her beloved. I’m that girl … sometimes. At other times, I crave full on runway glam with big Dolly Parton hair to engage in heavy, NSFW flirtation with my other beloved. Different Valentine, different vibe, and different makeup calls for a different beauty routine, one that’s all about jeuge and more jeuge.
In the shower, a quick cleanse with Alchimie’s citrus-based PURIFYING GEL CLEANSER keeps my endless flow of T-zone sebum at bay and replenishes my energy for the long, active night ahead. For another dose of citrus giving make-up ready smooth texture, a quick scrub with Winky Lux’s dual action Orange You Bright Exfoliator on the forehead and cheeks helps create an even, bouncy canvas for an intense makeup look.
On the body, I scrub with Iota’s Supervitamin Body Wash+ Brightening. The blend of pre and postbiotics, Vitamin-C derived fruit extracts, and niacinamide leaves thighs, arms, and the derriere pristine and smooth. To maintain the caress-worthy softness, I follow with Iota’s Superplant Body Serum+.
The skincare-level milky formulation of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and more niacinamide absorbs like a dream. For extra luscious and fragrant skin, a generous application of Tocca Olio Sublime Profumato Florence body oil, with notes of Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Gardenia, Jasmine, Tuberose, and Blonde Wood, leaves me feeling as sexy as Liz Taylor.
Buckle up, pour yourself a cocktail, slip on your stockings or a pair of Crotchless lace tights – it’s gonna get sexier.
Now that it’s time for skincare, this special evening deserves the most luxe of products to invoke max glam at every turn. Always fighting the good fight against aging, I turn to Lapcos’s Rollagen Ampoule for a triple dose of firming vegan collagen and more hyaluronic based-hydration. With a light rose scent, and a cap that doubles as a gua shua to depuff and bring out facial contours, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Followed by the Rollagen Firming Cream, the lifting and hydrating moisturizer settles into my pores like a pudding for a tightening effect that spreads throughout my whole body.
Time for not just a face beat, but a makeup look befitting Valentine’s Day fun, centering bold, glamazon eyes ready to flutter and flirt in a night-long game of cat-and-mouse seduction. The Shades by Shan REVIVAL 33 EYESHADOW PALETTE, brought back by popular demand after selling out in record time during its initial 2022 launch, features 12 eyeshadows in various shades and textures for a knockout smokey cat eye befitting my beloved. I start with Determined, a matte peach as a base shadow all over the lid – the undertones instantly neutralize and brighten for maximum payoff of deeper shades. I then mix warm-toned Warrior & Strength as the transition color in the crease to give much needed definition and dimension to my hooded eyes. Then the appropriately titled Fighter, an inky, matte black is blended to create the contour of the cat eye and outline for liner – a little of the pigment goes a long way with very little fallout.
Because I love bright glittery shades in the inner corner, I layer peachy Patient and golden Unbeatable with fingertips for maximum va-voom. After struggling to get just the right angle for my liquid liner, I blend it with a bit Fighter for the ultimate cat-eye definition. As the final step for luminous, seductive eyes, I layer a blend of Powerful and Confidence, in deep sparkly and glittery finishes, in the outer crease and on the lower lash line. Snatched and smokey, the Revival 33 Eyeshadow Palette gives me disco ball eyes.
To pay off the intense eye and finish the look, I turn to my favorite glam make-up essentials from Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, applied using professional tips from their head makeup artist Drita Paljevic. An application of matte Velvet Lip Paint in the perfectly red Stunning with a dab of hot pink Expressive in the center gives me a show-stopping glam ombre pout that promises the ultimate payoff – a delicious kiss from my favorite amour.
