11 Beauty Gifts To Buy Yourself This Valentine’s Day
It’s Valentine’s Day soon, the day of love, and I want you to TALK BEAUTY TO ME.
Being unattached, instead of going BLEURGH in the face of Valentine’s, I am going to shower myself with gifts this year. Any excuse to top up my beauty collection, right?! I mean, it wouldn’t be that bad to treat yourself to 1 or 2 Val-Day gifts, would it? Of course not!As a single gal, it might not be in the true sense of celebrating the day of love. But I’m big on self-love and self-care (you gotta take care of number one), so I have decided to embrace Valentine’s Day in a different way this year. I kinda don’t want to miss out and I don’t think you should either. I might even treat myself to flowers this year too ✌
I’ve put together a Valentine’s Gift guide of beauty products that you should definitely TREAT YO’SELF (or your BFF) to this year. I have thrown some heart-shaped things here, but I promise you that there’s nothing tacky or gross.Happy GAL-entines!
• The Beauty Splurge •
Too Faced Love Flush Long Lasting Blush in Baby Love*, £25 (shop link)
Too Faced Love Flush seem like the most perfect Valentine’s Day gift, not only because of it’s candy-coloured, Polly Pocket-resembling, heart-shaped packaging, but because how great the blusher powder is. I’ve shouted about my love for Too Faced recently, and the Love Flush Blush has been featured in my top 5 blushers last year, it has been the one I reach for in my make-up ever since I got it a couple of years ago, so it’s no secret how much I adore the brand.
If you love cute, pretty, got-to-collect-them-all packaging designs, I highly recommend Too Faced Love Flush blush (£25).
The blush is pigmented, long-wear, and a soft shimmery finish gives a flattering, natural looking glow to the cheeks. Baby Love (pictured above) is a soft, peachy nude that would suit all skin tone, it’s the easiest shade to wear. Love Flush comes in 6 shades and I can honestly say that I’d be happy with any one of them!
YSL Beauty Touche Éclat La Teint Foundation*, £33.50 (shop link)
Try not to fall in love with YSL Beauty and you will fail at that challenge. I swoon when I walk past the YSL Beauty counter and I find something I want to add to my beauty wishlist every single time. I’m not sure how realistic this goal is, but I’m on a mission to collect every shade of their Rouge Volupté Shine Lipsticks!
This Touche Éclat La Teint Liquid Foundation (£33.50) is a favourite amongst beauty bloggers and is a best-seller for YSL, and after trying it for the first time, I can see why. The light-reflecting formula lives up to the hypes as sits on skin flawlessly and even though it’s a full coverage foundation, it doesn’t feel heavy or like it’s blocking or suffocating my skin.
Marc Jacobs Enamoured Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer*, £22 (shop link)
If I’m going to splash £22 on a lip product, it has to be a shade that I can use every day, and these two Lip Lacquers from Marc Jacob’s Enamoured Hi-Shine range are great shades for daily wear. When my lips are too dry, I switch to a lip gloss and I’m very picky when it comes to lip glosses but as long as it’s not overly sticky or gloopy, then I’m happy.
The one on the left is Love Drunk; A shimmery rose nude. And the shade on the right is Love Buzz; A metallic-looking, pearlescent pink… which is a description that sounds like it’s better suited as a nail polish but honestly, Love Buzz is really beautiful and natural looking pink with a slightly frosted finish.
Marc Jacobs Enamoured Hi-Shine Lip Lacquers are very shiny but as it goes on smooth, there isn’t that thick, gloopy mess that I loathe in lip glosses.
Lovely (Eau de Parfum) by Sarah Jessica Parker, £25 (shop link)
You can’t go wrong with perfume, but which one do you go for? Well, this year for me, it’s an easy one.
You see, whenever I’m going through boy drama (ugh) or heartbreak (sob sob), I turn to my Sex And The City DVD box set. The reassuring and sassy pearls of wisdom from Carrie and Co. (the TV series, not the movies) makes me instantly feel better. It’s just something I’ve done since my late teens, which is kind of cute, I suppose. But I now I’m actually the same age as Carrie, I begin to wonder… when does SATC stop being reassuring and start becoming a reflection self-pity?… Hmm.
ANYWAY! To celebrate that I am indeed a single, independent, self-sufficient woman that will take no shit ?, what better perfume is there to buy Valentine’s than Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely. It’s symbolic, really.
There are three volumes available; 30ml, 50ml, and 150ml, but the 30ml bottle pictured above is priced at £25 from the big department stores. However, you can find it cheaper online for as little as £9.95.
Lovely is a soft, fresh, sophisticated scent which is really nice for the daytime as it’s not too overpowering. It has top notes of fresh mandarin, bergamot, rosewood, lavender, crisp apple Martini. The middle notes are patchouli and orchid, with base notes of cedar and musk.
• Affordable Beauty Treats •
KIKO Milano Matte For You Multicolour Blush*, £9.95 (shop link)
This is a limited edition matte blusher that features three shades of pink. It is buildable, easy-to-blend and when swirled together and applied on to skin, it gives a nice candy pink colour to your cheeks. The lightest and smallest heart brightens the skin while the other pink shades provides an intense flush of pink.
Max Factor Velvet Matte Lipstick, £7.99 (shop link)
My lips are too dry to pull of a matte lipstick but that doesn’t stop me searching for the best one that suits me. My favourite have been Avon’s True Colour Perfectly Matte Lipsticks but I am now warming towards the new offering from Max Factor’s Velvet Matte range.
