It’s Valentine’s Day! 10 beauty moves to make today (whether you believe in it or not)

Poor Valentine’s Day. When it comes to holidays, this one kinda gets the shaft. Sure, there are some who L-O-V-E love it (many of them under age six, mind you). But just as many peeps either put so much pressure on V-day that it determines their entire state of mental health for the month of February… or simply refuse to celebrate and ignore it altogether.

I say boo. Whether you’re single, taken, or in that iffy no man’s land in between, there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself some beauty love today, AMIRITE? (Yeah, you got me: I’m going to beauty-hijack this holiday.) Here are 10 moves to make—and a whole bunch of new prodz to heart.

1. So you just got home from work. Lather up with this guy:

He’s a glycerin soap from Fruits & Passion… and a steal at five bucks! (The scent is cranberry, BTW.)

2. Now I urge you to apply the most ridiculously decadent body cream you can find.

This one, from Rodial, is possibly the ultimate. I have the scent called Socialite (there are three); unfortunate name but how can you get mad at a body cream that has champagne and cassis notes? It was part of a holiday gift set so not sure if it’s still available… but if you can find, it will have you at hello.

Otherwise, I heartily endorse this new body butter duo from The Body Shop.

One side is for dry skin and the other, normal. (If you have a date tonight, clearly the best scent is vanilla.)

3. Next, throw on a hydrating masque for 20 minutes or so.

Dermalogica just reformulated this one; I’m a longtime fan and promise it’s a goodie.

4. Up late last night? Me too. Deal with under-eye bags with this:

I know, it looks weird, but it’s an Anti-Fatigue Eye Kit from Chella and what you do is squirt the activator (on the left) on to the mask (on the right). Leave on 15 minutes, and you’ll rise, like a phoenix, sans bags and circles.

5. It wouldn’t be V-Day without painted nails in a pretty colour (and preferably a punchy name).

I like OPI’s Kiss Me On My Tulips from their Holland collection out this month:

Note: It IS a fuchsia pink, and not all guys are as down with that as they are with red. Just FYI, if you’re primping to please. Suggested alternative:

Essie’s Size Matters. Ha.

6. Fresh breath is seksi.

I love, love, love this Marvis toothpaste:

I can’t do mint, so the cinnamon mint is perfect, and très festive today, non?

Also, if you have a date, I don’t need to be the one to tell you that fresh breath should be a top priority. But I will anyway. Scope just came out with this new mouthwash (Dual Blast) and it’s crazy effective.

At the media event back in the fall, we got to play science geek and test it against all kinds of disgustingly gross food odours—think garlic, tuna, shiz like that—captured in test tubes. I promise you, this stuff WORKS.

7. Need hair inspiration? Make like a Victoria’s Secret model.

Check the top of this post for the hair you should be channeling today. An excellent way to achieve it would be with this Kevin Murphy kit:

Mermaid hair! I die. Inside you get Hair Resort (a beach-look texturizing spray), a hair net (yeah, I’m not sure either), two different types of clips and step-by-step instructions.

8. Ignore the fact that it’s Fashion Week and go low-key with your V-Day makeup.

Trust me on this—today is not the day to rock out in bright green eyeshadow and orange lipstick. However, don’t misunderstand me. Of course you should wear makeup. In fact (like I always say) looking “natural” is way harder than it looks. (Silly boys! If you only knew all our voodoo tricks.)

Since the most important thing of all is flawless-looking skin, I must alert you to this new HD Complexion Kit from Make Up For Ever:

I’ve raved about the foundation and powder sufficiently that I probably don’t need to go into detail here, but with this kit you get the primer too (and kabuki brush, although that’s not what I recommend for the powder). Anyway, the bottom line is that this makeup DOES NOT LOOK LIKE MAKEUP. For serious.

Blush is also key, and today is a great excuse to pile it on (well, within reason) so as to replicate that “I’m in love” flush. This is the Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush from Physicians Formula:

I have the one on the right and it goes on really subtle. The hearts are also adorable, although I find the idea of it being able to boost your mood a bit silly, frankly. (But let me know if it does something for you!)

Finally, lashes. A much easier way to emphasize your eyes versus getting all potentially smeary with eyeliner and shadow.

This is the Voluminous False Fiber mascara from L’Oréal Paris and like the name suggests, it actually adheres little fibres to your lashes to make them look longer. I’m still playing around with it, but I’m so far impressed at how it made my lashes look thicker/longer but still natural. I had one of these types of mascaras years ago from Caryl Baker, and it was even more dramatic. Probably you could get there with a lot of layering.

9. I wouldn’t normally say this, but… tread carefully with lipstick.

Just for today, okay? I know, I’ve been in this weird minimal makeup phase for ages now, and not wearing anything but lip balm. (Alert the beauty police!) But come now, everyone knows that if you’re smooching someone, piling on the bright lipstick ain’t a good idea. If you must have colour on your lips, how about this Revlon lip stain/lip balm duo instead?

10. Don’t forget to smell pretty.

And here is where I direct you back to my reveal last week of the scents men love—or, if you’re just loving yourself today, feel free to skip to the bottom of that post and indulge in all the man-unfriendly ones (like rose and powder and chypre).

Happy V-Day!

Tell me:

Are you celebrating or ignoring this holiday?
What’s your typical V-day beauty prep?
Have you tried any of these prodz yet?