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Getting ready for date night is always fun for me. I love taking the time to play around with makeup I don’t usually get to wear to work on the day-to-day.
At the end of 2019, I did a big declutter of my makeup collection and recently reorganized the setup to focus on using the products I already own. I moved all my makeup into the my Ikea Alex Drawers with minimal options set out on my vanity area. This forces me to open the drawers and look at everything I own when it’s time to get ready. For some, this may be overwhelming, but it’s been helping me to see and appreciate everything in my collection. I’m finding that I’m grabbing a variety of items to use each day rather than sticking with the same things for days at a time.
my simple (valentine’s day) date night makeup
Generally, we don’t do anything fancy for Valentine’s Day, but this year we decided to trek to our favorite Mexican restaurant for spicy chicken tacos and sweet corn then go out for a late movie (who are we!?). If going out or spending money on Valentine’s Day isn’t your thing, here’s a few ideas to consider instead! These are our usual go-to date nights especially during the winter months.
Looking at the list of products below, this may not jump out as simple, but I promise my routine make it’s simple. For my skin, I keep my base simple with a bit of bronzer and a mattifying power (I tend to have an oily t-zone). As we are slowly moving out of winter, I’m starting to get back in cream and luminous blushes.
For eyes, I love a shimmer on the lid and smudged dark eyeshadow along the upper and lower lash lines. This makes the look easy, peasy – you don’t have to be a makeup artist or precise, and you can really do it in a pinch! For lips, I’ve been enjoying balms that I can throw on without a mirror or worry the color will move around.
As a reminder, I’m trying to use products already in my collection so some of the products I’m sharing have been discontinued. That being said, you likely have a product in your collection that you can use in place of what I have. If I was able to find a list of dupes for a discontinued product, I did include it below to see if you can shop your stash for something similar! I also noted if there’s a travel/trial size available if you want to try the product first.

face
- base: CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream ($9.99) + Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ($33)
- concealer: Milani Conceal + Perfect Longwear Concealer ($8.99)
- blush: Flower Beauty Blush Bomb Pinched ($9.99) + Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush Achiote (discontinued – pretty coral shade)
- bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzer Baked ($28 – mini size also available)
- highlight: The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer ($24)
- powders: Rimmel Stay Matte ($3.99), Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder ($28)
- setting: Urban Decay All Nighter ($33 – 1 oz. travel size also available)
eyes
- brows: NYX Control Freak ($6), NYX Tame and Frame Brow Pomade ($7.50)
- shadows: Smashbox Eyeshadow Base, Palladio Liquid Eye Shadow Sunstone ($8), Persona Identity Palette – Humble, Seductive, Charming, Goddess ($22.40 – possibly discontinued)
- liner: Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow Showtime (discontinued – dupes here)
- mascara: CoverGirl Exhibitionist (I use waterproof and regular)

lips
- liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil Ex-Girlfriend (LE – Urban Decay now carries a lipstick version in their Vice that I also love)
- color: Undone Beauty Light on Lip Gosh Garnet ($8 – really enjoying these lippies and they’re now available at Target!)

nails
- Ella + Milla First Aid Kiss ($10.49 – would not recommend this)
- Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Totem-ly Yours ($9.49 – LOVE this color)
- Essie Gel Setter Top Coat ($8.99)
tools
- Sigma F84 ($24)
- BeautyBlender ($20)
- Real Techniques Mini Miracle Complexion Sponge ($8.99 for 4)
- Morphe M536 Under Eye Bullet Brush ($9)
- EcoTools Blending & Bronzing Brush ($9.99)
- Sigma E25 ($16)
- Sigma E32 ($16)
- Sigma E40 ($16)
- Sigma E65 ($15)
- Sigma E85 ($17 – I have dual-ended brushes with a spooly on the other end)
Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you enjoy the day whether you’re going out for a date or staying in to watch a movie by yourself!
