Valentine’s Day and lips – they go together like salt and pepper, ice cream and cake, or sugar and spice. After all, it’s the most romantic day of the year, and lips are an incredibly romantic part of the body – there’s a reason why their upper curve is called “Cupid’s bow”! So it’s worth paying a little extra attention to choosing a lip look for February 14 – especially if you’re hoping to use them to capture someone else’s attention. Here are three surefire looks for the holiday. Velvet-Matte Lips The look: Natural-looking matte lips that give off an effortless confidence while looking soft, sweet and inviting – what could be more perfect for Valentine’s Day? Plus, a blurred or matte lip look is also good for hiding imperfections, just in case. What you’ll need: Lip Velvet The velvet-smooth formula of our popular lip mousse will give your lips an always-polished, soft-focus look that’s cushioned and comfortable to wear all night long. Lip Velvet is easy for users of all skill levels to apply in a single swipe, and it comes in 17 full-pigment, true-matte color shades, ranging from pink shade Softy to deep shade Crimson. Creamy-Satin Lips The look: The classic appearance of creamy, full-pigment lips endures for a reason – it’s a timeless favorite that’s especially popular this time of year for leaving a romantic mark on the object of your affection. What you’ll need: Satin Lipstick The sheen, luminosity and satin finish of our Satin Lipsticks can’t be beat – they’re everything you (and your beloved) desire in a single swipe. The game-changing formula of these lipsticks is addictive by design with intense color payoff and long-lasting, luscious wearability. ABH Satin Lipsticks are available in 13 brilliantly pigmented shades, from nude shade Honey Taupe to romantic shade Rose Dream. High-Shine Lips The look: A shiny look makes lips look fuller, healthier, hydrated and more youthful. And high-shine lips add a radiant look to your face – just imagine them reflecting the sparkle of a romantic candlelit dinner! What you’ll need: Lip Gloss All you need for a long-lasting, glass-like shine is one swipe of our popular Lip Gloss. The weightless, non-sticky formula leaves a luminous finish on your lips, instantly giving you the appearance of fuller-looking lips. Lip Gloss can be worn over bare lips or layered with liner and lipstick for extra dimension. It’s available in 21 shades, from translucent Crystal Gloss to soft-and-sweet shade Honey Diamond Gloss to flirty-pink shade Cotton Candy.

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For Valentine’s Day this year, we asked two of our professional artists, Katie and Shannon, to create and share bespoke beauty looks. This is Katie’s V-Day look! STEP 1: The Essentials My Valentine’s Day look starts with applying Impeccable Blurring Second-Skin Matte Foundation for a perfect blurred, velvet-matte base. For that extra sculpted dimension, I use Contour & Highlight Stick in shade Mink. For that perfect highlight, I apply Magic Touch Concealer on the high points of the face, focusing on the center of my forehead, nose, underneath the eyes, and right below my contour to add a sculpted cheekbone (who doesn’t like a little pop?). Finally, to create a blushing glow, I apply Stick Blush in shade Pink Dahlia to the apples of my cheeks. Try blending your cream blush into your temples for an extra lifted effect. I can’t have a sculpted base without a sculpted brow. I use Volumizing Tinted Brow Gel in shade Taupe for instant color and texture, then apply Brow Wiz® for a defined brow. You can also use Pro Pencil to create the illusion of a lifted brow bone! Brow Freeze® Gel finishes and locks everything in place. STEP 2: A Pop Of Color Cosmos Eyeshadow Palette is sure to give you the perfect Valentine's Day glow. With my A26 Pro Brush, I use the palette’s Shade Dust shade to slightly contour the lid. This shade is essential to every look I create – it’s the perfect transition that blends in with almost any eye look! Then, I blend shade Eclipse lightly in the corners of my eyelids for a soft, sultry look. I want my eyes to steal the show, so I apply shade Supernova to the center of my lids. You can use your finger to lightly press and blend it into the lid for the perfect reflective shimmer. To finish this soft and romantic look, I wanted a subtle, rosy lip. I use Lip Liner in shade Raisin, lightly blending it into the center of my lips to create a stain-like effect. Finally, I give it a swipe of Lip Gloss in shade Tan Rose. STEP 3: The Wow Factor The easiest way to amp up a look is with Darkside Waterproof Gel Liner! I use it in my inner waterline to create more intensity. To balance the eye, I go back to my Cosmos Eyeshadow Palette to add shade Dark Matter to the inner and outer corner of the lid – and then back again for shade Supernova in the center of the lid for a multi-dimensional pop. Remember, there can never be too much shimmer! The eyes are the star of the show! Since my eyes are a bit more intense now, I want to amp up my lip as well. Here, I’ll go in with Lip Liner in shade Malt for extra contrast, and Lip Velvet lip mousse in shade Hush Rose for the perfect blurred, matte lip. To complete my look, I’ll finish with Impeccable 24HR Blurring Matte Setting Spray to lock in all-day wear!

