V-Day’s Beauty Trends

by Mariem Eltagoury

To really help you shake up your look for Valentine’s Day, we scoured the scene for the latest V-day beauty trends. Whether you’re going out, staying in or spending the holiday with your girls, you don’t have to take hours to achieve the perfect look or opt for simplicity just to save time. If you’re looking to try something new this Valentine’s Day, don’t settle for basic waves.

It’s 2021, which means anything goes. Any night out should be an excuse to try a new beauty look, whether simple like dot eyeliner or a more daring (and permanent) look like blorange hair. Date night is no longer restricted to classic beauty motifs like red lips or a voluminous blowout. Get your look from office-appropriate to date-ready in less time than it takes to say, “Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to buy candy.”

The Side Swept Bun

Yes. It’s exactly what we’d do with our own hair if we were a modernday princess. Michelle Williams’ side swept bun at the 2006 Oscars was a Hollywood moment that started a whole new category of romantic hairstyles.

Half-Up Style

Go for this hopelessly romantic look with a matte red lipstick and a silky ribbon. This is a hairstyle that can be worn anytime, for any occasion, when you want to look like you’ve done the extra effort, but have not been quite up for it.

The Unexpected Accessory

Twist a few strands of metal chain onto a bobby pin, then secure and hide the pin in your hair. Cara Delevingne’s waves here are one of the most romantic hairstyles, but the addition of a gold accessory modernizes the look.

A Fresh Cut

Feeling rebellious? Try a new cut this month; it’s the month to celebrate love and no one deserves it more than you. This style is pretty as it is effortless. For an undone but pretty look, try Jennifer Lawrence’s beachy waves. Who said they’re only for summer?!

The Floral Braid Crown

Re-create Vanessa Hudgens’ elaborate style by adding delicate flowers or floral accessory pins to a braid crown. Vanessa’s floral braid crown left us speechless, and we can’t wait to give this charming modern flower-child style a try.

The Embellished Headband

The easiest way to take your ponytail from day to night. Embellished headbands work great to polish off a pulledback style in no time, while showing off your best features. We predict this will be one of 2021’s popular beauty trends.

Mauve Nails

It’s easy to go for the regular pink or red shades for Valentine’s Day, but this year our choice is a less expected shade of mauve. If you haven’t tried Essie Nail Polish in Angora Cardi, now might be the time to try this favourite of ours! It’s easy to DIY at home, or with your girls.

Mix It Up

Pulling up the very simple and natural look is the new sexy. Playing with simple colors and nudes that would complement your skin color. A touch of color can’t hurt anyone or any skin color either. Voila!

Gold Lips

For the ladies who are looking to get more adventurous with their makeup this Valentine’s Day, switching up your lipstick can totally change your overall look. Add a gold lip gloss over a nude lip colour - like our current favourite Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lip Colour in #1 Nude – or on top of a pale pink hue for a rosy-gold effect.

Holographic Nails

Really want to go bold with your nails? Ultra-glam chrome nails or “Mirror nails” as a lot like to call them are as popular as ever right now on Pinterest. Try this hue of rose-gold for your Valentine’s Day. If you don’t know a salon that harbours this trend, try out Essie’s metallic collection.

Lip Stain

We all know lipstick performs a disappearing act the minute you talk, drink, or eat. It’s easy to forget to touch up on your lip colour when you’re having a good time; and no one wants to be the lady with awkward colour residue around the perimeter of her mouth. This year try a low maintenance way to add colour by using a lip stain. Our favourites include Benefit Benetint and Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain.

Shimmer and Smoke

Take note of Yasmine Tookes here, and use reflective silver glitter instead of highlighter in the inner corner of your eyes to upgrade your eye makeup by adding shimmery accents to your smokey look.

Purple Liner

The perfect grownup example of how to incorporate colour into your look. To get Kerry Washington’s look at the Golden Globes, incorporate purple eyeliner with a swipe of sheer, shimmery gloss, and you’re good to go.

Nail Art

More and more people are skipping the traditional solid coloured nails and going for easy nail art. For date night, try getting artistic with your nail polish. If your date mentions it in conversation, it’s a sign he’s a keeper! Or if you’re having a ladies’ night in, you and your gal pals could experiment with Pinterest inspired designs.

Crimson Eyes

Red eyeshadow has been popular for a while now, and the look is still going strong. To get the look, just apply matte red shadow across the lids. For a lustrous finish, dust a shimmery white or silver shadow on top.

Matte, Matte, Matte!

We’re loving the all-matte look and seeing this trend on the red carpet using colours like blush, rosy neutrals, and burgundy. It would be wise, this year, to invest in a palette or two with versatile, matte, rosyhued shades. Our personal favourite is Urban Decay’s Naked 3 palette.