It is described as a soft satin matte (so not a truly mattified finish as it has a teeny tiny bit of shine) with a moisturising feel makes it easier and more comfortable to create a bold lip. It’s smooth, creamy, pigmented, and non-drying like the typical matte lippy. The finely milled natural CF mica is the key ingredient in Velvet Matte for a glide-on, diffused-light-reflecting effect.
It’s £7.99 full price but it’s currently on offer at Boots for £5.99. There’s always offers on in the cosmetics range at Boots so keep your eyes peeled and you’ll never pay full price for the high street brands.
MUA Inked Lip Stain*, £4.00 (shop link)
Whether you have a date on Valentine’s Day or not, red lipstick is perfect for the occasion (and indeed throughout the entire duration of February. Because why not.) If you fancy treating yourself to a new red lip product, why not check out MUA affordable range of water-based lip stains?
They come in a small range of shades, all of which are super vibrant, so it’s not for the shrinking violets. These lip stains are bright, non-transferable, and it has a very strong staying-power. Of course, that’s not a bad thing when it comes to lip product, but be warned, it’s a stubborn stain and it doesn’t fade that easily. Pretty good for £4.00!
KIKO Milano Matte Nail Lacquer*, £3.95 (shop link)
Are matte nails your kind of thing? They can be quite tricky to apply but KIKO’s limited edition Valentine’s matte nail lacquer is easy, non-streaky and dries within seconds. It has a thick brush for a quick application and it only requires two coats for the perfect coverage. If, after a couple of days, you don’t fancy matte nails anymore, you can apply a single gloss coat over the top!
Accessorize Lovelily Eau de Parfum*, £19 (shop link)
Personally, a high end designer perfume is something that I usually have to save up for, but if you fancy purchasing yourself a bottle of perfume on impulse, there are lots of great choices around. Gone are the days of cheap, stinky perfumes (hurrah!); now you can buy dupes of your favourite designer fragrances for less. And quite often, I will have my less-precious perfumes on my work desk so that I can spritz as freely as I want throughout the day.
Accessorize have launched Lovelily which is not a dupe for the aforementioned Sarah Jessica Parker’s similarly named Lovely perfume or any other fragrance that I know of – but the blend of raspberry, orange, jasmine, and sweet vanilla makes it a great perfume for Spring. It’s fresh and fruity, and has a hint of an Oriental aroma.
Landon Tyler 3-Wick Candle, £16* (shop link)
This one, as you can see, isn’t a beauty product but what’s a gift guide without a candle? Not a proper gift guide. That’s what.
I won’t beat around the bush, I have a large collection of candles, BUT I’m always happy to add to it. While I adore the ever luxurious Diptyque and Jo Malone as gift (who doesn’t!), I’m more of a value-for-money when I’m buying candles for myself. And would you believe, this huge 3-wick candle from Landon Tyler is only £16!
Landon Tyler have recently launched in Boots so next time you’re in there, give it a sniff! There are lots of gorgeous scents to choose from but Vintage Blooms is great for anyone who prefers a floral fragrance. Vintage Blooms features gardenia, rose, violet, heliotrope, and amber.
Patisserie de Bain Bath Goodies, from £3.99 (shop link)
Finally, a shout out to Patisserie de Bain for creating such a lovely, sweet smelling range of bath and body stuff. This Valentine’s, you can pick up a handful of stuff from their range (which is stocked at Superdrug); their current scents include: Strawberry Cupcake, Sugared Violets, Sweet As Cherry Pie, Orange Crush, Cranberry & Cream, and Lemon Bon Bon.
There are shower cremes, bath bombs, soap cakes, body lotions, hand creams, and bath tartlettes (melts) to choose from. They’re affordable and adorable, and smell really nice! Just the kind of guilt-free treats you want on Valentine’s Day!
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These are perfect valentine gift-set, for myself 😉 Finally someone mentioned Max Factor velvet matte lipstick, it's not as hyped as nyx, but it's great as well with familiar price.
Selene Addicted
Such a lovely post! I really want to splurge on some too faced make-up <3 everything is just so so pretty! <3 stunning photos too! ^^ keep up the great work! xx
zaras-bowsandpearls.blogspot.co.uk
All the products look lovely. I really want to try the Too Faced blush. Great post x
themisslubna.com
wow these look great that too faced blush is soooo pretty xx
cristynottingham.blogspot.co.uk
I'm all for the self love this Valentines day!
Too faced products are perfect Valentines treats too, being so cute.
Tie-dye-eyes blog
These are looking adorable !
Sara
http://www.thecrimeofashion.com
I'll take one of everything please!
Parie x
Class and Glitter
That Too Faced blush is gorgeous, but as I just picked up their "Papa Don't Peach" blush I don't think I can justify buying another! 🙁 xx
http://www.fridayfaye.com
The Too Faced blush looks absolutely gorgeous and the packaging wow!
Beauty Candy Loves
The Too Faced blush looks so pretty! x
http://www.abeautyromance.com
http://www.abeautyromance.com
You're right, all YSL products are just dreamy! The Touche Eclat foundation and Rouge Volupte lipsticks are amongst my faves too. It's SO worth it to treat yourself to some of those pretty golden makeup products for Valentine's or any occasion really 😀
I've been wanting to try the Marc Jacobs glosses for awhile now and ending up treating myself to one of their lip cremes which i'm super excited to try out!
erinkanee.com