Get prepped for Valentine's Day

Ah Valentine’s day. Unlike most holidays, this one doesn’t cause merriment for a large portion of the population like a holiday such as Christmas might. People cringe at the 2 little words “Valentine’s Day”. Men who are stressed about buying gifts. Women who are single. Women who AREN’T single and think the whole holiday is a sham, forcing consumers to spend money for no good reason. I’m one of those people who love Valentine’s Day. I love any excuse to get dressed up, receive gifts, get drunk, and possibly make out. In honor of the big day, here’s my list of get-ready items that are a must. Whether you’re going to a bar with your girls, or you have a date that you’re trying to impress, the goal for V day is to look hot and to feel euphoric. This is my strategy:

A week before

Prep your skin:

I've recently become a fan of Osmotics Blue Copper 5 anti-aging line. A week before any event, whether it's a big date, a wedding, or a photo shoot, you can try the Blue Copper 5 Molecular Repair Treatment ($125 for a week-long treatment) to improve skin elasticity, firmness, and tone. There are 7 ampoules to use nightly, packed with a nutrient-rich treatment that stimulates collagen synthesis, repairs sun damage, attracts moisture to the skin, and reduces fine lines.

Bat your lashes:

With Physician's Formula Eye Booster ($10.95) you can enhance your eyelashes with this simple, over-the-counter eyeliner and lash-boosting serum in one. It's quite smart really. Why would you apply a lash boosting serum directly to your lashes like a mascara, when you should be applying it at the BASE of the lashes, where your eyeliner goes? Physician's Formula's combined the lash-booster and liner in an easy-to-use felt-tipped applicator pen that you apply directly to the lash line, just like you would any other eyeliner, but unlike other liners, this formula encourages lash growth while still being safe on sensitive eyes. The smudge-proof formula comes in brown, black, and ulta black at drugstores nationwide. There's also a day & night lash-boosting formula available in clear that can be used alone or underneath another eyeliner.

Get waxed:

If you're a bikini-waxer, then you know the pain and suffering associated with waxing. The product I'm about to reveal to you with alter your life! Bare Ease & Cream ($24.99) is a bikini-line numbing cream developed by the incredibly smart Dr. Edna Ma. I had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Edna and testing out the product, and it really works. Basically it safely takes out the stinging/burning of a wax with a completely safe numbing cream. The kit comes with the maximum amount of numbing cream that you can get over-the-counter, and a pair of pink latex panties that you wear over the cream for 30-45 minutes before your wax. It's so simple, but so genius. I'm a total pansy when it comes to waxing, and this cream makes it easy.

The night of

Set the mood:

Ever the candle junkie, I think part of getting ready for any event requires a certain ambiance. Thymes Offerings Love candle ($26) is supposed to create a feeling of warmth with its combination of tuberose, jasmine, golden apricot nectar, and an exotic Hinoki wood.

For more great scents, please visit the Thymes website for candles and diffusers galore.

Feel happy:

Also from Physician's Formula, Happy Booster makeup ($11.95 for the blush, $13.95 for the powder and bronzer) uses aroma therapy, texture therapy, and color therapy to stimulate the senses, evoking feelings of happiness. Though it sounds strange, studies prove that certain ingredients have positive sensory reactions in people. Ingredients like Arctic rose, Omega-3's, Murumuru seed butter & Theobroma Grandiflorum seed butter, and floral notes of fresh violet are all known to have mood-stimulating qualities to them. Not even knowing all that information, I would have bought these products just because they look adorable. On top of that, Physician's Formula's commitment to making quality products has given us another paraben-free, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist-approved product.

Be kissable:

Shiseido offers 13 new Shimmering Rouge lipstick shades ($25 each) are simultaneously packed with brilliant color and shimmeringly sheer. Besides the contrast of color and sheerness, these lipsticks are actually good for your lips. In true Shiseido form, the lip colors are packed with moisturizing ingredients so that your lips feel good and are kept in good condition. For Valentine's Day try Desire, the kind of red that looks good on many different complexions, or if you're more adventurous you can try Stiletto, which is a bright blue-ish pink that is right on trend for spring.

Capture the moment:

I became obsessed with the Olympus Pen camera ($499) at a blogger preview where another blogger WON one of these awesome cameras in a raffle. I'm not complaining, given my recent luck at blogger contests, but I would seriously fight someone for one of these cameras. Think of all the amazing Fashion Week pictures I could take! This is a relatively small camera for all the things that it can do. Interchangeable lenses, 12.3 megapixels, image stabilization (to compensate for the shaky hands of a non-professional photographer like myself), and many other features make this little camera pack a big punch. You can certainly toss this in your tiny Valentine's Day purse and be able to capture the evening's festivities in whatever lighting you will come across. Besides, you just spent all that time getting ready, you might as well have some pictures taken of yourself.

So have a fun and beautiful Valentine's Day, no matter where the evening takes you.

Thank you to Bare Ease & Cream, Osmotics, Shiseido, and Physician's Formula for providing me with product to conduct these reviews.

Images courtesy of Shiseido, Bare Ease & Cream, Osmotics, Physician's Formula, Olympus, and Thymes.