The Valentines Take-Over Part II - The Dinner Date

So whether your other half is treating you to a luxe meal at that restaurant you've been eyeing up for ages, or it's just you and your best mate going for a cheeky Nando's (My best friend and I just so happen to be frequenters of the cheeky Nando's). I've come prepared with a line up that's fool-proof.

When it comes to a night-out option, it's less about the pampering and all about the make-up for me really. I want to enjoy applying a night-out face, so this routine may contain more products than usual but it's a winner every time. While I would normally gravitate towards a bold lip, when it comes to food things can get a bit messy, and so I play up eyes with a dusting of something dark and shimmery, and lashings of mascara. Here's a typical dinner-date stash.



I'll kick things off with a primer and right now I'm all about the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, it' basically glue for your face and works well under the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation which will give you that my-skin-but-better glow. To amp up that glow a little more I add a tiny bit of Benefit High Beam highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones and then set everything in place with Soap & Glory's One Heck Of A Blot powder. With it still being cold outside (it's been snowing in Manchester *sigh*) I skip blush and just add a good dusting of Soap & Glory's Solar Powder to the cheeks for a winter glow.

With complexion done, we'll move to the main event, eyes. To prep I sweep a dot of the Urban Decay Primer Potion across my lids and then gravitate to something grey, bronze-y or slightly plum-y on the eye. My go-to's of late have been "Smog" (From the Urban Decay Naked Palette), "DTF" or "Angel" (Both from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette). I tight-line with Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in "Perversion" and line my water-line with Rimmel Scandeleyes Liner in "Nude". For an indulgent mascara option I'd go for Urban Decay Perversion Mascara but for something more budget I love the MaxFactor 200 Calroie Curved Brush Mascara and then fill my brows in with "Buck" eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

For lips I'm keeping it simple but a girl's got to have options, I have 3 neutral-lip favourites in a format to suit everyone. For the lip-pencil-lover I'd say the Soap & Glory Sex Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in "Nudist", for a traditional bullet lipstick the Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick in  "Dynamic" is great slightly deeper neutral. A new-to-me gloss option that I'm currently loving is the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in "Creation" - and for those saying "Lipgloss? On a date?" yes. Though this gloss is shiny and shimmery, it's not sticky at all and feels almost balm-like on the lips, wears off nicely and won't leave you in a mess.