Valentine’s Day Guide
Are you a lover of Valentine’s Day? I feel like enjoying Valentine’s Day is something of an art. Whether you have a significant other or are spending the day solo – There ARE things that you can enjoy about this “holiday.”
While I’ve had a boyfriend on a few Valentine’s Days over the years the most memorable one was actually a few months post-break up. I was with my Aunt and Uncle for a fun weekend of champagne, laughter, and too much chocolate – My uncle got me a giant heart filled with chocolates that was so big I couldn’t get my arms around it! To this day I keep a picture of my Aunt & I laughing so hard we’re nearly in tears from that night on my bedside table.
Was I miserable because I was single? No. Was I wallowing over my recent breakup? No. Was I wearing pink? Hell no! 🙂
If you’re one of those lucky people who can ignore or even forget that it’s Valentine’s Day than congratulations, you’re much more evolved than I am. So, whether you’re looking for the perfect gift to surprise your partner with, deciding on a date night outfit, or just looking for a way to get through this in one piece, here’s a great collection of links and some of my own fool-proof ways to have a good Valentine’s Day!
Tips for enjoying yourself:
Make it a group thing! Another incredibly memorable Valentine’s Day was spent with my friend Lauren, we got all dressed up & went out to dinner just the two of us. Not only did we have a great meal and exchange fun, girly gifts, we laughed ourselves breathless listening to the date at the table next to ours.
Suggestions For Solo Survival:
Pamper yourself – Spend a day giving yourself some much deserved attention & indulge yourself. Trust me, you’re worth it. 🙂 Head out for some shopping & get that killer pair of heels you’ve been eyeing. Get a fabulous mani/pedi or a soothing facial. Treat yourself to a relaxing massage to help reduce stress & tension.
Gift Ideas:
For me, the card is the most important part of a Valentine’s Day gift. I’ve gotten flowers, fancy dinners, and jewelry, but a sweet handwritten message in a card means more than any of the rest of that in my book.
- From The Heart from Could I Have That?
- D.I.Y. Valentine’s Day Card Design Ideas from Project N.C.Y.
- Valentine’s Day Gifts For Everyone on Your List — All Under $100 from FabSugar
- Sweet Valentines from Lilac And Lace
And if you’re a classicist and want to give your lady love – Or yourself – Some killer jewelry for Valentine’s Day than check out Sasha Maks Vintage and get 20% off through February 14th with the code LOVE2013. You can email her and set up a private showing or order fabulous, one-of-a-kind pieces online.
Dress It Up:
Whether you’re planning to make dinner in your PJs, get dolled up for a fancy night out, or you just like to celebrate holidays in style check out these fab posts to help you get a look that you’ll love.
- Check out my Valentine’s Day Inspiration board on Pinterest for some fun fashion to get you in the mood!
- Valentine’s Day Outfit Ideas from Fashion Steele NYC
- Valentine’s Day Nail Art from OPI on Pinterest
- 5 Perfect Valentine’s Day Date Outfits — All Under $150 from FabSugar
What are your plans for this Valentine’s Day? Are you going to get all dressed up?
Want more Valentine’s Day goodness? Check out IFB’s Season of Love project for other submissions that’ll get you ready for Valentine’s Day this year!
Be sure to follow my New York City adventures for pictures & updates:
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Holiday Gift Giving Guide
Last year’s Gift Giving Guide separated out the types of individuals we tend to shop for – Host & Hostess gifts as well as presents for the fashionistas, health & fitness nerds, and foodies on your holiday gift list. This season so many of the bloggers that I follow have already put together great lists so I thought it would be fun to collect all of their fabulous suggestions and put together a master list.
Enjoy!
Carolines Mode’s Christmas Gift Ideas is the perfect list for an oh-so-stylish sister or girlfriend and includes notepads, designer lingerie, chic jewelry, and perfume.
Feeling extravagant? Moda Operandi’s Gift Guide: Extravagant Gestures isn’t for the faint of heart – believe me – and includes unbelievable gift ideas like custom designed snowboards, couture dresses, jewelry boxes, and one-of-a-kind homewares.
