Year-Round Love: The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

“Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm

Come in, she said

I’ll give ya shelter from the storm”— Bob Dylan

In thinking about relationships for the celebration of Valentine’s Day, one may think about love and how two people can come together, finding shelter from the world’s uncertainties. Friends, family, and co-workers can honor each other with a few supportive words. No matter what you’re doing or who you’re with, take a moment to say thank you. And read this little Valentine’s Day gift guide, of course! 

Great Skincare Products for the Person You Love

Give your favorite gals and dudes the gift of bright, healthy skin this Valentine’s Day (or any time of year, really). Here are some top skincare ideas 

BAO Laboratory

Love is what guides BAO Laboratory, and science is what dictates their path, so it’s no surprise their Founder and CEO/Chemist, Julia Bao, Ph.D., has created an all-natural skincare bundle to celebrate skin loving this Valentine’s Day. Recently featured in Forbes Magazine, BAO believes your skin deserves the finest scientifically formulated skincare products on this special occasion.  Her company is offering three of their naturally sourced products in an all-in-one daily skin routine bundle at an amazing price point. 

Created using only nature’s finest all-natural ingredients, this value bundle includes ProB5HA Full Spec Quenching Serum to reduce pigmentation and age spots. Soften skin texture, and recover the skin barrier from environmental damage. BAO is also throwing in their Ginseng Root Ferment Elixir for skin revitalization and regeneration. This lightweight and powerful formula facilitates skin metabolism to combat the signs of aging and improve overall facial skin health.  

Skinuva Brite

This physician-developed and tested non-hydroquinone formulation is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation such as dark spots, discoloration on the face and body, and undereye pigmentation. It is suitable for all skin types and well-tolerated for daily use. Skinuva Brite combines brightening agents such as Vitamin C, Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid with moisture-boosting glycosides to create your new skincare best friend. No parabens, silicone, or dyes; just pure magic!  www.skinuva.com

Rooster Essentials

Running out of grooming and daily hygiene products never has to happen again. For men who don’t like to think about shopping for products like deodorant and toothpaste — Rooster Essentials provides the perfect solution. The fully self-customizable men’s grooming store launched the one-stop-shop e-commerce website and app. Rooster Essentials allows customers to select the products they need, from shampoo, shaving cream, haircare, and skincare products, deodorant and Q-Tips, to masks, condoms, and lip balm. You decide how often you want the product delivered (for example, you may want toothpaste and deodorant every month, but only need skin cream and hair gel every other month) and you can choose to auto-pay month-to-month or pay for a year upfront. 

Unlike other companies that send mystery boxes of samples, Rooster Essentials sends only what you order. With nearly 200 products from over 80 brands, from a $3 Suave shampoo to a $154 Oribe Gold Lust Restore & Repair, Rooster Essentials offers a product selection to meet the taste and budget of every man – or woman who gifts them. The curated grooming packages are also great for college students (or their parents) who can’t be bothered remembering things like soap, toothpaste or deodorant, every month. For 20% off and free shipping, use  “HomeGirl20” while purchasing.

Natura Açai Valentine’s Set

Considered both a super berry and a superfood, acaí is one of the greatest strengths of the Amazon. Warm and sweet, the acaí berry oil is known for its energizing properties in aromatherapy.

• Ekos Açaí Body Lotion: A body-smoothing indulgence blended with energizing açaí oil for 24 hours of deliciously soft, refreshed skin.
• Ekos Açaí Hand Cream: A skin-loving vegan cream blended with energizing açaí oil and murumuru butter to treat and soften hands.

Smashbox It’s a Sign of Love Collection

This Valentine’s Day, Smashbox has partnered with astrologist, Jessica Lanyadoo, to create makeup kits and love forecasts for each zodiac sign around love, beauty and your perfect match. Each kit is filled with three of Smashbox’s hero products that are perfect for each sign. The kits are available now on Smashbox.com for under $65 each. 

• Aries: Adventurous, passionate, confident, daredevil, impulsive
• Leo: Regal, creative, center-stage, bossy 
• Sagittarius: Intelligent, humorous, energetic 
• Capricorn: Ambitious, powerful, persistent, 
• Cancer: Emotional, romantic, imaginative 
• Taurus: Sensuous, ambitious, determined, jealous, self-indulgent   
• Virgo: Perfectionist, modest, intelligent, passionate
• Gemini: Sociable, fun-loving, lively, inquisitive  
• Aquarius: Creative, independent, rebellious, original 
• Libra: Charismatic, artistic, flirty, extravagant 
• Pisces: Imaginative, romantic, dreamy, affectionate, secretive, intuitive  
• Scorpio: Passionate, powerful, determined, jealous, dark, mysterious 

Love-Filled Gift Ideas for the Foodie and Drinker

It’s hard not to fall in love with these great food and wine ideas. And just so you know, these are ideal finds not only for this Valentine’s Day guide but for any occasion throughout the year.

Gerard Betrand

You can’t go wrong with Gerard Betrand, who always has incredibly lovely French wines, like the Gris Blanc and Clos D’Ora. (Bonus: There are plenty of organic, biodynamic, and vegan selections!)  The vines are mainly located in the Tautavel region, within the vineyards of the South of France, ideally situated in Roussillon between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. The Grenache grape expresses itself fully thanks to the exceptional climate: low rainfall and optimum sunshine.

