Whether you are celebrating Galentine’s Day with your girls on Wednesday, February 13, or Valentine’s Day with your bae on Thursday, February 14, we’ve got a fun and flirty beauty look that would be perfect for either occasion. Celeb makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes (she’s worked with stars like Emmy Rossum, Kerry Washington and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to name a few) is known for her whimsical glam, and she’s giving Us an exclusive breakdown of her romantic high-fashion look.
“The key to this look feeling fun is the little dots under the eyes,” she tells Us. “And those can be any color you like — or you could leave off completely. That’s the beauty of it.”
Whether she’s working on editorial shoots or prepping celebs for the red carpet, Hughes is an expert at creating an ultra-radiant complexion with ethereal pops of color, and this luminous pink and red look is no exception.
The VDL ambassador recommends first prepping the skin with the brand’s shimmering Lumilayer Primer. Rather than cover the face with a heavy foundation, Hughes likes to use the Wander Beauty Dualist Concealer as a spot-treatment under the eyes and on any problem areas. The double-sided coverup features a full-coverage matte stick on one end and illuminating liquid on the other for all of your highlighting and contouring needs.
“The skin should be dewy and radiant. Think: candle-lit skin,” she shares. “You don’t want to rub your highlighters in all the way — just sweep around cheek bone and other high points, smooth any visible lines and leave it alone. You want to keep it a little wet on the face, so it will stay glowy longer.”
For a pretty flush on the cheek, the pro uses the VDL Creamy Stick Jelly in Heidi (a bubblegum pink) and recommends applying it with a soft duo-fiber brush using “the lightest pressure you can” for a dreamy watercolor-like finish. Next, it’s onto the eyes and lips.
Regardless of whether or not you’re going to give the playful dots a try, her rosy peepers are a blend of the VDL Expert Color Eye Book Mono-Matte in Cranberry (a bright berry) and Dry Rose (a duty mauve). She then smudges the MAC Eye Kohl in Costa Riche (a coffee brown) along the lash line and finishes off with a coat of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara because flirty fringe is a must.
When it comes to that kissable coral-y lip, Hughes mixes the long-lasting VDL Expert Color Lip Cube Fluid Velvet in Poinsettia (a rich red) and Vintage Orange (a burnt peach). Oh, and she’s got a #ProTip for turning a highly pigmented liquid lipstick into a plush stain.
“For a super romantic long-wearing lip, press some color on the lips with a small brush and build it up to the intended color,” she tells Us. “If you apply in a blending motion at the lip line, you will get a soft, blurred stain.”
Et voilà! A festive yet sexy makeup look that’ll take you from a Galentine’s Day happy hour to Valentine’s Day dinner-date with ease.
