Not Going Out – You’ve been to the gym – you feel great, you look great so why not ditch the vest and pjs for a little romance chez vous? Blush pink cardigan £39.50 M&S Collection; silk and French Lace plunge bra £27.50, knickers as before, Rosie for Autograph at M&S.
Girls’ Night In – fairy lights, popcorn and a movie with mates – revere long sleeve pyjama top with piped trim (so good you can wear this out as a shirt with jeans or smart black trousers) £35 (part of pj set); vintage inspired, embroidered bustier £35, both Rosie for Autograph at M&S; soft grey joggers £25, M&S.
Spontaneous Cocktail-Crawl with your girl gang – yes it’s that bra again, so good a peak under a classic white shirt is pretty much law. Vintage lace bra, as above worn with ruffled sleeve, button-down white shirt £27.50, M&S Collection; black mid-rise skinny jeans £35, M&S Collection and trophy buy (or borrowed from your boyf’) men’s black DJ jacket £80, M&S Collection.
The black skinny jean – your figure flattering friend.
Pick-me-up – when a good friend deserves a little treat. Pretty little lace bralet £27.50, Rosie for Autograph at M&S.
Pretty in Pink – keeping date night well within the blush zone. Figure flattering, dress with fluted sleeve detail £69, Autograph at M&S
Keeping it Casual – well, an lbd is more of a fling than a romance so for date night this gingham trench is definitely the real thing. Lilac gingham trench £89, Limited Edition for M&S; white Westwood kick flare jean £90, Jigsaw and the perfect v-day shoe – red strappy heels £35, M&S Collection.
Say it with flowers – the enduring kind. Pretty garden droplets necklace £19.50, M&S Collection .
When the lights go low – here’s one to woo in. The ‘Unwrap-Me’ black, lace body £22.50, M&S Collection.
Present-to-self – a bang on-trend, super cute, little red bag to stuff your essentials into. One to bring a little colour to the proceedings even if Valentine’s Day goes way under your radar £29.50, M&S Collection.
Spa date with self.
Whether staying at home or heading out, make up artist Frances Prescott lets us in on her tips to create a blissfully-blushed natural look;
“To prep skin I always use Tri-Balm (£46) – it cleanses, exfoliates, moisturises and leaves skin perfectly prepared for make up, I follow this by smoothing a small amount of Too Faced Hangover Primer (£27) onto the face (hungover or not, it’s the perfect hydrating primer and promises to have you looking “fresh faced in a flash”), next up I add a touch of Marc Jacobs Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter (£32) onto the cheek and brow bones and then add a few drops of it to Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream (£28) which gives a lovely natural coverage to the skin. To achieve that just flushed look on the cheeks, I used Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek ($24) in bright pink- it’s a lovely cream based lip and cheek stick and adds that ‘winter walk bloom’ of colour and smooths perfectly to a satiny, natural finish.”
Frances continues – “to create ‘hair-like’ strokes on the brows I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (£22), a retractable pencil that’s easy to use and has a handy comb on the other end. I wanted to keep the eyes very natural so I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer (£17) to smooth and give staying power to the slither of silver eyeliner from Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in N(ice) (£20). Too Faced Better Than Sex (£19) mascara is intensely black and with a curvacious and clever brush that separates, curls and coats every lash. To finish the look I used a teeny bit of the same Milk lip and cheek stick that I used on the cheeks and dabbed it onto the centre of lips to give a subtle tint, finally, I swept a fat powder brush across the three colours in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (£59) and lightly dusted it over the entire face to set the look and give an extra glow.”
In your make up bag…
Frances Prescott Tri-Balm; Marc Jacobs Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter; Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Hangover Primer; Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette; Milk Make up Lip + Cheek; Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon; Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara; Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz.
All beauty products featured are #crueltyfree.
In association with Marks & Spencer for Valentine’s Day.
Fashion and words by Shelly Vella
Photography by Emma Sweeney
Hair and Make up by Frances Prescott
Model Daisy at Models 1
Fashion Assistant Karla Morales
Shot at Flora and Fauna Studios, Columbia Road.