Love is one of the most fascinating feelings—it comes in many forms and can be fiery, intense, soft and gentle, loud, or even subtle. And now that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to express your passion and appreciation for your most treasured people. 

But before you give love to others, don’t forget to start with the most important person: YOU. Treating yourself to some TLC does not mean giving less to your special people—it’s just self-charging so you can share even more. Let yourself glow so your spark can reach others far and wide.

One thing you can gift yourself this Valentine’s Day? Brighter, glowing skin. Dip into a relaxing night of self-care through skincare, and follow up with morning prep to give you a boost of confidence for the day of love. 

Night Before Valentine’s Day

Here’s a little tip for your skincare: your skin is more capable of absorbing ingredients at night. It’s best to take advantage of this by using your stronger, heavier, and more hydrating products before bed. So put on your favorite show, pour a glass of wine, and get ready to give yourself a pre-valentine’s treat. 

Step 1: Cleanse

More importantly, double cleanse. Whether or not you wore makeup, cleansing is an essential skincare step and a quick way to feel fresh. If you want a more in-depth look at why you should start double cleansing, click here.

First Cleanse:

Second Cleanse:

Step 2: Use a toner

Toners are a great way to achieve smoother and softer skin. They help make sure that no grime or dirt got past your cleansers and they restore any nutrients that may have been stripped off while you were washing your face. Toners also help prep you for the next steps of your mini-spa night by making sure that your skin is hydrated and can easily absorb ingredients from skincare.

In addition, depending on what toner you use, you can get additional benefits like clearer and brighter skin.

Step 3: Apply a serum

Serums are great boosts for your skincare. They are lightweight, concentrated, and easy for your skin to absorb. Since this is for a night routine, it’s best to take advantage and use serums with more potent ingredients like retinol, glycolic acid, AHAs, and BHAs.

Step 4: Put on some eye cream

Start Valentine’s Day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by putting on eye cream the night before. This helps rejuvenate your skin by getting rid of the puffiness and dark circles all while soothing the tired eyes.

Step 5: Apply a night cream

Feel free to indulge in heavy creams or lotions during this step to make sure your skin is properly hydrated and moisturised.

Step 6: Use a lip mask or sleeping pack

Get that perfect pout for Valentine's Day and prevent dry, cracked lips caused by the winter weather. Lip masks are gift you smooth, soft lips that are perfect for kisses. 😉

Step 7: Put on a sleep mask

Hey, you’re prepping for a special occasion AND treating yourself so why not add an extra step? Sleep masks are great for unclogging your pores and absorbing excess oil—giving you a bright, healthy glow in the morning.

Valentine’s Morning

Here comes the most exciting part, prepping your skin for your V-day look. Since we worked on a slow, chill skincare routine the night before, you can expect your skin to look and feel brighter this day. Now, let’s sprinkle in a bit more self-love and make sure you’re ready to slay.

Step 1: Use a gentle cleanser

It’s important to start with a clean base, but make sure you don’t strip off natural oils and last night’s TLC. Use a gentle cleanser or a foam one for a smooth, soft canvas for the next steps of your skincare and then your makeup.

Step 2: Apply toner

As we mentioned, a good toner provides many benefits for your skin. For your morning skincare, it can also add more hydration for that healthy glow that you want for Valentine’s Day.

Step 3: Use your morning serum

It’s best to cycle your ingredients for better results. We recommend a Vitamin C serum for your morning skincare so you can achieve a brighter complexion. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which helps lighten dark spots and clear your skin.

Step 4: Eye cream again!

Your beauty sleep may leave your eyes puffy, so we recommend a morning eye cream to lessen this and to give you a livelier hue.

Now, let’s take a quick break for a little discussion. The last two steps’ order will depend on whether you use a chemical or physical sunscreen. If you’re not sure, click here to read our comparison of the two.

If you already know what type your sunscreen is, let’s continue our Valentine’s Day skin prep!

 Step 5: Moisturize

As its name suggests, this step of your skincare will help lock in moisture to give you soft skin like mochi. The benefits don’t end there though because moisturizers can also help safeguard your skin barrier and prevent blemishes. Those formulated for morning application sometimes also provide extra protection against UV damage.

Step 6: Protect against the sun

Sunscreen is an essential skincare product that you should be using everyday for healthier skin. By staying on top of your sun protection, you can prevent UV damage, blemishes, and skin irritations. Stay protected, glow even brighter.

Chemical sunscreen:

Physical (mineral) sunscreen:

There are a myriad of sunscreens out there, but if you're still not sure what to get, check out our recommendations here.

Step 7: Apply lip balm

Smooth, glowing skin should be complemented with petal-soft lips. Use a lip balm before applying your makeup, especially lipstick or lip stain, to get pillow-like kissers. Keep it in your bag or pocket too for easy re-application!

Take note that it’s important to use lightweight skincare products in the morning for a smoother makeup base and to prevent clogged pores or excess oil.

And there you have it, lovely! Your night and daytime skin TLC for Valentine’s Day. We recommend staying hydrated, eating your favorite snacks, and listening to your power playlist while doing these for an extra dose of happiness on top of your glowing skin.