Valentine's Date Beauty Tips

Whether heading out on a date with a new beau or going to dinner with a partner of 20 years, a girl wants to look and feel her best on this romantic holiday. Following are some beauty tips to prepare yourself from head to toe for this special night.

The Day Before Valentine's Day

In order to look and feel your best for your date, spend the day before avoiding foods that cause bloating or gas. Steer clear of the beans, broccoli and salty or greasy foods such as chips and French fries. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and flush your system.

Next, start your preparations by getting your fingers and toes in shape. Either give yourself a manicure and pedicure or drop by your favorite nail salon. Choose a bright red or pastel pink nail polish in honor of the day.

Use an exfoliating mask or scrub before bed. This will increase blood circulation and remove any dry, flaky skin. Apply a good moisturizer and jump into bed. Choose a light moisturizer if you tend to have oily skin and a heavier moisturizer if your skin is dry. Since you just exfoliated, you should avoid a moisturizer with AHAs or high Vitamin C concentrations since they might irritate the new, smooth skin that was exposed during the exfoliation.

Finally, get to bed early. You want to be well-rested so you don't have dark circles or bags when the big date rolls around.

Valentine's Day Preparations

Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Consider eating an egg for the protein and some yogurt for the calcium. Once again, however, spend the entire day avoiding foods that cause bloating or gas. Eat a light lunch so you don't feel full or uncomfortable when date time arrives.

Prepare your body by exfoliating with a body scrub during your bath or shower. Scrubs with sea salts can be especially invigorating. Apply a light body oil before drying off to lock in the moisture. Use a shimmery body lotion to give yourself an all over glow.

Cleanse and prepare your face for makeup by using a gentle cleanser, toner, and light moisturizer. If you don't wear foundation, apply a light-colored bronzer or shimmer powder. Foundation wearers should apply the product sparingly and then use a bronzer or shimmer powder. The goal is to create a dewy, glowing complexion, so don't overdo it. A gentle, light touch of the makeup brush is all you need. Play up the cheekbones with a pink blush.

Valentine's Day is all about romance, so decide if you want to accent the mouth or the eyes, whichever you want your date to be mesmerized by! A tip for getting the lips ready is to gently exfoliate them with a wet toothbrush. Next, fill in the lips with a liner matching either your natural lip color or your lipstick. Apply a lipstick in bright red or a pouty pink. To really make the lips pop, top the lipstick with a high-shine gloss. If you're going to accentuate the eyes, skip the lip color and simply use a shimmery lip gloss with a hint of pink.

Play up the eyes using shades of gray, purple or brown. Avoid eye shadows with a pink undertone - these usually end up making you look like you just came off a crying jag or an allergy attack. Apply a midtone over the lid, a darker tone in the crease and a highlight to the brow bone. Most shadow sets available these days come with three or four coordinating colors. Select a dark gray or purple eyeliner and apply a thin line into the base of the bottom lashes and a slightly thicker line along the base of the top lashes. Smudge the liner just slightly and you've created the perfect smoky eyes. Curl the lashes and finish the eyes with a lengthening mascara in black or dark purple.

If you're playing up the lips, simply apply the midtone shadow to the lid and the highlight from the crease to the brown bone. Use an eyeshadow brush to smudge a darker tone along the bottom and top lash lines. Curl the lashes and apply a thickening mascara in a brown/black or black.

Style your hair, put on your favorite perfume, get dressed and you're ready for your date!