Loved Up At Boots

What does Valentines Day make you feel? With such an emphasis on huge romantic feelings everywhere you turn, sometimes it can be a tiny bit overwhelming. Yes, your social feeds will be full of flowers, chocolates and cards, and there may even be the odd proposal or two (ladies, don’t forget, your traditional opportunity to propose is this year too, with it being a leap year!)

All that aside though, I think Valentines Day is a perfect time to reflect on how you feel about yourself, as well as how you feel about your sweetheart. If you have one, that is. And if you don’t? So what! Be your own sweetheart.

Being one’s own sweetheart is an important thing – never underestimate the power of treating yourself to something that makes you feel good. Time spent pampering not only serves to beautify and relax; it also allows a chance to be mindful and aware of what is happening in your life. Taking a long soak in an aromatic bath with scented candles burning is one of life’s great joys as far as I’m concerned! And following the soak with a beautiful, rich body cream takes the ritual to another level leaving you feeling sublimely relaxed. There’s nothing better.

Each year, around Valentines Day, I have a little tradition where I like to go to Boots to stock up on some pampering products to turn my home into as close as I can get it to a spa! I make time one evening where no one can reach me – the phone is off, the bath is filled and so begins the chilling.

This year, I have my eye on these treats for myself, and if they also become the basis of a certain someone’s shopping list for me, that wouldn’t be a bad thing either!

The Sanctuary With Love Gift Set, €32, is a gorgeous collection of pretty much all you need for a top-notch pamper session. Scented with White Lily and Damask Rose, the creamy bath soak, body scrub and lotion are sure to have you feeling amazing. This set treats both body and face too, and the 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask sounds like the perfect thing to pop on whilst soaking in that blissful bath.

Now, if you are heading out on a date this Valentines, you are going to need a killer fragrance to have you feeling confident and cool. One of my favourites is stocked at Boots too. Dot by Marc Jacobs, €39.99, is a gorgeous little perfume with a floral heart mixed with elegant jasmine, vanilla and musk. Swooning guaranteed!

Date night also needs gorgeous glowing skin, and one of my all time top foundations that is?available on Boots.ie is the Stila Illuminating Foundation, €32.60, as it imparts a subtle, soft candlelit glow to skin as well as offering a lovely medium coverage. Your skin will never look better than when dressed in this base – get ready for the compliments to flow.

If you’re feeling like flirting, you’re going to need an amazing mascara to bat those lashes at the object of your desire, and the one I keep returning to is the No7 Lash Impact Mascara, €18.50. It’s a gorgeous, deep black that adds a level of drama to an eye makeup and I was hooked on it long ago.

Now, seeing as it is a day for both sexes, and the men in our lives also deserve a treat (or sometimes, a little guidance!), let’s not leave them out of the pampering. Someone I know, may or may not be finding a little bottle of the Gucci Guilty Black Pour Homme Eau de Toilette, €49.99, arriving into his life in a few days time. Ladies, if you haven’t tried this one out, hurry! It’s a super-swooner.

So, whether you are going all out on date night or staying home to pamper, do have a Happy Valentines Day (and don’t forget to be your own sweetheart!).

And with order and collect, place your?Boots.ie?order before 12pm and pick your products up in a store near you after 2pm the following day. Exclusions apply. Visit boots.ie/ordertodaycollecttomorrow for full t&c’s.