Alternative/Gothic Valentine's Make Up

I love any excuse to whip out my make up and begin experimenting. There's a ton of beautiful Valentine's Day make-up looks out there but similar to the point I made in my Alt/Gothic Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas post, the amount of ideas on offer for us alt/goth girls is severely limited! Annoying!

I have a look that gives a nod to a traditional Valentine's Day colour palette but is still super fancy and pretty for a date night.

Every eye look needs a primer. Your eye make up won't stay on or look as good without it.

I used the NYX HD primer to prevent creasing and fading, then applied the NYX White Eyeshadow base to enhance the colour of my eyeshadows.

I picked 'Collection', an iridescent white from the Make Up Revolution Golden Bar Chocolate palette as my primary lid shade.

For a transition shade, I blended this beautiful deep fuschia shade called Alchemy from the Urban Decay Vice 3 palette.

To add depth, I buffed a stunning dark purple called 'Bondage' primiarily into the outer socket, creating a gradient with 'Alchemy'.

I mixed 'Bondage' with 'Alchemy' and drifted both along my lower lash line.

I drew a thick cat eye with one of my favourite liquid eyeliners from Collection.

I used the kohl end of this Make Up Revolution Awesome Dual Eyeliner to create a smokey, smudged effect on the corners of the eyes and outer third of my lower lash line.

Made my brows look fuller and more arched with NYX's Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown. This has good pigmentation and a nice creamy consistency (without being too 'slippy').

I very rarely wear mascara alone. In fact, I skip it altogether on my top lashes. These Ariel lashes from Unicorn Cosmetics have a thick, full, fluttery look I can't get enough of. (Best not to use mascara on top of them so that they remain resuable for as long as possible.)

I do, however, use mascara on my lower lashes I applied two coats of the Gosh My Favourite Mascara to make them stand out.

Applying foundation to skin that hasn't been primed isn't a great idea. The make up will just settle into any lines, pores or uneven patches. For a more flawless, even application, use a base primer. Collection's Primed And Ready is one of my favourites. It's infused with witch hazel to prevent breakouts and makeup goes on top of it and lasts beautifully.

Urban Decay's All Nighter foundation has a lightweight feel with fuller coverage so this is a fantastic option for a date night.

I brightened my under eyes with Make Up Revolution's Conceal And Define concealer in C1. If you haven't seen my review, click here and go take a look. This stuff is great.

I set everything in place with Laura Mercier Translucent powder. (PSST: This stuff is THE BEST.)

The reason I apply contour and highlight after I have applied powder is because the mattified surface will allow both types of products to blend more efficiently and smoothly.

Firstly, I contoured with TopShop Bronzer in Sandcastle.