Coming up rosy

It’ll always be a cliché. Just as a bride wants to look radiant and virginal on her wedding day, so does any woman want to look glowing on Valentine’s Day — but maybe not as virginal. Flushed, rosy cheeks. Wide-eyed gaze. Pouty, glossed-up lips straight off of the cover of a Harlequin romance. You can never over-think, or overdo, the perfect V-Day face; trying to come up with overly-lined eyes and a bronzed base for that romantic date is like wishing Cupid shows up in floral-print surf shorts and the hottest Fendi aviators.

This year, the Valentine’s palette leaves out red (last year’s most visible color) and softens it up with pinks, violets and shiny plums. Racy lingerie is passé. The way to your man’s heart is through just-bitten lips and blushes that hint of a little champagne ingestion.

The look is soft, ethereal even, like a grainy photo of a woman in love. And you can get it with the help of Elianto’s new Fairy collection. The Malaysian beauty brand proudly pairs up its made in Italy makeup collection with Valentine’s Day and pegs this day of hearts as magical, which it can be — how else would you describe it when the entire population finds an inclination for swooning and ear-to-ear smiling all in one day? It’s all fairy dust.

It’s now clear: Pink lips with the subtlest of sheen (it’s the just-drank-Kool Aid look, only more sophisticated) looks best with clear, radiant skin and huge, little girl eyes. Get those bat-worthy lashes with the Fairy mascara in black (P599)and make sure your complexion is blemish-free with the Miracle BB balm (an oil-free cream that works as a foundation and makeup base with special ingredients that help heal acne and blemishes and fade scars.

A straight flush: You can either drink an entire bottle of Asti or just bank on your makeup to give you that perfect rosy blush. Start by applying a creamy mousse blush like Elianto’s mousse blusher in berry pink (P299) onto the apple of your cheeks, applying it in an outward motion. Give some subtle highlight a sheer powder blush such as the Rosey cheeks blush in candy rose (P299)

The plum prize: Plum, according to Elianto makeup artist Olivia Montenegro, is the new color of the year. She creates the perfect heart-shaped pout by lining lips with the lipline pencil in purple (P239) and filling them in with Sunscreen Lip Gloss Spf 15 in Berry Purple (P299). Seal the deal with Sweet Kisses lipgloss in Purple Rose (P99).

Eye to eye: Violet tones give a new dimension to your V-day look. The key is blending together different shades and textures of violet and purple shadows with a pearl white highlighter. Try combining Elianto’s mousse shadows in Satin Purple and Milk Pink (P299 each) with their Super Brilliant color powder in French Purple (P100) for a mix of shimmer and softness.

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Elianto boutiques are located at SM Mall of Asia, SM The Block, SM City Cebu and The Shops at Greenhills. Elianto is also sold at Landmark Makati and TriNoma, and Robinsons Galleria.