With february the 14th looming, do you know what gifts you'll be getting your loved one for valentine's day? Lost for inspiration? Here are some cute and inexpensive ideas for what to get your boyfriend to show him how much you love him!
 
::Practical gifts::
In general, guys tend to like practical presents- things they actually want and use. Here are a couple of ideas:
 
x A wallet
x A belt
x Jewellery (eg. string bracelets, necklace etc. You could even make your own inexpensive bracelet or necklace with some cord and wooden beads!)
x A phone case
x Aftershave
x Shoes
 

 
::Sentimental ideas::

x Get an empty photo album and fill it with printed out photos of you two together.
 
x Buy an empty scrapbook/large unlined notebook and fill it with things that remind you both of your relationship, eg. cinema tickets from your first date and other memories, photos of you both/from holidays taken together, printed screenshots of cute texts/emails etc.
 
x Write a list of the top 20/50/100 things you love about him. (My boyfriend really appreciated this.)
 
x A framed photograph of the two of you- especially good if you don't live together so he can have it in his house.
 
x On Valentine's day, why not buy a cheap disposable camera and take lots of photos of each other/your day. Get them developed and you'll have lovely memories of your valentine's day together.
 

::Food ideas::
They say the way to a guy's heart is through his stomach!
 
x Instead of buying him premade chocolates, why not make him his favourite dessert or make him homemade truffles? My boyfriend adores cheesecake, and prefers a handmade cheesecake on special occasions rather than a manufactured box of chocolates!
 
x His favourite bottle of alcohol (but only if you're old enough to drink!) A cute date idea would be finding some recipe ideas and mixing up some cocktails together.
 
x Wake him up on valentine's day with a morning cup of coffee/tea, or if you don't live together, meet him at his house and go for a romantic walk with takeout coffee.
 
Have a gorgeous day whatever you do! ♥

This is a perfect outfit for a casual date, or even if you're spending valentine's alone but still like the excuse of wearing pastel pinks and classic jewellery!
 
Pair a simple off the shoulder tee, either long sleeved or short sleeved would work fine. Tuck the front into a pair of pink skinnies and add a large oversized shoulder bag. Add a pair of low top converse and a statement watch.
 
Wear your hair either loose and messy (take advantage of our 'how to get big and messy hair' tutorial here!: http://www.polyvore.com/tipstars_how_to_get_big/set?id=69718394)
Likewise a french braid would look adorable and would make the look more 'done up' (perfect for a casual cinema or coffee date!) (Tutorial here! http://www.ohsoprettythediaries.com/2012/10/back-to-basics-french-braid.html)

Stuck for what to wear this Valentine's Day? Not sure what present to give to your significant other? Fear not with our Valentine's Guide! We aim to bring you several outfit ideas, as well as cute and creative gift ideas for your loved one and inventive date ideas if you're stuck for something to do on February the 14th. Onto part one, our first outfit idea!
 
This is a very classic, girly and romantic look which is perfect for Valentine's Day. Tuck an off-white/cream lace blouse into a pleated skirt. (We love this dusty pink/berry colour, but for something a little less traditional you could go for coral, sky blue or even mint green). Belt at the waist with a skinny belt and add some simple, girly accessories - pearl bracelets, a hair bow, and some nude heels.
 
For an extra layer, you could add:
-A grey pea coat (if you're going to be outside for prolonged time in the cold)
-A leather jacket (to edge it up!)
-A denim jacket (traditional dark blue, or bleached light blue)
-A grey or black blazer
 
Bag wise, a brown satchel would add a vintage feel to the outfit. Any brown or cream bag would be ideal.
 
Hope this gives you some inspiration!

Have you always wanted big, messy, rock and roll hair? Now you can get it! Follow these easy steps and you'll be well on your way (note: guitar smashing and crowd diving is not required.)
 
::Step one::
Begin with freshly washed, towel dry (slightly damp) hair. Evenly apply a sea salt spray - learn how to make your own easy, affordable sea salt hair spray at the bottom! - all over your hair, and scrunch well with your hands. This will add to the messy texture and hold we are aiming for.
 
::Step two::
Tie hair into a high ponytail or bun at the top of your head (like this: http://img4-3.realsimple.timeinc.net/images/1006/updo-high-bun_300.jpg) It doesn't have to look perfect, this is just for the duration of your hair drying! This is so your roots are clipped upwards whilst drying, which will give your hair a natural root lift (aka more volume!)
 
::Step three:
Once it has dried but with your hair still in a high ponytail/bun, spray your head with hairspray (focusing on the back/roots and avoiding the ends), then let your hair down. Part your hair as usual (but don't brush/comb your hair the whole way through, or else you'll ruin the texture and volume we've worked for!) and if needed, apply a light serum through the lengths and ends of your hair for extra shine. Tadaa, you're done!
 
::Sea salt spray recipe::
-8oz (1 cup) warm water
-1 heaped teaspoon of sea salt
-1/2 teaspoon conditioner (go for coconut scented for the authentic beachy feel!)
-1/2 teaspoon of hair gel (to add extra hold)
 
Mix together in an empty, washed out spray bottle, and you're ready to use it.

By now, most of us have discovered and reveled in the pages written by JK Rowling, JRR Tolkein, John Green, Sarah Dessen, and so on. But do you fancy dipping your toes into some fresh new reads that you might not have heard of before? Check these out!
 
::Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman::
(genre: fantasy.)
 
When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London pavement, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternative reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.
 

::Cursed by Jennifer L Armentrout::
(genre: romance/fantasy.)
 
Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.
But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.
 

::This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers::
(genre: young adult/thriller.)
 
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
 

::Private by Kate Brian::
(genre: chick-lit/young adult.)
 
Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy—the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she’s on the outside, looking in.
Until she meets the Billings Girls.
They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.
Reed uses every part of herself—the good, the bad, the beautiful—to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they’ll do anything to keep their secrets private.
 

::Beauty Queens by Libba Bray::
(genre: young adult, comedy.)
 
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
 

::Cyrano De Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand::
(genre: classic, play.)
 
Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet (nobleman serving as a soldier) in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a gifted, joyful poet and is also shown to be a musician. However, he has an extremely large nose, which is the reason for his own self-doubt. This doubt prevents him from expressing his love for his distant cousin, the beautiful and intellectual heiress Roxane, as he believes that his ugliness denies him the "dream of being loved by even an ugly woman."
 

::Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters::
(genre: young adult.)
 
This thoughtful, wry story is about two girls--a "punk" and a "priss"--who find themselves facing each other in a peer-counseling program and discover that they have some surprising things in common.
 

::Vixen, by Jillian Larkin::
(genre: young adult, romance, mystery.)
 
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.
Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?
Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .
Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry.
 
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