13 First-Date Hair and Makeup Ideas

October 11, 2010

First-date butterflies? Fuhgeddaboudit! With these flirty date-night hair and makeup ideas to step up your game, we can bet you (and he!) will be planning the second date by the end of the night!

1/13

Wear glossy waves and a headband.

Though there's no such thing as a magic beauty wand (we wish!), this shiny hair and accessory combo promises presto-change-o gorgeousness. The key ingredient for shiny, smooth hair is the Moroccan Oil Treatment, says celebrity hairstylist Kristan Serafino. Use a round brush to blow-dry, then use a large-barrel curling iron to curl hair away from the face while avoiding the roots area. The finishing touch: Place a sparkly headband a few inches away from the hairline for insta-glam.
2/13

Learn to love a cute hair accessory.

If you want to cut down the hair styling session to, oh, about five seconds total, add a cute and shimmery hair accessory to your side-parted do like Haley Ramm. "After you've set your clip in place, give a little mist of flexible-hold hairspray to keep it neat without looking stiff and sticky," says celebrity stylist Charles Dujic.

3/13

Make your red lipstick jealous.

Hot lips? Hells yeah, we say! With a bright, look-at-me color like Katerina Graham's, a clean, bare face is a total must. Celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose suggests dotting "a highlighting concealer like the YSL Touche Eclat around the mouth to brighten up the area around the lip."
4/13

Do the monochromatic eyes, lips n' cheeks thing.

Using the same shade for allover color is a good thing—OD'ing on color so you look like a cartoony Oompa-Loompa? Not so much on a first date. "At least one section of your face needs a deeper tone—with this look, it's always better to have a heavier hand on the eyes [like on AnnaLynne McCord]," says Barose. The secret is to play with different textures, too. For example, use a metallic eye, a shimmery cheek and glossy lips. Best allover makeup colors to choose from? "Stay with neutrals like bronze, gold, light pink and peach," says makeup artist Gita Bass.

5/13

Embrace naturally wild curls.

Scenario A: You weren't blessed with curly-hair awesomeness like Corinne Bailey Rae—we hear ya! After blow-drying, curl hair with a -inch curling iron, or for even tighter curls go for a 3/8-inch tool. To give it a more natural shape, try curling toward and away from your face. Scenario B: You've already got naturally curly hair (lucky girl!), so just apply Bed Head Foxy Curls to wet hair—but make sure not to comb curls out and diffuse hair until completely dry or you'll cause frizz, says Serafino. Finish off with a shine spray focusing on the ends since they get the driest first. Now that's some first-date hair.
6/13

Illuminate the inner corners of your eyes with this special little trick.

Steal this eye-illuminating trick this Victoria's Secret model—it takes all of 10 seconds to do: Add a touch of a shimmery metallic shadow to the inner corners of your eyes to make them sparkle. Remember this beauty rule: "Silver looks good on cooler skin tones, while bronze and gold work better on warmer skin," says celeb makeup artist Troy Surratt. File under "genius first-date sexy eye makeup."

7/13

Flirt away with a feisty, bouncy ponytail.

This flirty ponytail on Julie Benz is definitely not your usual going-to-the-gym do, but it is perfect if you want sport a memorable look for a fun first-date activity (think mini-golfing, bowling, a walk through the park). Start off with a texturizing hair product like Jonathan Infinite Mousse on wet hair, then tousle dry. For longer-lasting curls, "set hair in hot rollers, making sure to take horizontal sections and rolling the hair downward," says Serafino. After securing hair in a ponytail at the nape, grab a 2-inch strand of hair from the ponytail and wrap around the elastic band, securing the ends with a couple of bobby pins.
8/13

Embrace a sexy half-up, half-down hairstyle.

Whether it's your first date or 50th, you can't go wrong with a half-up hairstyle that oozes prettiness. Apply a volumizing spray to wet hair to give it more bounce and just tousle hair dry. Set hair in hot rollers making sure to take vertical sections and rolling curls away from the face. After letting hair cool, divide from ear to ear and give the top of the crown a light tease with a comb. Gather teased hair and secure with a hair clip or barrette, says Serafino.

9/13

Swap out smoky black eyeshadow for blue.

If you feel like wowing your date with some sultry eye action tonight, "choose a midnight blue shadow that's one shade deeper than your complexion," says celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine. (We know your skin isn't blue—he just means an indigo hue that doesn't contrast too much with your skin tone.) Use your traditional black eyeliner instead of a similar blue to avoid looking too matchy-matchy, and finish off with black mascara. To make your eye makeup last all night, use an eyeshadow primer like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.
10/13

Edge up a sweet pixie haircut with forehead-grazing bangs.

Sure, your eyes could bat a thousand, but a side-swept bang could be the extra kick you need to really play up your peepers. First, give your hair's natural texture a little boost—towel-dry hair with Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray and blow-dry using only your fingertips, says Dujic. "The point is that you don't want the finished look to be too perfect, so add in random flips to your hair." The trick is to hold your bangs down to the side using your fingers like a comb and blow-dry from above at an angle.

11/13

Warm up to baby pink blush.

Go easy on your favorite pink cheek color—we all know it's easy to OD on the blush, especially if you're not applying it in natural lighting. (Thanks, annoyingly dark bathroom stalls.) In order to avoid the overblushed Barbie-doll look, "tap the blush brush on a tissue or the back of your hand to get rid of the residue before applying to your face," says Surratt.
12/13

Go all out with a pretty braided updo.

Our braid-happy obsession only increased after spotting Autumn Resser's Grecian-inspired hairstyle. To copy the look, start off by sectioning out a large circle-shaped parting around the crown area and throw the rest into a ponytail. "With the 3-inch section of hair hanging out of the pony, make a center part and French-braid each side all the way to the ends and secure with bobby pins at the nape of your neck," says Dujic. Untie your ponytail and create a faux bob-ish look by flipping the length up into a J shape and pinning in place with pins. (Side note: We know it sounds a little tricky, but the "Gosh you look amazing" look on your date's face will be so worth it!)

13/13

Show off your natural beauty with dewy, glowy skin.

To get a Lindsay Price-like glow, start at the bottom and work your way up: You've got to layer a good moisturizer underneath your makeup, says celeb makeup artist Robin Segal. Try a thirst-quencher like Avene Light Hydrating Cream and a face primer to help even out application of foundation. Use your fingertips to blend in liquid foundation—the heat from your hands helps to blend coverage more smoothly. And remember, ladies, there's a difference between "glowy" and "oily," so it's always a good idea to stash some blotting papers in your purse!