This Valentine’s Day, we’ve put together some beauty advice from the best in the business, to help you look you absolute smashing best for date night… not just the ladies, but the gentlemen too!

 

What Women Need…

 

 

 Rachel Roberts

Brand manager, JetSet hair salon

Valentine’s day is a chance to accentuate your feminine-side and opt for soft and romantic styles. Texture is big this season, so experiment with crimps, waves, twists, braids and lose ponytails or, to make a hair statement, you can combine your hairstyle with a pretty hair accessory, like the ones we stock from Aura.

Gloss treatments are always popular in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. This is a very short service, which takes just 20 minutes — it’s great for conditioning and enhancing colour and shine. If you’ve been to JetSet for your blowout and want to make it last an extra day, or you’re looking to add a volume injection, Philip B has a fantastic dry shampoo that doubles-up as a hair perfume with sensuous notes of Pure Russian Amber! It refreshes tired, unwashed hair, giving it a clean, powdery-fresh feeling without any residue; unlike regular dry shampoos, it leaves a glossy finish rather than the usual dull, matte look — perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Three quickly doable hair-dos you can never go wrong with are a fishtail braid, loose waves or a top knot/bun.

An ideal pre-Valentine’s day hair treatment to try, before going out on a romantic date: If you want to see instant results, I recommend our Philip B Four Step Hair Treatment, it repairs, moisturises, strengthens and conditions your hair, leaving it looking healthy and glossy, and it also smells amazing!

And if you have a particularly bad hair-day on V-day, quick-fix it using the SPRAY À PORTER by Kerastase. It’s a tousled effect spray — great if you’re having a bad or lazy hair day as it creates a lived-in look, similar to that of sea salt spray, but without the stickiness.

 Hannah Lisa

Professional make-up artist; brand ambassador, TheFaceShop

Red lips are a big trend for the SS15 season and it’s a classic look for Valentine’s Day. What I love about a red lip is you can wear it casually with jeans and a tee, or vamp it up with an LBD, which is perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner date. A great cheaper alternative is the Face It Magic Touch lipstick by the TheFaceShop.

I’m a romantic at heart, so I’ll always recommend pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day. Try using a matte lipstick like the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet for super staying power, and when wearing a bright lip, whether pink or red, keep the rest of your makeup natural.

This is how you can work the classic red lip with the rest of your make-up — use a lip liner to give you the perfect outline and this will help to hold your red lipstick in place. Wear smokey eyes — if you prefer for the focus to be on your eyes, use a good kohl liner around the lash line and smudge it gently with a soft brush. Then, layer an eye shadow in a brown or grey tone along the lid and most importantly, make sure to blend. With either of the above looks, adding a pair of false lashes will give you the perfect finish. Try Magic Glam lashes, as they have a great range are great quality too. If you don’t have a steady hand when putting false lashes on, practice when you’re staying in for the night, because in this case, practice really does make perfect!

Essential to a good pre-Valentine’s day routine is a good facial. Try any of the Nimue facials at The Cure Spa for a gorgeous, pre-date glow. The perfect base for makeup is good skin after all. The new Therapy range from TheFaceShop leaves uneven skin feeling supple. For the perfect date hairstyle, big, loose, romantic curls are in. Use the big Cloud Nine Waving Wand curler, as it’s quick and easy to use: just wrap your hair in sections around the wand and you’re done! Spray with Kevin Murphy Anti-Gravity Spray before drying your hair, for volume.

 Kay Jossoub

Director, Glow Salon & spa

For Valentine’s Day, natural eyebrows are back, so take it easy with the eye pencil. Achieve a beautiful but subtle look with light, natural shades.
Red is the primary colour for Valentine’s Day of course, all aspects and shades of it. Sometimes, a dash of black and deep colours are hot too. For the lips, the rule is KISS — keep it simple and sultry! Draw attention to your eyes with smokey eye make-up for a gorgeous look. Be subtle with the eye shadow colour combination — you want to draw attention to your lipstick, so make sure your eyes demand attention but are not exaggerated. Wear beautiful red lipstick or gloss that pouts your lips.  Do a lip scrub just before you start with the make-up —  you can do a DIY scrub, mixing a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar with olive oil — scrub on lips gently and your lips are soft and ready.

Ladies, make sure you indulge in pre-valentine’s date pampering — a facial to look fresh and rested; a manicure and pedicure will show you that take pride and care in yourself. Make time for a 30 minute massage so you are completely relaxed for your night out. Don’t forget to smile and enjoy the evening.

Hair can either make or break the final look, so it’s definitely important to choose a style that works with your face shape, but more important you need to complement the outfit with a great hairstyle. So choose  an elegant chignon to suit a gorgeous neckline or a sleek French bun for that sophisticated look. Ruffled curls give you volume and if you have gorgeous lush hair, don’t be shy to let it down. For nails, go for either bright red, or a French manicure; if you are opting for the latter, add a bit of sparkle to the nails with a glitter heart or two.

Gentlemen, it’s your day too…     So, the men are just supposed to turn up for Valentine’s Day, right? Wrong! We men would like to more than just show up; we want a little of that limelight the our date’s grabbing too. No one’s upstaging the girlfriend or wife, but men need to be groomed and pampered, because the day of romance can be equally stressful and important to them too. And if you’re looking for places to indulge, and have the budget for some some luxury grooming packages — these are our top picks for you.   Signature Lounge J3 Mall, Jumeirah 3 (contact: 043884770); Business Central Towers, Dubai Media City (contact: 044342110)   Choose from a variety of ‘signature’ treatments like the 20 Digit Dressing where the salon’s nail signatory will treat your cuticles and create a clean, natural shape for your nails and revitalise your tired feet with a relaxing foot massage. While you’re at it, why not get the Signature shave? It includes cleansing, toning and soothing mask. Top it all off with a head, neck and shoulder massage and you’re golden. Depending on your schedule, you can stagger your sessions or have all the treatments done at once. Either way, you’ll look and feel like a million bucks before V-day and it might even help give you that extra bit of confidence. You’re welcome!   Chivalry Men’s Salon   South Ridge 1, Downtown Dubai (contact: 043689476)   As their credo dictates: Chivalry is not just a salon. It’s an experience. And what an experience it is. A grooming experience at Chivalry is quite something. In a cross between old school and contemporary styling, they’ve got hand-crafted Japanese style barber chairs, and Bang and Olufsen big screen TVs to keep you occupied while you’re spoilt with all sorts of treatments. Besides, you’ve got to love any place that uses cutthroat razors so proficiently. Get a manicure, pedicure, cut and shave and top it all with a neck, shoulder and back rub to loosen you up before V-day.   1847   The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence (contact: 044221847); City Walk (contact: 043443363); Emirates Towers Boulevard (contact: 043301847); Grosvenor House Hotel (contact: 043998989); Mirdif City Centre (contact: 042362020)   Care for an executive grooming experience that’s oozing with masculine sophistication? 1847 offers a portfolio of luxurious and essential male &oriented services ranging from shaves to hair cuts, manicures and pedicures to massages and facials. Plus, they have a private library and plasma TVs! It’s like an extended man-cave and we love the bespoke touches.   It’s what 1847 does best. So if you’re getting ready for the big day, try out something like the Groom Room. It includes the Essential Facial, The Finish, Traditional Shave, The Two Executives and a 60-minute massage. Or you could splurge — and why not? — on the Gentleman’s Tonic, which is a deep cleansing facial followed by a relaxing hand and arm massage, topped off with a hydrating masque while you get your feet and calves massaged. Remember, stay classy, gentlemen.   Rohit Nair (Senior Features Writer)

As told to Mary Paulose