Valentine’s Day is one of those days that either you love or you hate. Some people see it as a play into hyper consumerism similar to Christmas and Mother’s and Father’s Day, and some, see it as a day to make those you love feel a little extra special.
I personally love Valentine’s Day because you get to celebrate the love you have for everyone. It can be your Grandma, colleague at work, great nephew, neighbor, yourself, and the list goes on. You know the minimalist in me prefers quality over quantity, and prefers to give gifts that are meaningful. So if you’re on the hunt for that special thing for that special person, I’ve got four fun ideas…
A Valentine’s Day look with Clarins
Ultra Violet is the Pantone color for 2018 and our friends over at Clarins has given us a luscious variety of purples to rock for Valentine’s Day! To keep your makeup in place and your skin hydrated and fresh, there is the SOS primer. I have the Lavender formula and it visibly brightens my sometimes sallow skin, and is a bit tacky to the touch, so makeup adheres smoothly and doesn’t move around. It also offers color correction and creates a blur effect. I tested this out for a full night of partying and it withstood the sweating, cheek pecks and the face grabbing from friends who had a little too much to drink! $39
I usually wear lip balm or some sort of lip creme to moisturize my lips before lipstick application but I don’t have to do that with Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector. I have the shade plum, which is perfect for a Valentine’s Day look as it is deep but soft and sultry and doesn’t overpower the overall makeup look. It goes on seamlessly and fits any skin tone. Combined with mango and shea butter it nourishes, plumps and moisturizes your lips. This balm doesn’t last for hours on end, but then again, which one really does? $26
My favorite item in this bunch is the Lovely Rose Four Color Eye Shadow Palette. I am not a collector of palettes as I make sure the ones that I do have, can create looks to match every occasion. This one seals the deal on my collection. The packaging is sleek and sophisticated, the shadows themselves are rich and buttery and the application is flawless.
The pink, plum and purple hues are subtle and will create that feminine and sexy look we all chase after on Valentine’s Day. It can also create that uber sexy smokey eye if that’s the look you’re going for. It’s a truly beautiful mix of matte and satin shadows. They blended beautifully and stayed put each time I wore them. Combine with a nice light pink or plum blush and there you have it! The perfect Valentine’s day look! $44
A Mermaid Positivity Love Pillow!
Again, meaningful gifts. My mantra. You know we can’t leave out the little ones in our Valentine’s Day celebrations. They need to feel extra special too. For kids I tend to gift items that I know they’d use for a while and ones that are thoughtful and encourage positivity.
The Mermaid Pillow Company creates a variety of positivity pillows for our young ones and the perfect one for this occasion is the mermaid-style Love Pillow. This pillow is absolutely beautiful. It’s soft, good quality, very pretty and full of bright sequins. Each of these pillows feature child friendly positive illustrations and they can even ‘draw’ with their fingers on the sequined side. How adorable is that?!
This is the perfect gift to remind the little ones in our lives that Valentine’s Day is about them too! My nieces are going to love them! And don’t worry, they come in different styles and colors so you can choose that special one which you think best suits them. I think the ‘Love’ one will now be a permanent resident on my sofa (child at heart). $34.99
Good Earth Apricot Ginger Tango Tea
How can we forget tea?! Y’all would have seen this tea all over my social media within recent months, because, can I be a little selfish here? I LOVE IT! I know this guide is not for me but I think I have good enough taste to recommend a good brew fit for anyone. Good Earth has a wealth of teas that are equally rich in flavor which ultimately blesses your palate and demands a constant re-do.
This is a flavored black tea that boasts of fruit, flowers and spice. I love a good ginger tea and this one is perfect as it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. This tea is almost impossible to mess up. For the guy or gal who’s not into flowers and chocolates, this is your answer. This tea is delicious both hot and cold and is so romantic. It’s a loose tea so get your infusers and tastebuds ready! $9.99
Yu-Be Advanced Formula Pure Hydration Cream with Chamomile Extract
Listen, before I recommend any fragrance or lipstick or foundation, I enforce the importance of skincare. The better your skin, the less you need to do to spruce it up. Yu-Be is a Japanese brand and this cream has been a Godsend for me. It’s a perfect fit for skin, face and lips. I need specifically my lips, hands and feet to always be well moisturized but I always have a hard time finding a cream that absorbs quickly and that doesn’t just sit on my skin.
This cream seeps into the skin almost immediately and the best part? It has no scent! What better gift than good skincare for Valentine’s Day? This cream is paraben free, totally unscented, alcohol free, mineral oil free and also free of animal-derived ingredients. As a result, not only is it good to you, it’s good to the environment. $16
So what’s in your baskets for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear!
Thanks for stopping by!
~ The items mentioned in this post were gifted to me. Thank you for supporting One Pot Living and the companies that keep us going. ~
PS – Wedding talk: What Would You Change About Yours? and My Everyday Morning Makeup Routine.