If you’re not sure what to get that special woman in your life – whether it’s your wife, your sister, or your mother – Harper’s Bazaar is here to help. Their Editors’ Choice: The Best Holiday Gifts is a great collection of ideas including clothing, jewelry, accessories, beauty products, flowers, art, and even chic china patterns!
If you have a friend or family member who is a gym rat or health obsessed than check out FitSugar’s list of Best Fitness Gadgets of 2012 which includes great finds like eco-friendly water bottles, new fitness gear, workout DVDs, and high-tech headphones & monitoring systems.
Could I Have That? has put together a great list and her Holiday Gift Guide: Black & White includes pillows, piggy banks, and fabulous moustache adorned coffee mugs – perfect gifts for one and all.
If edible gifts are more your style be sure to look through the list that Teen Vogue put together – 12 Gourmet Gifts for Foodies – and charm your friends with specialty desserts, quirky cooking tools, and creative cookbooks.
Not sure what to get your host or hostess for an upcoming dinner, holiday party, or weekend away? Check out Moda Operandi’s Be Our Guest for a fabulous collection of gifts that will fit the bill perfectly.
For a well-rounded collection of ideas check out The Subtle Statement’s Holiday Gift Guide – This list includes everything from accessories and electronics to pajamas and serving dishes. You’re sure to find something for that special someone!
And fear not, if you’re on a budget, there are still plenty of choices out there that your friends and family will love. Check 0ut Freckles In April’ Gift Guide: $5 and Under! and Cupcakes & Cashmere’s Holiday Gift Guide – Under $25.
What’s on my holiday wish list? To be honest, I did so much shopping over the past week that I cannot think of a single thing that I actually need let alone want. If you’re curious about what I’ve picked out for myself – See below! 🙂
{Top Left: Betsey Johnson Faux Fur Lined Belted Cape from Macys, Top Right: C-Label Elaine 6 from Piperlime, Bottom Left: Shift Dresses from BCBGeneration & Bottom Right: Boxes coming in from ASOS, Saks, Bloomingdale’s…}
Happy shopping everyone!
Links You’ll Love
Fashion:
Want to try a new color combo this winter? Read what Beauty and the Budget has to say about Black & Brown.
Holiday decorating is upon us! Here are some tips for the experts on how to make your home festive: Harper’s Bazaar, Elle Decor, Real Simple & Vogue.
Marni for H&M! I’m excited, are you excited?
Miranda Kerr’s street style looks these last few post-baby months have been downright phenomenal (exhibits A and B) and here’s yet another amazing one broken down by The Frugal Fashionista.
Not a dress girl? 5 Holiday Outfit Alternatives For the Anti-Dress Girl from FabSugar
Health/Fitness:
No More Excuses! The Hungry Hungry Hippie gives you tips & ideas for food prep for the weekend that will keep you well fed all week long.
NYT – Should We All Go Gluten-Free?
Gina from The Fitnessista shares her 2011 gift picks for everyone on your list and The Stylelist gives you the best Budgest Friendly Gifts. You can also check out the MCLV Gift Giving Guide here.
Five strength training exercises for beginners and five inner & outer thigh toning tips from FitSugar.
Skin care tips from Garance Dore here.
You may have heard me mention Brendan Brazier and his Thrive books in the past, I’m a really big fan of not only his written work but of his general approach to food and nutrition. The healthy food delivery system Fresh N’ Lean is now partnering with Brendan to develop a new line based on his recipes and healthy food principles called Thrive Foods Direct. “Fresh ‘N Lean is not another quick fix or fad diet. We do not eliminate carbs or restrict calories. Our concept is really quite simple: prepare healthy, fresh, and delicious meals, without all the preservatives, additives, sodium, and sugar that Americans have come to accept as “normal,” and add the convenience of home/office delivery.”
MCLV’s Gift Giving Guide
The holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about what to get who and last-minute scrambling to come up with creative ideas. So in the spirit of enjoying the holidays rather than worrying about them, I’m here to bring you a brief list of suggestions for your friends, family, co-workers and party hosts.
