What a Man Wants: Lipstick Bandits Valentine's Look

Alba Avram Temmuz 04, 2021

And not just any man - my husband, that is! For our February Lipstick Bandit collab, we decided to either feature a Valentine's Day inspired look or a pink lip product. Since I haven't really had anything in store pink-wise (shocking, I know), I've settled on a look based on what a man wants for his woman to wear, specifically what Mr likes me to wear, as discovered by careful fishing around.

Coincidentally, I've also recently stumbled upon an article in the Self magazine on beauty trends men love and hate. Setting aside the sheer stupidity of the piece ('Side-swept bangs make him want to go bang-bang', or some such nonsense), I felt very rebellious at the very idea of a woman choosing a look because men seem to like it. Frankly, my dears, I just wouldn't give a damn. I dress the way I want to, I style my hair the way I want to, and lastly, I make myself up the way I want to. I may, if such is my fancy at the time, sport a make-up look my husband likes more than some of the others but honestly, most of the time, he doesn't give a damn either. So this post is essentialy a bit tongue-in-cheek but hey, I desperately needed an idea for Valentine's look; hearts and Cupids are just not my thing.

So, having spent a couple minutes interviewing my very puzzled other half, it seems he prefers a make-up that is a) noticeable, b) more glamorous than daytime, c) with a darker lip and some smokey action on the eyes (this has been translated into technical terms from cave speech by yours truly). From these simple outlines, I've decided on a fresh, flawless complexion achieved by layering a couple of base products rather than using one high coverage foundation, an understated but glowy cheek, a medium brown smokey eyes and a sheer but darker lip, applied by patting the lipstick on with a finger for a pretty wine stain. I've also wanted the look to have an easy, comfortable feel - a bit more dramatic than any other day but still quite effortless and feminine, so no fiddling with false lashes, no lip liner and gloss on the lips. The result is a look he likes on me, and a look I feel pretty in.

Here's the breakdown of the products used; they're some examples from my collection but you could very easily replace them with whatever you have. I've used a foundation primer to give my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum a bit more staying power on my combination skin, and to diffuse any uneven texture. I finished off the face by using Laura Mercier Mineral Powder for added coverage and to set the liquid foundation. The medium and dark browns from the Stila E! Live on the Red Carpet palette have a soft, satin finish and supreme blendability, which made them a perfect match for this look. There isn't a whole lot of shimmer going on here, apart from a subtly glowy baked Accessorize blush in Diva and a dab of Stila 'Kitten' eyeshadow on the inner corners. Lips are, of course, my beloved Sleek Make-up lipstick in Cherry.