Vamp Up Your Valentine's

With February already among us, the only exciting thing about this month has got to be Valentine's Day. I mean, why else would we be excited about a month with less days? Other than pay day comes sooner than the average month, I'm pretty sure February usually sucks for most people, aside from Valentine's Day (for some...the day's not usually all it's cracked up to be for everyone). Now whether you would like to openly admit it or not, most (and yes, I did say MOST for you girls who are "He-Man-Woman-Haters") of us ladies still look forward to celebrating with a Valentine whether we have a significant other or not. Of course movies have influenced us to imagine a romantic date night of some sort, where we get all dressed up and well...as the night progresses I'm sure you can figure out what most women expect from their Valentine's Day.

Whether you have a V-Day date or not, I'm here to share some tips on how to vamp up your V-day by making sure you look and feel amazing no matter the occasion. 

Number One- Pamper yourself. Whether you have plans or not, giving yourself an at-home spa treatment can really change the way you look and feel on Valentine's Day. I suggest if you have plans to go out with a friend or your lover on the 14th, do this pampering sesh the night or day before your date. This will ensure that your skin has time to relax before you apply a full face of makeup. And a little bonus tip for all you girlies that are habitually late to everything like me, this ensures all you have to do the day of is get yourself glammed up. Pre-pampering the day before allows you to actually relax and to not be in any sort of time crunch. Give yourself a mini facial, and if you don't have the time or just want to save a little bit of money prepping for your V-day plans, an at home mani/pedi will be the perfect way to still ensure your digits look up to par for the evening events, but that you don't break the bank doing it. Besides, artificial nails are long gone and out of style. All natural baby! That's the way to go. And trust me, your man will surely agree. Yes, he may find long nails sexy and seductive in the bedroom, but that's probably about the only place. Of course you want your man to think you take care of yourself by having your nails and hair done regularly, eyebrows, lip and bikini waxes are a no brainer; but you also don't want to make him think that you spend a tremendous amount of money on these things. Now as women, we know the truth. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him. :) Enhance your natural features. You want to look like YOU! Crazy right?

Number Two- This tip kind of goes in hand with number one. Whiten your teeth AHEAD of time to give you a more confident smile. This tip is great if you spend from now until the 14th preparing for V-day because then you will see whiter results the longer you have been whitening them. I think this tip is so important because who doesn't plan to be locking lips on Valentine's night?  Also, it just makes rocking a red lip on Valentine's that much sexier when your teeth are supppaaa white! :)

Now for Number Three- Send yourself flowers. No matter who you expect to surprise you on V-day, there's nothing better than a little gift from you to yourself to show your appreciation and love for all that YOU do! And if you've waited too late to send yourself a bouquet, then pick up a fresh one at your local Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. They have beautiful spring bouquets and roses right now for as little as $3.99!!

Number Four- Buy yourself a new outfit for V-day that will coordinate with whatever your plans are for the day or night. Staying in with girlfriends? Buy a new set of cute PJ's for your Girl's Night In! Going on a romantic date to a nice, intimate restaurant you've been dying to try? Go for a sexy, but sophisticated dress. You can't go wrong with black, red, or even a baby, blush pink. Keep it classy, Ladies. Going out with the girls? You can go for this same cute cocktail dress look! Let's not forget the lingerie and heels. You definitely can't go wrong with purchasing either. I recommend all three to really pull your look together!

Number Five- GO SIMPLE, yet sultry with your makeup. Stick with the "natural beauty" look as opposed to going all out for an evening smokey and bold lip. I can't stress enough that you DON'T, and I mean absolutely don't by any means, need to cake on the makeup! KEEP IT SIMPLE! BB creams, tinted moisturizers, or just a light weight foundation with build-able coverage are perfect options. You want to still be able to see your skin peeking through. If you need full coverage, use a concealer to build up coverage, but ONLY in areas where you need it. Using soft shimmery pinks and vanilla's paired with a matte taupe or soft brown to smoke out the crease are perfect shadows for a Valentine's Day makeup look. With the lips there is a little more room to play. If you really are itching to wear a red lip on your date, be sure to use a lip stain or matte lip stick that won't wear off quickly. And if you're looking to go a little bit softer or more natural, I suggest going for a soft pink or natural lip liner close to your natural lip color paired with a true nude or pinky nude lip and topped off with a soft pink gloss. Don't over do the lips though. Or else that could really be a V-day disaster and put a bit of a roadblock between you and your date and that Valentine's Day kiss.

                                      If you have more tips of your own. Share them below!

XOXO,

Jessica