Fashion-minded: Do you have someone in your life who lives for fashion? Whether its your sister, best friend, mother-in-law or boyfriend who likes to stay up to date on the trends, here are a few ideas for their holiday gift.
- Magazine subscription – Style.com, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair… Easy for you & much appreciated by them.
- A manicure, pedicure or spa treatment – The holiday’s are stressful for everyone so why not treat your loved ones to some much deserved pampering?
- One of my best friends got me the greatest birthday gift the year before last, something I highly recommend for anyone who loves their clothes and wants them to keep them in perfect condition. A handheld garment steamer!
- Winter accessories are fun to pick out and the perfect gift for the gals, guys or kids on your list – From girl’s knit gloves and boy’s fleeces to women’s hats and men’s scarves.
- Some fashion books that I highly recommend are Nina Garcia’s Little Black Book of Style and The One Hundred, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange, Style A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe & Influence by the Olsens
- Gift certificates for great stores like Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus & Barney’s – Tip, make sure that the gift certificate can be used online if you’re not sure whether they have access to the store in question in their town.
Fitness-minded: If you have a friend or family member who loves their gym time and is always looking for a new and exciting workout or sport to try out, here are some ideas to please them for the holidays.
- Check out Groupon, PopSugarShop, LivingSocial & similar sites for deals on gym memberships, fitness classes and workout gear
- Gift certificates are always appreciated since the recipient gets to pick out exactly what they want, try LuluLemon or Nike to make them squeal!
- A BPA free water bottle like Klean Kanteen, Lifefactory or Nalgene
- A Yoga mat, Pilates set or barbell/kettlebell sets
- Workout videos are a great choice since you can find one for virtually ever type of workout – Jillian, dance workouts, Pilates, weights, yoga… So many choices!
- An eco-friendly tote to carry his/her things to the gym/grocery store/office is versatile choice as well – Try Green Girl World, World of Good or EcoBags.
Foodie friend: We all have them in our lives, the people who absolutely live for their food & wine. They always know the best restaurants to go to, always shop at the greatest stores and always serve up the most gorgeous spreads for their guests.
- Wine Club – This is a pricey gift, but a great one if you feel like splurging for a wine lover. A couple organic vineyards to look into are EcoVine Organic, The Organic Wine Company & Benzinger.
- Cooking class – This is something that I’ve always wanted to do but have never gotten around to, so if your friends are anything like me, they’ll be thrilled by a gift that gets them out of their apartment and doing something that interests them.
- A food basket or “food of the month” club
- A beer making kit like this one is perfect for someone who likes to get their hands a little dirty for a fun weekend project.
- Gourmet coffee & a cute mug is a great gift for a coffee lover, especially if they’re an office worker since it’ll brighten their mornings!
- Cookbooks like Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Vegetables, Sarah Matheny’s Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love or Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet are great choices for friends and family who are looking to eat a little healthier this upcoming year (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?)
Host/Hostess Gifts: I usually keep a handful of host/hostess gifts around during my busy social seasons so that I don’t have to run out at the last-minute when I could be putting the finishing touches on my outfit for the evening instead.
- Flowers/potted plant – I love white arrangements (baby’s breath excluded – of course) so I prefer bouquets featuring white tulips, lilies, posies & peonies. If I’m taking a taxi or train to get to the party I like to get a potted plant since it’s a bit more durable for the journey.
- Wine – A bottle of wine or port is a timeless and easy to carry thank you gift. I love to support California vineyards and keep bottles of my favorites on hand for just this sort of occasion, if you’d like some Sonoma suggestions I highly recommend Sojourn, Eric Ross, Valley of the Moon, Benzinger & Audelssa.
- Cheese cutting set – I received this as a gift from my Aunt and absolutely love it, it’s both beautiful and functional.
- One of my favorite gifts to give is the Vinturi Wine Aerator – It’s always a success, trust me!
- Diptyque’s scented candles in a sweet little bag are another nice choice, they’re elegant and simple.
Enjoy your shopping trips and be sure to hit LIKE on MCLV’s Facebook page so you can get all of the great sale alerts that I’ll be posting later this week!
Moi Contre La Vie 