Tips to Enjoy Valentine's Day this Year

With Valentine's Day swiftly approaching, it's important to start making plans. Whether you're like me and still waiting on Prince Charming to ask you to be his Valentine, in a relationship, or single you'll be able to benefit from these three tips.

1. GET AN AMAZING OUTFIT
In my opinion, the best part about Valentine's Day is being able to wear a pink and/or a red outfit. A few years ago I purchased an expensive pair of hot pink, suede boots specifically for the holiday but I don't recommend that anyone do the same. You should opt to wear something that is fairly inexpensive or versatile enough to be worn again. Needless to say, those boots have been in my closet collecting dust for the longest time. Forever 21 has tons of amazing items to choose from. Target is another place to purchase fashionable V-Day clothing. These tights, for example, are available there for $7 and would go well with a skirt of your choice. Solid colors are great for layering so pick a color scheme (pink/red, red/white, etc.) and chances are you'll be able to wear this clothing regularly.

2. EXCHANGE GIFTS WITH FRIENDS
You don't have to have a boyfriend to have an excellent Valentine's Day. In fact, your female friends probably know you best anyway so why not exchange gifts with other single friends? These gifts can be both thoughtful and inexpensive. This compact and tweezer set is sold at Forever 21 for less than $5. TopShop is also an excellent site to find affordable trinkets for your friends. Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without cool cards and candy so revert back to those days in elementary school when you passed out cards and candy to everyone. It'll be tons of fun. If you have a large group of friends I'd suggest participating is a "Secret Cupid" gift exchange in which you don't find out who your Valentine is until the actual day.

3. PLAN A PARTY
An after-school social gathering would be a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Make cupcakes or other heart-shaped snacks because they'd be an excellent addition to the party. If you're considering the Secret Cupid gift exchange with your friends, the party would be the perfect time to swap gifts. Also, If you're searching for awesome decorations look no further than your local dollar stores because they usually have affordable party favors that are sure to help with the event's theme.

Finally, if you've planned your outfit but won't be spending Valentine's Day with friends because you're in a relationship, your plans should be a bit different. You may need gift-giving tips as well because your guy is more than likely not interested in tweezers or socks. As I previously mentioned, I'm still waiting on Prince Charming to appear so I'm not sure that I'm the best person to give tips in this department, so if you have a boyfriend and are clueless about what to get him, feel free to check out this previous Brownstone post for advice. Whatever you choose to do this Valentine's Day, be sure to have fun and share your plans with the Brownstone Blog via twitter.

Thanks for reading,
Alexandria B.