What's Here:
Valentine’s Day DOs and DON’Ts.
Gift Ideas for Him.
Gift Ideas for Her.
Date Ideas for Couples.
Single & Fabulous Valentine’s Day DOs and DON’Ts.
Outfit Inspiration – tips (pics soon).
My loves, I really wanted to put together a comprehensive blog, because holidays like Valentine’s Day can put unnecessary stress on us. From trying to figure out what to get the other person, to what we’ll do on the date or the clothes to wear, there are so many questions about this day and many of us could use some inspiration.
I’m here to inspire you today, and give you as many ideas as possible. If you LIKE what you see, help out one of your friends and share. I ❤️ you! Happy Valentine’s Day!!
P.S. This week's video is the gift that'll keep on giving: How To Be His Queen. Enjoy it and good luck!
DO:
1. Find out if your other half likes celebrating V-Day in the first place. I personally dislike going out, so it would be weird if my guy assumed I did and booked us @ a restaurant. Thoughtfulness meets half way.
2. Plan ahead – when leaving stuff last minute, we risk all sorts of things going wrong, stress, and passing that unsettling energy onto our partner. That’s not sexy! Plan ahead, but remember that there’s no need for over-scheduling; romance needs some breathing time.
3. Make it a whole day event. Why stick to evening events? Start with breakfast in bed, move on to a sexy text in the afternoon, and then off to your dinner plans.
4. Be on time. If you know it typically takes an hour to get ready and you have to leave the house at 7, start getting ready at 5:00. It’s wise to count in some buffer time, being V-Day and all… Timeliness helps set the mood right.
5. Silence the gadgets while you’re with your Valentine. Checking the phone or instagraming during your time together, is NOT cute!
6. PDA away! Public displays of attention are fabulous and typically make one feel safe and loved. Grabbing my face with your hands, kissing me long and sweetly, holding my hand and not letting go of me in private AND in public, is many times more precious than flowers and candy.
7. Do stay away from unromantic gifts. Sure I like to juice, but getting a juicer for V-Day? Not so much! Valentine’s Day is not like Christmas, and practical gifts are not sexy! (There are lots of gift ideas below)
DON’T:
1. Over-think the date or you’ll start freaking out. That will lead to wrong outfit choices, weird body language, sweating, so on. Close your eyes and take a big breath! Things work out when we’re level headed, everything WILL be all right!
2. Mention the ex… under NO circumstance!
3. Don’t do and get as a gift what you did and got last year. Try something different (ideas below).
4. Don’t get drunk. 2 drinks maximum!
5. Keep it to one day. Thoughtfulness and displays of love and affection are sexy year-round, not just on “special occasions”.
6. Don’t make it overly sexual. It’s not all about sex, and good taste always goes further along.
7. Don’t buy into the pressure. The day’s about romance and thoughtfulness, not crazy expensive gifts.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average amount spent by individuals in the US for Valentine’s Day gifts in 2014 was $134 and this year that amount is expected to go up by almost $10, to $142. Collectively as Americans, we might spend as much as 18.9 Billion this Valentine’s Day. WHOA!
It doesn’t cost much to give the other a breakfast in bed experience, yet it’s lovely and speaks volumes! Picking flowers instead of buying them can also do the trick! Cooking dinner at home with your loved one is great alternative to going out for dinner. Light up some candles, turn on some music, have a bottle of red handy…. great choice!
8. Don’t have unrealistic expectations. Just go with the flow and take in every little second. Enjoy the love!
9. Don’t give a generic card. Add a personalized message, definitely longer than 2 sentences. You can share how much you love the other, what they mean to you, the first sweet memory you have of them, what you love most about him/her, etc.
When it comes to gifts….
Give something that reflects where you are in the relationship. Nothing should be forced, this not quite the right time and place to push the relationship to the next level unless you know FOR SURE that’s what the other wants as well. In other words, if you’ve been dating for a month, getting him cufflinks that would go well with a “tux” *cough isn’t … you know…
Gift ideas for Him:
· Homemade Valentine’s Day card.
· Make him a playlist/CD or mix tape of sorts, with his most favorite songs.
· What about a “spa in a bag”? If you don’t have time to DIY or $60 to spend, you can get something like this.
If you want to save coins and make it more personal, recreate this concept by using a basket, add in your own DIY body scrub (recipe below), a lip balm, a hand and body lotion and even a DIY after shave lotion if you’re feeling “frisky”. Here’s how you can do that:
Minty DIY body scrub:
Mix 2/3 cup Epsom Salt with 1/3 cup organic olive oil and 5-7 drops of mint essential oil, depending on how powerful you want the fragrance to be.
Take a mason jar, and fill it up with the mixture. Print a label and glue it to the jar using modge podge. You can add a ribbon or some hearts if you want to add pizzazz to the jar.
Here’s a DIY shaving lotion recipe I found.
To help you out I got you some label ideas too. ↳Just click here and print 
· Like candy is for women, bacon candy is for many men. Resources: here and here.
· For the techie guy, I love Google Chromecast – $35
· Is he a gamer? How about getting him some tokens for in-app purchases of his favorite game apps?
· I love this DIY Instagram Canvas Print idea.
Here are some other ideas all under $120:
· Around the World Beer Bucket.
· The Gentleman's Guide to Cocktails.
· Billy Jealousy Beard Envy Kit ($25)
· Brooklyn Dapper Gift Set.
· LoveCoup Personalized Love Coupons for Couples ($24.95)
· Jack Daniels Whiskey Filled Chocolate Truffles ($19.99)
· Dejamor Gift of the Month Club for Couples ($4.99)
· GQ subscription.
· Working man's hygiene kit ($50)
Gift ideas for Her:
Gentlemen, please remember that ladies will typically interpret the gift as a sign of how you view your relationship. For example, if you’ve been together for 2 years and you get her 10 roses and a card with 1 line in it, she might not take to that kindly…. On the same token, expensive jewelry if you’ve only been dating for a week doesn’t fit either, does that make sense?
· Cook for her. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy! Breakfast in bed is a good idea… For dinner, don’t forget the champs or her drink of choice. And please… unless you’re taking me on a surprise overnight trip to Mexico, tacos and beer are NOT right for V-night.
· Offer her a massage.
· Diptyque candles. Always a favorite among fashionistas everywhere!