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The most romantic day of the year is coming up! Are you ready for it? This year’s look of love is flawless skin, fluffy brows and natural-looking lips. We’ll show you how to do it and what you need! STEP 1: The Face Here’s how to achieve a beautiful blurred, matte complexion fast. Use 1 to 2 pumps of Impeccable Blurring Second-Skin Matte Foundation, starting in the center of the face and working outwards. Blend in circular motions for a seamless finish, and build using stippling motions to your desired coverage. Next, brighten and conceal with Magic Touch Concealer. Select a shade one or two shades lighter than your foundation to add a healthy-looking glow to your skin. Finally, lock in your look with Impeccable 24HR Blurring Matte Setting Spray.  STEP 2: The Brows For gorgeous, fluffy brows, we’ll use Volumizing Tinted Brow Gel. This lightweight, buildable gel tints and adds volume to your brows for up to 24 hours. Apply it at the highest point of the brow and work towards the end, then apply to the front and blend throughout. Let Volumizing Tinted Brow Gel dry for 20 seconds, then set your brows with Brow Freeze® Gel to keep your full-and-feathered brow look set with extreme hold. STEP 3: The Lips  The final kiss to this look: beautiful, blurred and natural-looking lips. To achieve this, we’ll use Lip Velvet lip mousse. The soft-focus, velvety-smooth matte finish of Lip Velvet will diffuse the appearance of lip texture and complement our blurred skin look. First, use a Lip Liner pencil to precisely shape and contour your lips with precision. Then apply Lip Velvet, tracing your cupid’s bow to center your lip shape and line the outer edges. Gently swipe the flat edge of the wand across your lips in one smooth gesture. Your Valentine’s Day look is now complete!

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For Valentine’s Day this year, we asked two of our professional artists, Katie and Shannon, to create and share bespoke beauty looks. This is Shannon’s V-Day look! STEP 1: Create The Perfect Canvas Begin your look by applying your essential routine favorites. I used Impeccable Blurring Second-Skin Matte Foundation to create perfect all-day, blurred-looking velvety skin. I added Magic Touch Concealer for brightness in the center of my face and under my eyes, and Stick Blush in shade Pink Dahlia for sweet-looking cheeks. And don’t forget the brows! My go-tos here were Brow Wiz® in Medium Brown and Brow Freeze® Gel to finish.   STEP 2: Add Dimension To The Eyes Cosmos Eyeshadow Palette is one of my favorites thanks to its versatility. Using the A26 Pro Brush, I softly buffed the palette’s Space Dust shade into the creases of my eyes, wrapping it around my bottom lashes for a more balanced blend. With lighter pressure, I then applied shade Comet for a bit more warmth. For a dimensional effect, I applied shade Supernova to my lids with my fingers. Finally, I used Lash Brag® Volumizing Mascara for ultimate volume and Liquid Liner for sculpted siren eyes.  STEP 3: Show The Love  After I completed my eyes with the drama I desired, I layered a bit more Stick Blush in Pink Dahlia on top of my cheekbones, where I would typically apply a highlighter. Then I took Lip Liner in shade Raisin and softly outlined hearts in a variety of sizes over my blush. I filled the hearts with Lip Liner in shade Rose Dream, then applied Liquid Liner in shade White around the perimeters of the hearts for a more animated effect. To complete this step, I set the entire area with Loose Setting Powder in shade Translucent for a look that will last.   STEP 4: Final Steps   To wrap this Valentine’s look up with love, I need the perfect pout. I used Lip Liner in Raisin to shape my lips. For a bubblegum pink pout, I layered Lip Gloss in Cotton Candy. For the very last step, I used Impeccable 24HR Blurring Matte Setting Spray for a seamless finish that’s shine-free and will last all day!

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