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How to Achieve the Perfect Look: Your VDay Makeup Survival Guide

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.

If you feel pressure to look perfect on any date night, then you, as well as many of us ladies, feel it the most on Valentine’s Day.  Whether your night is spent with your man or “one for the girls,” there is always stress to look your best and achieve that flirty, feminine look.

1) High School Sweethearts

High school sweethearts are Valentine’s Day amateurs.  If you are in this category, this is probably a your first encounter with the true pressure that this holiday brings.  Although middle school is the beginning of all the butterflies and heart flutters that come with having a crush, boyfriends are certainly not a necessity, or even a real thing until high school.  Makeup for a teenage date night should definitely be low-key.  An even-toned face, a nice glow and some mascara are the perfect basics, but some slightly winged eyeliner would add a flirty touch.  This encompasses the flirtation that a young girl wants portray on a night with the Valentine.

 

2) The Somewhat Experienced Valentine

For you ladies that have been with your man a little longer, there is definitely more room to play with your makeup.  Valentine’s Day is the day to experiment with soft pinks and purples, but the keyword here is soft.  Nobody wants their girl looking like she’s been crying all day long or even worse, punched in the eye.  These colors can work on the eyes, but can just as much as mess them up.  Pastel colors are perfect to allow a young woman to show maturity, but still look young!  Dark smoky eyes have their occasion, and they definitely can be worn for Valentine’s Day, but unless you are expecting to go to an elegant dinner- maybe save it for a different time.  A light sweep of a pink or purple will go a long way in the flirty and feminine department without overdoing it.  From the images below, I suggest staying away from the latter.

         

 

3) The Valentine’s Day Pro

The more experienced valentine should allow herself to heighten the romance of the night with a sensual makeup look.  Being comfortable in a relationship allows more dramatic makeup to simply be an enhancement, rather than a distraction.  If your valentine knows you for who you are, it can’t hurt to heat it up a little bit with a glam eye or even a red lip.  Valentine’s Day eyes should still consist of flirtatious and fun colors, but deepen them a little bit if you are at this stage and willing to take a risk.  A romantic restaurant can easily be the place for darker plums, coppers, or gold; a red lip, on the other hand, could stand a more natural eye.  The key to remembering this is to know that you must focus on one feature at a time; dark eyes call for natural lips, and vice versa.    

 

4) To All the Single Ladies

Last but not least is a shout out to the single girl.  Even though some of us are left on Valentine’s Day without a Valentine, does not mean that there is no one left to impress.  Single girls have an excuse to play around with different looks.  Reasons include: impressing yourself, picking up a guy at the bar that night, or making the boys regret leaving you valentine-less when you post pictures with your girls the next day.

No matter what your plans are for this special day, make sure to make yourself feel special.  Valentine’s Day should be flirty, feminine, and romantic for any girl, single or not, and nobody can stop you from looking hot.

Hi everybody! I'm Kerry, a freshman at UW-Madison majoring in Journalism with a Digital Studies certificate. I am passionate about writing about all things beauty, love, and many other fascinating facets of life. I'd love for you to join me as I write about my journey through college!
Becca Bahrke is a junior at the University of Wisconsin- Madison majoring in Retailing and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Gender & Women Studies. Becca is currently the CC/EIC of Her Campus- Wisconsin, and will continue writing news. Becca's primary hobby is blogging on her tumblr http://beccahasnothingtowear.tumblr.com