Valentine's Day. Whether you are in a relationship or not, it’s always a good time to focus on numero uno. I don’t know about you, but when I think of looking after myself, I think light some candles, run a bubble bath or have a hot steamy shower and rejuvenate my skin. Most people I’ve been speaking to have agreed that it’s been hard to get out into the cold, with the dark evenings, so we all want to start trying to make more an effort with ourselves, ready for Spring and Summer.

Skincare is a huge part of my daily routine; however, I always ensure when I have a big event, I give it a bit more TLC to prep for that day. Think exfoliate and hydrate, this is what your skin needs for it to look healthy, and it gives a great base for make-up. If you are feeling very washed out like I am because my skin needs some heat and sun; you may also want to incorporate a gradual tan.

For a girl who has combination/acne prone skin, I’ve become to learn to love my skin and not get stressed when it isn’t looking the way I would like it to. Skin takes time to understand what it needs and loves. If you have a beast of a spot on your chin, don’t stress or pick at it, it will eventually go away and much faster on its own. Yes, it is annoying but no one else is going to be stressed or notice it, grab a moisturiser, cover it with a bit of concealer and go out and have a good time.

There are lots of amazing products out there for all skin types which you can introduce into your routine or simply use to prep for that event.

To ensure your products work to their full potential we need to get rid of the dead skin that’s sat on the surface but also sat in the pores to prevent it from clogging and cause breakouts. Exfoliate!!

Dr Dennis Gross is a skin guru. Many people have heard of his Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, which is an absolute winner in my opinion for a chemical exfoliation (AHA/BHA) for all skin types as there are Ultra Gentle for sensitive skin, Universal for normal and Ultra Strength for acne-prone and for those who can tolerate a strong AHA and BHA. Don’t fear the word ‘Peel’ as they don’t shed your skin like a snake. You just simply swipe the damp pads across the face removing dead skin cells. You visibly look much brighter and clearer whilst the magic solution is eating up the dead skin cells in your pores. You can use these daily, however, I sometimes just use these once a week or before the planned day.

There is another way to exfoliate which has really improved my skin, however, I would recommend researching to find a specialist to book a pamper treatment for yourself and don’t do this if you have aggravated acne or very chapped dry skin. You may have heard of Dermaplaning, this helps by removing the dead skin on the surface and peach fuzz. This gives an incredibly smooth base for make-up but also improves the performance of your skincare products as it’s able to penetrate deeper. You can then cleanse with The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser which you apply dry and add water to emulsify and wash away, once padded dry with a clean towel or tissue press a tiny amount of Paula’s Choice BHA solution to a cotton pad or directly onto clean fingertips to eliminate further grime in the pores.

After this you need to apply an eye cream and hydrate with a serum, moisturiser or oil. Normally I use a serum and Moisturiser and then sometimes at night I will add an Oil for that extra boost of hydration during the winter as the weather tends to dry the skin out. However, if you are exfoliating before getting ready you can just follow on with masking and using the serums as a primer if you wish.

We all want to diminish dark bags under the eyes. If you can make the eyes brighter, it instantly lifts your complexion and makes you feel more awake. Patchology do incredible sheet mask’s which leave a beautiful amount of serum on the skin so you can massage it in after removing. The FLASHPATCH ILLUMINATING EYE GELS are so good at instantly soothing and brightening around the eye area.

*Nice tip: leave your eye cream or eye masks in the fridge. When you apply it, it instantly soothes, depuffs, making the eye area brighter. This also applies for hydrating face masks, if it’s cool it will leave you refreshed, and will calm down any redness.

From working for a beauty retailer in the past, I have become a bit of a sucker for products, and I do have my go tos and some of them unfortunately my bank account doesn’t like, however, my skin loves and ‘honey you must give your body what it wants.’ ByTerry Baume De Rose Lip Care is one of those naughty products, but it is so nice on those lips. With Valentine Day coming up you may have that special someone you may want to pucker up to, so you need to make sure your lips are smooth and plump with hydration… ‘no one likes to kiss a crusty lip.’ 😉

*Top tip: Incorporate a lip balm to your nightly route to wake up the next day with perky lips and if you get any dry skin on the lips exfoliate the skin on your mouth gently as it’s super delicate.

Cleanser: The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser from £6
Chemical exfoliators: Dr Dennis Alpha Beta Daily Peel Pads from £19 or if you don’t like AHA Paula’s Choice BHA liquid Exfoliant from £9 is my daily routine favourite
Beauty Device: CLOUD NINE Face and Body Sculpting Device £129
Eye Cream: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream £12
Eye Mask: Patchology Flasshpatch Illuminating Eye Gels from £3
Serum: The Ordinary Hyaluronic 2% + B5 from £7 or alternatively Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum £40
Moisturiser: Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream from £15 or alternatively The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA from £5
Face Oil: Herbivore Emerald Oil £44 or KORA Organics Noni Glow Face oil from £22
Lip care: DrLipp Original Nipple Balm from £12 or my absolute favourite lip treatment By Terry Baume De Rose from £14 and Fresh Sugar Lip Polish Exfoliator 10g £15

(Prices correct at the time of publishing)