Simply Sweet Valentine's Day Makeup

Yup, it's that time of year again - the people in relationships are feeling extra lovey-dovey and the bitter single people are all "singles awareness day". Truth be told, I'm not one of the girls who loves Valentine's Day (except for when anything pink is involved... then I'm on board!). It's definitely not a holiday that can compete with Christmas but throw in a few chocolates and some pretty, feminine makeup and it's not so bad. I'm super excited to be collaborating with Meggie July today to bring you a natural and feminine look that pairs perfectly with an outfit Meggie has put together over on her blog! Today it's all about the casual Valentine's Day setting, whether you're hanging out watching some sappy movies or having a laid-back date, this outfit and makeup will make getting ready a breeze!
Since the weather isn't exactly kind to our complexions, make sure you cleanse and moisturizer thoroughly to provide a good base for anything you apply afterwards. I started off with the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger under my eyes and on any blemishes or redness I wanted cover up using the Real Techniques Contour Brush. If you want something to provide a bit more coverage and a natural, dewy effect I recommend the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (I use the shade 220). To give my face some extra brightness I went in with Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Buff under my eyes to get rid of any darkness. If you want some extra illumination, you can apply that down the bridge of your nose and on top of your cupid's bow! Next step was cheeks and I'm loving this Topshop Cream Blush in the shade Flush. It's a pretty peachy pink (remind you of anything haha!) and it works on a lot of skin tones. I thought this would be best for this look because it's not too pink that it would class with medium and darker skin tones. There you go, complexion complete!
Onto the eyes and brows! I have seriously been loving the bold brows lately. I'm growing them out hoping that they'll transform into Lily Collins brows, but we'll see. Of course I used the Hourglass Arch Brown Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette to fill them in and make them stand out a bit more. For eyes I kept it super simple because this look is really just to enhance what you got gurl! (plus, I really rarely fuss with eyeshadows on an everyday basis). Here I'm using the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded which just gives a subtle champagne highlight effect to the eyes which will catch the light in the most natural way. Best part is that you can swipe this on with fingers and not have to worry. To finish off this extremely simple eye look I used a couple coats of mascara. In this case I only used the Benefit They're Real to give me some more length, but I've been primarily using the L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black. Okay, almost done! (This looks like a lot of steps but once you get the hang of it, this can easily be a 5 minute makeup routine!)
Last but certainly not least, my favourite part, lips! I wanted to continue the soft pink look by using two of my favourite colours together to create a natural effect that won't be too distracting. First I applied Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Born With It which is basically a Mac Hue look-a-like with less of a glossy sheen (don't be fooled, it's not drying at all!). I finished off this simple and sweet look with a swipe of the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 04 Petal Shimmer (goodness that's a mouthful!). 
Phew! We're done. This is simple and easy to do, in fact you could probably apply all of this in less time than it took for you to read this. I hope you enjoyed this look and be on the lookout because the collaboration with Meggie isn't over yet. We're gonna ramp it up a bit and take this look from day to night - both makeup and outfit! Go and check out Meggie over at her blog {Meggie July} for more fun outfit ideas and some southern style inspiration. She's really sweet and does preppy style so well! Here's her outfit post that goes with the makeup I've created. And don't forget to follow her too!
Hope this week is off to a really great start and don't forget to take time out and love everyone around you. Valentine's Day isn't just for people in relationships - send a little love to those around you, I'm sure it'll brighten their day!