Weed Cellars

Weed Cellars has a fantastic fruity wine–Italian Sparkling Rose is a must for Valentine’s Day. Purple violets greet you on the nose of this wine, along with whiffs of lime, peach, and vibrant red berries. A strawberry core meets with raspberry and tangy grapefruit on the palate. A vivid rosé that is beautifully textured and generously ripe, buoyed by fresh acidity. Pair it with seafood, cold meats and charcuterie, crab cakes, calamari, baked seafood, sponge and mousse cakes.

Sacred Serve

This plant-powered gelato brand that is both functional and indulgent, is proud to debut the first 100% plastic-free, fully recyclable ice cream cartons. The sub-news here is equally as important: all those ice cream pints people have been recycling for years have never actually been recyclable. Sacred Serve’s new packaging is the first of its kind with zero plastics or polymers, making it 100% recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. 

European Butter

Since we’re all doing a bit more cooking at home these days, refresh your family’s favorite recipes with some delicious butter. Cooking them a buttery French twist or a sweet touch can bring an exciting upgrade to your tried and true meals.

Check out the Butter of Europe Marketing Campaign, orchestrated by CNIEL (The French Dairy Inter-Branch Organization) and co-funded by the European Union. This was designed to create awareness for the variety of European butters available in the US market and to suggest ways that American consumers can incorporate butter into their diets, recipes and lifestyles. The campaign’s goal is to increase the appeal of European butter and strengthen its competitive position within the growing specialty butter category.

Use this recipe for “gingerbread-like” spiced churned butter:

Preparation: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 5.3oz/150g of semi-salted butter and one star anise
• 2 pinches of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of powdered clove
• 1 pinch of powdered coriander 1 pinch of powdered fennel

Instructions:

Leave the churned butter to soften on a piece of parchment paper. Add all the powdered spices and knead the butter for a long time with a round-tip knife.

Line a pastry ring with cling film, place the star anise in a corner and fill the cookie cutter with the spice butter. Refrigerate.

Savor this butter on breadsticks as appetizers, with seafood or with steamed white fish.

Hippie Snacks

Baked with real avocado as the first ingredient, Hippie Snacks Avocado Crisps will be all you avo wanted. Seasoned with sea salt, this avocado snack gives you all the creamy avocado flavor you crave, with the crunch you deserve!                           

The Avocado Crisps are available in Sea Salt and Guacamole flavors, along with three Cauliflower Crisps and Almond Crisps offerings. These plant-based crackers are perfect for snacking on-the-go, dipping or serving with a charcuterie board. 

All Hippie Snacks Crisps are minimally processed with real food ingredients you can pronounce. The company is committed to high quality, non-GMO ingredients, all sourced from sustainable farmers and processors. Hippie Snacks celebrates natural foods and only uses pure, simple, whole-food ingredients. Hippie Snacks Avocado Crisps are available at Thrive Market, Amazon and local retailers.

Gelson’s

While Valentine’s Day this year may look different from years past, Gelson’s wants to help make sure your celebration with your special someone is memorable. Whether you are indulging in a romantic meal for two or simply want to show the person in your life that they are loved, Gelson’s is offering delicious Dinners for Two to-go. 

Options include two truffled beef Wellingtons with lobster tail or a 16 oz. prime rib with lobster tail, both served with apple pomegranate salad, roasted garlic Brussels sprouts, red roasted potatoes, and a delicious dessert of chocolate-covered strawberries.  

Decadent hand-dipped strawberries made with Villars Swiss Chocolate will also be sold separately in 4 packs, 6 packs and 10 packs and swoon-worthy flower arrangements from classic roses to fresh tulips will be available.

Valentine’s Day Orders can be placed through February 13 and are available for curbside pick-up February 13th -14th. For a list of Valentine’s Day selections and to place all pre-orders, go to https://www.gelsons.com/valentines

Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Fashionista

Celebrating Galentine’s Day but have no idea what to give to your girls? Don’t worry! Girl Gang the Label is taking the guesswork out of gift-buying. This best-selling, eco-friendly line featuring accessories like hats and pins, day-to-day apparel like comfy sweats and tees, has the perfect gifts with inspiring and empowering sayings and phrases that will have your friends, family and loved ones saying  

Founded in Los Angeles, CA by female entrepreneur Amy Will, the company is on a mission to inspire women to reach their highest potential, together.  ‘Girl Gang the Label’ started with a signature collection of the “Support Your Local Girl Gang” sweatshirts and has since grown to seasonal collections that customers can shop via their online store. 

Showing Love For Your Pup

As if you need an excuse to express your puppy love. Don’t leave your precious pup out of your Valentine’s Day gift-giving. Crafted with wholesome ingredients like garden veggies, cranberries, chicken liver, and real cheese, Charlee Bear’s Original Crunch treats are baked to perfection for irresistible crunchiness and taste. They’re made in the USA by a family-owned company and do not contain any soy, corn, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. What’s best is these treats are Pocket Perfect®, which means pet parents can keep a handful in their pocket without leaving crumbs, smells or stains. Available in four mouth-watering flavors, including Turkey Liver & Cranberries, Cheese & Egg, Liver and Chicken Soup & Garden Veggie.