Foundation

Start off with a foundation a couple of shades lighter than your own.  Think of someone you can borrow from, like a good friend or relative. Top it off with the fairest powder shade you can find. Go a little overboard with this to make sure you are exaggerating the look and not forgetting your actual skin tone. Be sure to apply the foundation like an oval around the face, leaving an outer rim of your face and your neck bare. Extra foundation and powder around the eyebrows to create the illusion of pencil thin eyebrows.

Eye Makeup

For the eyes, start with a good base that will help your eyeshadow stay on without creasing. Pat on a light blue eyeshadow all over the eyelid using a flat eyeshadow brush, up to the crease. Using the same brush, apply darker blue eyeshadow close to the top lashline, blending upwards into the light blue. Using a blending brush, fade off any hard edges with windshield wiper motions. Apply black eyeliner to the top lashline. Apply white eyeliner to the inner corners of the eyes and the bottom lashline. Use white eyeshadow to highlight the browbone. Apply the same white eyeshadow with a blending brush under the eyes to brighten them, fading downwards, until about ¾ inch from the lower lashline. Line the eyebrows thinly to create the effect of drawn-in pencil thin eyebrows. Apply mascara to the top and bottom lashes. Apply false eyelashes.

Cheeks

The cheeks are distinctly colored. Find the brightest pink and go over the apples of the cheeks in circular motions with a blusher brush. Using the same brush, pat on a slightly darker shade such as rose inside the pink circle.

Lips

The lips should be lined with a lipliner just outside the actual lipline. Colour them in with a dark pink or cherry red lipstick. Finish with a gloss for a more glamorous puppet look!

Enhancements

If you’re feeling a little more creative, draw in a teardrop for a sad clown look or a cheerful sun for a happy clown look, just on the cheekbone. You might like to wear a wig, a fun hat, or a large bow, whichever matches your costume best.

Turn up your best party attitude and have a ball!

My first makeup tip is to go with your mood on this one. There are so many variations to complement this look, and here we will be looking at just two. For a change, let’s begin with tips for lipstick. This will give you a sense of the two variations we are looking at. First, classic red lipstick. Second, nude lips.

Go for a soft grey eyeshadow with the red lipstick. Line the eyes with a thicker line on the outer edges, and pile on lots of mascara. Use a darker grey to blend into the crease, concentrating on the outer edges. Soften the creaseline with a blending brush and fade inward. Finish with cream highlighter and define the brows.

You can also wear the red lipstick with brown eyeshadow. This time, use a nude or vanilla colour all over the lid, followed by warm medium to dark brown on the outer edges, blending inward. Fill the crease in as well, and fade it out the same way. Top off with a sheer satin highlighter on the browbone. Define the brows.

Give yourself a sunkissed appearance with shimmer brown or bronze blusher lightly over the cheekbones, forehead, nose and chin.

The second set of makeup tips is for you if you choose to go for the nude lips, you might like to keep the eyes very neutral as well. Wear either cream or soft pink eyeshadow all over the lid. Define the crease lightly with a medium brown eyeshadow, fading the entire effect for a soft appeal. Curl the eyelashes with an eyelash curler and tube them with brown mascara. You may wish to line the eyes on the outer edges 1/3 of the way in with dark brown eyeliner, but it is not necessary.

Apply caramel or poppy pink blush on the apples of the cheeks, in soft upward flicks of the makeup blusher brush. A large round blusher brush works best to give a natural flushed look. Use lipliner the colour of your lips and fill in with your favourite nude lipgloss. This is one of my favourite looks of all time. It has a very sexy low-maintenace appeal. Complemented with the white t-shirt and blue jeans, this is the look to go for when you need to feel approachable, like everybody’s best friend.

For more makeup tips, click on the categories on the right, or navigate your way through the pages on the number links below.

I would not over-do this look by creating rainbow colours on the lids or you might end up looking like the identical twin of Mimi from the Drew Carey show. Instead go for a dreamy sky blue and silver contrast or an iridescent plum-to-cream mix or a fresh lime green that blends into a snowy white.

If you’re going for blue to complement your blue eyes, you can use shimmer for both the blue in the outer corners and silver for the inner corners of the eyes, blending them into each other and defining the eye socket with a touch of a darker blue. Use a matte nude or white for the highlight on the browbone. Line eyes with a very thin line of black or dark blue eyeliner, and sweep black mascara to create ultra-long lashes. Complement with peachy blush and shimmer lipgloss to complete your face makeup.

For hazel to brown eyes, cover the eyelids in cream shadow with a shine, followed by plum shadow in a V-shape, with the finest point of the V on the outer corners of the eye, and blend shamelessly. You may go over the colour with a light sprinkle of the cream shimmer shadow to give the plum an iridescent effect. Highlight the browbone with a soft pink colour and make sure to have your brows defined and combed. Go for rosy cheeks and lips and your makeup is done.

Green eyes can look enchanting with a touch of green on the eyelids. Let it blend seamlessly into the inner corners over some white eyeshadow, which will brighten the effect further. Line eyes in brown and finish with tubing mascara. Use a tangy coral on the cheeks and lips, with a generous squeeze of translucent lipgloss on the bottom lip. Your makeup should look like a piece of heaven.

Bronzer can be used for all these makeup looks, around the areas that catch the sun.

Happy Valentine’s Day!