Prepare for February 14 with a beauty routine to make your partner swoon, says Lisa Haynes

Whether you're on the lookout for love or celebrating a long partnership, Valentine's Day is all about feeling confident and sexy.

A glossy pout and spritz of a seductive scent can give you that warm and fuzzy glow in 60 seconds flat.

Caroline Barnes, Max Factor's make-up artist, recommends a foolproof Valentine's look of fresh dewy skin and defined lips.

“Your features are key flirting tools, so choose your most alluring feature and bring out your beauty,” she says.

KISSABLE LIPS

Valentine's Day poses a conundrum for lovestruck ladies - you want your lips to look irresistible, but they need to withstand potential kissing marathons.

Barnes advises: “If you want to have a statement lip just ensure that it is blotted down well so that when you have a kiss it won't end up all over your face!”

Steer clear of the collagen look. If you want bigger lips, make them appear more voluptuous by rounding the top lip over the Cupid's bow for a fuller effect - far sexier than just drawing over the lip line, according to Barnes.

And if you're a girl who can't survive without her lipgloss, keep the tone natural and play up your eyes instead.

COME-TO-BED EYES

While he's gazing into your eyes, you don't want the worry of false lashes flicking off or a face full of mascara blotches.

So engage in the moment by hypnotising him with a smoky eye. According to Estee Lauder's creative make-up director, Tom Pecheux, this is a much easier make-up application than trying to create the perfect red lip.

“Start with a black or brown pencil. Rub it onto the tip of your finger then smudge onto the eyelid from the middle out - don't powder the lid beforehand.

“This will give you a great base to then add the colour eye shadow you want. Use a large eye brush and dust shadow over the top. You can use a black or brown pencil underneath the eye and finish with a black mascara.”

Make sure your smoky eye isn't too heavy. The final effect should look divine, not drag.

FLUSHED CHEEKS

Look away now if you're feeling a little prudish. Valentine's night is the time to ditch the bronzer and replicate a bedroom 'after-glow'.

Think natural, advises make-up maestro Daniel Sandler. “Add a little colour to your cheeks, in a shade you would naturally flush for a natural-looking glow - this is ultra-sexy and highly attractive to a man's basic instinct.”

If you have a hot date, don't channel the try-hard Only Way Is Essex look with heavily blushed cheeks.

“I always favour a fluid or cream blush for a barely-there finish,” Sandler says. “You can really work colour into the cheeks with the warmth of your fingertips to the areas in which you would naturally gain colour. Keep the colour central and well blended for a 'fresh-from-the-cold' finish.”

CAPTIVATING SCENT

If there's one thing that will put him under your spell, it's an alluring fragrance. Sweet notes and peppery notes are considered aphrodisiacs for men because they're similar to the smell of a woman.

Your scent conquest shouldn't begin and end with a spritz of perfume. Make the effort to layer your scents with scented bath soak and fragranced moisturisers to really pack a punch.

But the vital extra ingredient is the wearer, according to John Stephen, master perfumer of The Cotswold Perfumery. “A woman needs to harmonise her body smell with the fragrance that she wears,” he says.

“Delicate, young, sweet skin needs a light floral fragrance, and key ingredients to look out for include rose, jasmine, lily and narcissus. A confident, mature woman should wear something more powerful with notes like musk, prune and vanilla.”

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