Valentine’s Day divides people. For some people, Valentine’s Day is a huge date in the calendar circled twice in red pen and marked with love hearts. For others, it is a day to be avoided at all costs. Whichever of these camps you fall into, Valentine’s Day 2021 is a day that everyone will be spending at home. With a national lockdown caused by a global pandemic keeping everyone indoors, what are your options for celebrating February the 14th in style if you’re single, a family, or a couple? Read on to find out our top tips.
This Valentine’s Day everyone will be looking for fun and unusual things to do at home to celebrate with their loved one as a twosome or as a family. Rather than doing the staple of getting a takeaway from your local Chinese restaurant and popping a rom-com on the TV, what are your other options to show your special someone how much you care? Well, we have the perfect at-home Valentine’s Day all planned out for you from the moment the alarm clock goes off, or not! You don’t have to set one. It’s Valentine’s Day after all.
Begin the day with a lie-in (if you’re lucky enough to be able to do so!), then enjoy a boozy brunch or some patisseries as a sweet treat. Teles Patisserie is offering a takeaway and delivery with both French and Portuguese patisseries for you to choose from. Their luxuriously velvety pastel de natas are well worth a try! Teles Patisserie’s delicious breakfast menu is also outstanding if you don’t fancy cooking.
If you did want to start the day by whipping up a storm in the kitchen, then you could try our favourite American pancake recipe. Top with crispy smoked streaky bacon and maple syrup or strawberries and banana for an extra delicious start to the day. Treat yourself to a heart-shaped pancake mould to cook your pancakes in, so you can really keep your breakfast on theme. If you have children, then making heart-shaped pancakes will be one of the highlights of their day.
After that, exchange any presents and cards that you might have. Then set off for a refreshing walk in the country or your local park. Once you’re home, you’ll be largely relaxing and unwinding! If you have children or a dog, this is your window to really tire them out, so that you can enjoy your Valentine’s Day celebrations later on in the day.
With our skillset being in the beauty industry, one of our favourite things to do for our loved ones is to create an at-home spa experience. A full-on pamper session is lavished on the special person. Turn down the lights, light some candles and play some relaxing spa music in the background. Then ask your spa guest to lie down on the sofa. We start with a cleansing facial before moving on to a relaxing facial, neck, shoulder, arm and hand massage. This is something that is very easy to do at home by yourself even if you have little to no experience of performing facials or massages. There are also lots of tutorials available online if you fancy upping your game by getting some tips from the pros.
The at-home pampering experience is finished with a perfect at-home manicure and pedicure. This is also something that you should not be intimidated by even if you have limited experience.
- Start by removing any old nail polish.
- Then ask the person to soak their hands in warm soapy water, then push back their cuticles gently.
- After that, file their nails into a pleasant shape.
- Then apply a coat of nail polish (use clear if you are worried about making a mess). In an ideal scenario, you would apply a base coat, then a couple of layers of nail polish.
Applying a base coat before the polish makes a huge impact. But don’t worry if you don’t have any at home and can’t get to the shops. For the pedicure, move on to the feet and repeat all of the steps. Finish your at-home spa experience with a glass of cucumber or lemon water, a mug of herbal tea or maybe even some bubbles!
The at-home spa experience can also be a child-friendly activity. You could even make the facials yourself at-home. There are lots of recipes for natural homemade face masks that you can try with your children. Our favourite is this fabulous anti-aging Peaches and Cream Smoothie mask because it is not only a facemask, it is also a delicious and very healthy smoothie! Peaches are great for your skin because they are packed full of Vitamin C, while cinnamon boosts circulation.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yoghurt
- 2 ripe peaches sliced, pit removed
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Honey (to taste)
Method:
Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed for one minute. Enjoy as a smoothie and save one tablespoon for a DIY face mask.
However, if you are doing this for a few people, then there might not be enough to enjoy as a smoothie.
After your at-home spa experience, you could round off the evening by having your loved one’s favourite local restaurant deliver a food order. There are all sorts of fabulous pubs and restaurants operating a delivery service now. Contact your favourite to see what they have planned and whether they have a special Valentine’s Day menu planned. There’s also a Valentine’s Dinner service being run at The Assembly House, Theatre Street, Norwich.
After that, the rest of the evening is to do what you want with it. Watch a rom-com, or not! Maybe play a board game or play cards and listen to your favourite music. Or just have a chat and a glass of wine with a log fire to keep you toasty and warm.
However you spend Valentine’s Day 2021, we hope you feel cherished, loved and special.
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at The Norwich School of Hair & Beauty!
Contact us on 01603 928900 to find out more about any of our courses.
