Who needs a date anyway?

If Valentine’s Day is lining up to be no more romantic than an average dull Monday, take heart; a little mid-month splurge could be all you need to get your heart beating fast.

Spring is upon us and with it comes a blooming big bunch of gorgeous new beauty buys.

Here are six of our top picks:

1. TREAT YOUR LIPS

Whether you’ve got someone to lock lips with or not, Lancôme’s L’Absolu Rouge Drama Matte is the self-gift that is guaranteed to turn your frown upside down.

The formula’s signature caring ingredient is Grand Rose Extract and it’s infused with micro-spheres of skin moisturising hyaluronic acid, to create dramatic impact without the drama of dry lips.

Two bold new shades, a new vibrant red and a deep burgundy, debut this Valentine’s and the lippy comes complete in a new heart-designed bullet and sexy velvet packaging.

Spoil yourself: Lancôme’s L’Absolu Rouge in ‘Lucky in Love’ and ‘Love Bluff’ is €34, Brown Thomas Cork

2. PAMPER YOUR PEEPERS

Listen, you can’t keep a close eye on the talent if your peepers are puffy. Whether your puffiness is caused by lack of sleep, allergies, aging, or salty food, Dermalogica’s new Awaken Peptide Eye Gel is your new secret weapon for deflating those eyebags.

The lightweight formula feels lovely on tired eyes and active ingredients such as tetrapeptides, caffeine, and rosemary leaf extract minimise dark circles and fine lines. It also contains bioengineered succinic acid to keep eyes looking bright and voandzeia subterranea seed extract to leave skin smoother and more luminous.

Spoil yourself: Dermalogica Awaken Peptide Eye Gel is €65 from dermalogica.ie. 

3. HEAD OUT ON THE LASH

An excellent mascara is a girl’s best friend and YSL Beauty’s new Lash Clash is a game-changer.

One sweep of this baby (designed with a patent-pending formula and a patent-pending brush) gives massive volume in an instant, with the brand’s signature overnoir couture black finish.

An innovative cocktail of oil-in-water wax, complex film-forming polymers, and wear boosters, Lash Clash’s thick yet creamy texture adds up to 200% more volume in only five strokes.

MUA TIP: Start applying at the root of the lash on the inner corner of the eye. Sweep the brush onto the lashes, pushing upwards and outwards.

Spoil yourself: YSL Lash Clash (€34) is available from February 23rd, 2022 at Boots and Brown Thomas.

4. ACE YOUR BASE 

The only serum foundation that actually reduces excess sebum, Clarins iconic serum-infused foundation, Skin Illusion, is now available in a new matte finish.

If you like to keep things simple, this one’s for you; just a few drops of Skin Illusion Velvet are all that’s needed to reduce skin shine and blur imperfections.

Available in 28 shades, it blends in immediately and lets skin breathe, leaving behind an invisible matte veil without any build-up.

Spoil yourself: Skin Illusion Velvet is €36 from Clarins stockists nationwide.

5. LOVE YOUR LÁMHA

Even if you won’t be holding hands with the guy or gal of your dreams this week, there’s no need to neglect your poor hard-working digits.

We use our hands for everything and often forget to show them some TLC.

Patchology’s self-warming and softening hand mask uses the same insulation technology as space blankets, locking in your natural body heat to allow the coconut-infused formula inside to penetrate the skin. Ten glorious minutes later, chapped and dry hands are rejuvenated and cuticles are softened.

Spoil yourself: Patchology Perfect Ten is available (€10) from Lloyds Pharmacy, McCabes and selected stockists.

6. WRAP YOURSELF IN A NEW FRAGRANCE

Blended for all of us who are craving fresh air after a long series of lockdowns, ‘When The Rain Stops’ is the latest fragrance in the Maison Margiela Replica collection… and one of our favourite so far.

A woody aquatic fragrance, it opens with a vibrant pink pepper essence blend with fresh and luminous rose petal; warm smells of damp wood and fresh flowers wet with rain.

“I wanted to recall that precise moment when the sound of rain fades away, giving way to a soft light filtered by the branches of the surrounding conifers and the mist,” says the nose behind the fragrance, perfumer Fanny Bal.

Spoil yourself: Maison Margiela When The Rain Stops is €56 (30ml) and available at Brown Thomas Cork.