Whether we’re preparing for a date with our special someone, a night out on the town or kicking back with our besties, we all deserve some self-love. A bit of prep-and-pamper makes the most of our gorgeousness. Looking and feeling good is sure to turn some heads.
February is the month we focus on luuurve, especially around Valentine’s day. Traditionally, it’s about romantic love, but we believe we should be celebrating all kinds of love. That includes love for our galentines (thanks, Parks & Recreation, for giving us this extra special day!) and, very importantly, love for ourselves. What better way to do it than make ourselves feel and look drop-dead gorgeous?
You had me at silky skin
There’s nothing more attractive than confidence. And when you’re rocking a glowing, silky skin, you’re sure to feel perky.
The night before…
- Cleanse your skin gently but thoroughly with Cloud Factory Cleanser to eliminate grime and oil effectively. You don’t want any blemishes rearing their head on your date with destiny. Our blend of 5 AHAs will slough off old, dry and dull skin cells gently, while evening skin tone, soothing and smoothing the skin.
- Bounce Back Toner boosts brightness and helps the treatment product that follows penetrate more effectively.
- Follow up with a curated pampering serum and night cream to give your skin its best chance at regeneration and repair. Find your personal routine by taking our skin assessment. In 3 short minutes, our skin assessment and selfie analysis will find your perfect skincare routine. This includes 2 Serums, a Day Cream and Night Cream that cater for your skin needs, your lifestyle and your environment.
- The eyes are the most important tool of seduction – they are the window to your soul, after all. Make sure they look beautifully rested tomorrow by erasing signs of tiredness (firming, depuffing and brightening) with Eye Love You Eye Serum.
- If you’re going to be grooming your brows, do any tweezing or waxing the day before so you don’t have any redness or puffiness on date day itself.
Sweet dreams!
The day of…
- Another dose of Cloud Factory will sweep away everything the night has expelled from your skin and give you an added dose of radiance.
- A swipe of Bounce Back Toner completes the job.
- Use your Personalised Day Serum to focus on your personal skin issues.
- Give your skin a drink of moisture and softness with your Personalised Day Cream.
- A bit more Eye Love You will ensure your eyes are bright and bushytailed!
- Is it a day date? Don’t forget your SPF 30 Mist, Sunny Side Up
Close shave
Are you intending to get up close and personal? You don’t want stubble prickling your partner (if you’re in the habit of shaving).
For her – Wax your legs for lasting smoothness, or do a last-minute DIY by shaving or using a depilatory cream. The latter lasts longer, but first do a skin-sensitivity patch test if you‘ve never done it before.
For him – Please remove facial stubble. Five o’clock shadow will give your partner’s skin carpet burn. Afterwards, apply a post-shaving balm to soften your skin and beard hairs.
Soft skin
The skin on your body, hands and feet should feel like silk, not sandpaper. You don’t want to feel any snagging on dry, rough skin. Use a moisturizing body cleanser in the shower, then buff gently from your toes upwards with a gentle body scrub or loofah to clear blemishes, polish the skin and leave it rosy with health. If you have rough patches on your heels, buff them soft and smooth.
Must-have moisture
Don’t dry your skin too carefully after your shower or bath. Leaving it slightly damp when you apply your body lotion will give it a double dose of moisture. If you intend to wear fragrance, either use a neutral body lotion so your body lotion doesn’t clash with your scent, or layer the scent with its matching or a complementary lotion.
Scents of attraction
Your scent is addictive to the object of your desire. Our sense of smell is hot-wired to our limbic brains, which is the seat of our emotions. So when they smell your signature scent (both your own scent and your favourite fragrance), it will have an instant effect on them.
Apply the rules: There are hot spots on your body when it comes to scent application. The heat generated releases the fragrance and makes it longer. Apply it behind your ears, on the hairline at your nape, between your breasts, on elbow creases, behind knees and on inner wrists.
Lastly, spray the fragrance in the air and step into the mist for a fine kiss of scent all over.
Kiss and makeup?
An inner glow, alluring eyes, a gentle flush and dewy lips are all signs of love and attraction. What’s not to love about that? Here are some quick tricks for putting our lovely face forward.
Seductive skin
What goes best with your cute LBD? A happy and healthy skin, of course. We’ve got you covered, whether you choose a radiant glow or a matte velvet finish.
Prime rule – You may wish to use a makeup primer to enhance that flawlessness. Choose one that does the job you need: radiance, pore-minimizing, oil-control, etc.
Glow forth – If you like a lit-from-within skin look, choose a radiance-enhancing foundation. These contain radiance-boosting pigments and soft-focus filters that cleverly disguise any imperfections and give you a fresh, natural finish.
Velvet matte – Some of us prefer a more velvety look on our skin. It looks sophisticated and many of us don’t want to glow if we’re prone to oiliness. Just make sure it contains oil-absorbing properties, and choose a formula that is matte, but still gives some luminosity. You want your skin to look matte, not flat.
A touch of blush – Whether you do the contouring thing is up to you. But don’t forget to add a soft flush to your cheeks to make your face bloom. The intensity of the shade will vary with your skin tone, but choose a pretty blush that works with your undertone. If your skin has a cool (blue) undertone, choose pink shades. If your undertone is warm (yellow), go for more coral shades.
A cream blusher makes it super-easy. Swipe it on the apples of your cheeks and sweep outwards. Then slip it into your bag for a sneaky cheek and lip touch-up.
Alluring eyes
For low-key girls, make your eyes speak volumes with a pretty dab of a shimmer eye shadow in a soft shade on your eyelid. Apply a darker liner close to your lashes for subtle emphasis.
Drama queens will want smouldering eyes, and the easiest way to do this is to create a smoky eye look. Keep the look fresh by adding a touch of burgundy or copper.
Lash focus! For a wide-eyed look, use a lash curler to lift and fan your lashes. Accentuate your lashes with a few coats of your favourite mascara.
Best brow – Your brows define your face and are infinitely expressive. Brow looks are a personal preference, but you want them to look their best, whether they’re perfectly sculpted arches or natural beauties. Give them a brush and use a brow product to keep them under control, if you need to. If they are sparse, fill in with a brow colour that is a shade darker than your hair colour.
Kissable lips
Lips should always be soft and smooth, so eliminate dry, rough skin and brushing them gently with a wet toothbrush. Apply a nourishing lip balm and allow it to penetrate.
Sweeten your breath by brushing and flossing well, and keep some Xylitol mints in your purse.
Finally, pucker up! Again, it’s all about personal preference. If you like your lips to look natural and freshly kissed, dab on a lip stain in your favourite shade. Focus the colour in the centre and fade outwards. If you prefer come-hither lips, a classic red mouth sends the ultimate alluring message. Make it crisp-edged and lasting by filling your lip with liner before you apply your ultimate red. Mwah! Be our Valentine!
