It’s February already, and Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Instead of doing the traditional bold statement of a classic red or pink lip and smoky/dramatic eye, try a different approach and go back to the basics.
Focusing on the makeup that Jessica Alba has maintained throughout the years — keeping it warm, glowing and luminous — we are going to create a soft, flawless, pure makeup look that can be appropriate for any occasion. This look is not about transformations, it’s more about enhancing the features you already have and embracing the most natural “you.”
Jessica Alba’s Skin
Vichy has created a new product called ProEven Mineral BB Cream ($32.50). This is absolutely amazing! It hydrates and doubles as a moisturizer and base, matching the shade to your natural skintone.
It has a very satiny-smooth texture — light and airy, a barely-there feel, as if you are almost not wearing anything. It has just the right amount of coverage to even out any redness and dark areas, such as sun or age spots. It also has an SPF 20 protecting against UV rays. This BB cream dries to a soft, powdery finish, so there is no need for a setting powder.
– Simply smooth onto areas of the face where necessary, continuing down and under the neck areas, and make sure to blend in evenly for a consistent skintone.
Next, apply concealer sparingly, if needed, mostly under the eyes to cover dark circles or to cover problem areas such as dark sun spots and acne marks. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence SPF 20 Concealer ($22.00) is a lightweight cream with an SPF 20 that provides perfect coverage and lasts all day.
– Dab a bit with one finger and lightly press into skin, blending from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner. You can do this in steps, to see how much you will need to cover. Start off with a little and then add more if necessary. It is important when applying any concealer to be ever so gentle. Moving your finger or brush back-and-forth is the exact opposite of what this step requires, and will only tear and pull at the skin.
Jessica’s Eyes
Next, moving onto the color of the eyes, create a “doe-eyed” look. Get the wide-open, innocent, gazing, seductive stare that Jessica has. Choose an eyeliner that is creamy and easy-to-blend on the top lid.
– Draw a thin line from the inner corner to the end of the eyelid (but not extending it past, as we are not creating a cat eye) getting as close to the lashes as possible. A soft brown shade that is water-proof will keep this look feminine and flirty, without any harsh definition.
– Using a very small, soft brush, gently blend in the line that you have just created by using a few back-and-forth movements in the same direction as you applied the liner. A perfect brush for this step is the Face Stockholm Sable Fluff Brush 11L ($24.00) or Face Stockholm Soft Sable Fluff Brush 12L ($22.00).
An amazing eyeliner by Face Stockholm that has a very soft texture and glides across the lid with ease is the Art Eye Pencil ($26.00) that comes in a dark brown shade, perfect for achieving Jessica’s look. It also has a smudging sponge on the opposite tip of the pencil for easy, on-the-go use, so it is a two-in-one product as well.
For the base of the lid, choose a light, neutral taupe or warm beige matte shadow to create a bit of depth and warm-up the color of your eyes, while keeping things neutral and blending with the chocolate brown liner. Face Stockholm makes a velvety, hypo-allergenic matte eyeshadow that comes in a huge array of shades. A few great ones used on Jessica’s eyes are Nude, Libery, Malt and Raisin.
– With a small to medium-sized, soft, puffy brush (depending on how small or large your eyelids are), lightly sweep the eyeshadow over the eyelids creating a light “wash” of color.
– Cover the base of the lid and blend upwards, but not above the crease line, as you want to keep the brow bone bare for now. With any eyeshadow powder, always tap the brush to remove any excess shadow before you apply to the lid; make sure the color is applied subtly and is easy-to-blend. Starting off lightly is always the way to go — you want the color to be easily added to if need be, darker or brighter. Use Face Stockholm Small Pony Puff Brush Fluff Brush #26 ($18.00) for smaller eyelids. For larger lids, use Face Stockholm Large Pony Puff Brush #25 ($18.00).
After the eyelid color is completed, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler to open your gorgeous eyes and get that “doe-eyed” look we are going for.
– Place the mascara wand as close to your lash line as possible and wiggle the wand upwards. The direction of the wand is important, as we are not creating a cat eye effect — Jessica’s eyes are open all the way around.
Make sure to concentrate on all of the lashes and evenly distribute from the inner corner lashes to the outermost lashes. Also add a light coat of mascara to define the lower lashes, which will amplify into bigger, brighter eyes that you have created. Use Tarte Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler & Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara ($16.00) — a great buy for two amazing products.
