Valentine’s day for the year 2021 should most definitely come with a whole new kick, a whole new perspective after surviving the gruesome global pandemic- we know we all are here for each other. The timeless journey of self-care has been our constant pillar to focus on ourselves physically and emotionally during the whole isolation period. So, why wait now to get hold of the gallons of love awaiting to be poured upon us in terms of beauty and care. Give us, women of color a chance to compel you to fall in love with yourself wholly and solely cherishing your flaws and embracing your skinlaws. This ‘Walentine’ with WOC, it’s gonna be your pamper-time- a “V-day” switched to a “Me-day” because you deserve it.

The widespread fallacy of assuming self-care to be selfish has been unstoppable until now. Throw the hackneyed thoughts of getting dressed up, putting on the glam face and heading out for a date. Well, women can do way more than that for themselves, so let’s break the stereotype together and latch on to all the ways one could love oneself right in your home. Second-thoughts over celebrating valentine’s day without a partner? Well, Loneliness is common this time of year, and it’s especially augmented by the weight of the pandemic. Remember that dealing with this pandemic is like walking around trying to live your normal life with a backpack full of bricks. It may no longer feel acutely painful, but it’s definitely still exhausting. Being a part of WOC fam, we’ll try our best out of the bests to shift your Valentine’s a bit to mean more about showing love to yourself and your skin more, not necessarily just romantic partners.

This Valentine’s Day, be your own valentine! Use this weekend to take time for yourself to rest and reset. These self-care tips will help get you started. 

• Pamper time

Spa-day at home is one sure-fire way you could indulge yourself with all the love you contain. Imagine yourself to be the exotic beauty guru and pull out all the beauty sheet masks you’ve stored for the right occasion. This is it, this is the day your skin deserves all the more special treatment. Something as simple as drawing a bath and applying an Age defying or Calming mask (and grabbing a glass of wine or hot coffee, perhaps) is a great way to show your body and mind some love.

• De-stress the distress

Don’t you all feel this on a personal level and we do not provide the utmost care to our physique even after long

Hours of staying at the desk in front of the screen, working all day everyday and yet feel just sleeping plainly would

Benefit us in order to destress? Taking the honour to prove you wrong, taking time out just to de-stress should be 

An essential step for you to calm your nerves once in a while.

Perhaps your version of de-stressing could also mean taking a brisk walk, meditating or reading a book

With some aroma therapy and scented candles stacked right beside you. Take some time to think about what would be most relaxing for you and make sure to do that for yourself on Valentine’s Day.

• Shop your happiness

Is the truest way to your heart gifting something to someone? Sometimes getting yourself a little something without feeling guilty about it is the best way to show yourself that you care and love! You could go online, shop for the latest trendy clothing pieces or make-up kit you wanted and yearned for so heartily, go get that and go make it yours because if not now, when? If not you, then who?

• Experiment the life in you

Still having hazy thoughts over trying out the make-up look from your instagram saved section? What’s holding you back to shower the beauty colors over the canvas of your face, just the way you want. First try might not look top-notch, but there’s always time to redo the art, right? Go get hold of the eyeshadow palette, hold the glamorous lipstick and wing that liner, because looking pretty for yourself is the first step toward self-love.

• Movie with your bestie

No romcom night without a partner? Throw that trash-talk away because what’s better than watching chick-flicks and romantic comedies with your best friend over at your place and drooling over the storylines and the characters. So fetch some pop-corn or candies and get the movie marathon on!

• Unplug for the day

Social media majorly hampers your mental health if in excess use- it’s too easy to compare yourself to the filter-perfect images you see plastered all over your screen. Stop scrolling through social media mindlessly (you’re going to see photo after photo of couples expressing their love towards each other anyway) or getting overwhelmed with emails or texts and allow yourself to not be distracted by the digital world for a day. It’s time to give your mind, heart and brain the break they deserve after coping with your mental dump all throughout.

Just unplug for the day, enjoy the scenery, listen to the lo-fi playlist to set the mood and just ease up, trust us, you need it. 

 If you just want to sleep in or stay in bed all day, binge-watch your favourite Kdrama for hours, and are craving a cheesecake at night, do it! Do whatever you want for the day, give your mind a break, drink lots of water, stay hydrated , moisturize your skin, try those lip shades and stop worrying about whether you should. Think what you love doing is a waste of time? Well, there’s a saying that time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time. If you feel like not eating or being healthy for a day, then don’t be. Sometimes we forget how important it is to fill up our own love tank before we can give love to others. As many people have said, you cannot love others the way they need to be loved until you love yourself. 

So this February, we are all about giving back to ourselves.