Jessica’s Cheeks
Keep things sheer and luminous, as if it is your natural flush. Add a light rose or peach color to warm-up the face. Choose a cream blush that blends easily. Using fingertips, softly blend onto the apples of the cheeks, but not too high on the cheekbone, concentrating more towards the front of the face, in the middle of the cheeks, closer to the nose area, as this is the first step in creating the structure of the face.
The best product for this step is Face Stockholm Crème Blush ($25.00). The warm tone is a light, sheer rose color that melts quite nicely into the skin and can be applied in several applications, depending on how much color you will need to add. A favorite shade is Rome, as this works on almost any skintone. There are four other wonderful shades to choose from, depending on the color of your skin. You can choose to your liking to achieve this look: Hudson, Athens, Munich, Tokyo, Rhineback and Göteborg are the top picks.
The second step to creating a more three-dimensional face is to highlight specific areas.
– After applying the cream blush, take notice of what parts of the face need to be accentuated more, such as the top of the cheekbones, brow bone and nose. A cream formula is easy-to-use and can be controlled much easier.
– Starting out with the very top of the cheekbone area, simply apply a very small amount with fingertips and press into the skin. Tap the highlighter lightly, making sure to not overpower the flush look you have created in the last step with the blush.
– Keep the highlighter at the topmost of where the blush has been applied. A highlighter is only to accentuate certain area and and not to cover anything else. You can also very lightly, with one fingertip, apply to the brow bone, as we do not want to create a frost — only a luminescent spectrum of light to make the brow bone stand out.
Additionally, with an ever-so-slightly touch and one fingertip, you can also enhance directly down the middle of the nose for a subtle sheen.
When choosing the right shade for the highlighter, it depends on the tone of your skin color. If you have darker skin, stay away from anything that is too light or white because this will not blend with your skin, making it appear very unnatural.
Choose a shade that will compliment your blush, or one that is similar to your skintone, such as a beige or honey shade. A rose-colored blush can be paired with a lighter rose-pink, beige, nude, light peach, or flesh tone. Four perfect Highlighter ($25.00) shades by Face Stockholm are Dignity, Radiance, Healing and Sympathy.
Lastly, every woman needs a great lip product to complete any look.
To get Jessica’s perfect pout, use a sheer, light, peach-colored gloss (or clear if you already have a darker lip tone) that won’t overdramatize the lips, or appear too contrived or made-up. The lips should be just as consistent as the rest of her look: stick to a clean, sheer, plain shade, as this will keep the lips more natural and really bring out the glistening skin and highlighted areas.
One product highly suggested by Tarte is Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss ($21.00). It is one of the best glosses to use, as it gives just the right amount of glaze. It is a two-in-one product: a gloss with a wind-up brush. Apply onto your already-smooth lips. Four recommended shades that look amazing on all skintones: Blissful, Adored, Charmed and Amused. This is one gloss that you can’t go wrong with!
Lest we forget! Your Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without the perfect manicure to top it off!
First, start out by hydrating your hands and soften cuticles by using Jurlique Rose Hand Cream ($25.00). Not only does it moisturize and prevent dryness, it also has the most perfectly subtle, sultry rose scent.
Since Jessica’s makeup is very organic and natural, add a modern edge to the look by pairing it with a dramatic contrast of color to the nails. Keep up with the trend for this season and go for an intense, deep red shade like Wet n Wild Nail Polish in Haze of Love 215B.
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous and want to take it to a much more extreme level, a dark berry or wine color will do the trick. Face Stockholm Nail Polish ($12.00) makes striking shades like Darkest Purple #96, Darkest Port #48. Or just go for it with their darkest shade, Vampy Black #12.
And there you have it! — Jessica’s simple, natural, yet striking, makeup look for you to try this Valentine’s Day!
What do you lovely ladies think of this look? Will you be wearing it this Thursday? Let us know by commenting below (you just might win a free sample)! Make sure to check out our Pinterest page by clicking HERE! And don’t forget to get the latest beauty and skincare news by following us on Twitter @BeautyStat!
– Dawn DeSantis, beauty expert and editorial makeup artist (www.dawndesantis.com).
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