Whether you are spending this Valentine’s Day with your significant other, girlfriends, or riding solo, this is your daily reminder that this holiday is all about LOVE - regardless of who you spend it with! But most importantly, why not spend this day to indulge in the most important type of love of all? SELF-LOVE!

To me, self-love means respecting yourself in every way possible. Specifically, I am referring to pampering both your body and mind and giving yourself the ME time that you truly deserve.

However, before I get into the nitty-gritty of how I incorporate self-love into my everyday lifestyle, I first want to share a short story about how I DID NOT show myself self-love in the past and the negative consequences that this brought into my life.

A while back, I dated a guy who made me feel both ugly and less confident in myself - specifically in the looks category. Instead of showering me with compliments, he would say statements like, “Oh, you aren’t wearing makeup today” or “Why didn’t you curl your hair today?”. Honestly, it really hurt to hear this on multiple occasions - to only hear comments when I wasn’t doing something right. The saddest part about this relationship? I had to beg for or request compliments, or hint how happy it made me feel to hear something positive for a change...but sadly, he didn’t seem to take the hint.

Looking back at it all, I admit that I was in the wrong for not trying hard to impress or look good for him early on in the relationship. Honestly, I got too comfortable with the relationship and decided to take things chill...a little too chill. That’s when things began to backfire. While I started going on dates without my makeup or hair done, he swapped his casual everyday clothes for gym attire and a grouchy look on his face. The only thing that seemed to be going right at that point of time was our mutual lack of effort to try for future dates moving forward.

However, because I already felt a lack of support and love from his end near the beginning of the relationship, I ended up spiraling down a vortex of self-pity, laziness, insecurity, and denial. To be honest, he was the only guy I stopped trying for early on and now I know why.

When you are not showered with love by a significant other, it is hard to feel like you are on top of the world. The less he respected me (or my looks), the less I ended up respecting myself. Ironically, I showered myself with more self-love than ever before once we stopped seeing each other. You could say that the confidence I lost when I was with him was reborn as soon as I was single again. I started curling my hair more often, experimenting with different eyeshadow looks, reading more books, and doing everything possible to make sure that I was taking good care of myself. And that’s when I realized - it was because of him and how he treated me that I lost the ability to love myself.

By sharing this personal story, I want to convey the message that self-love is crucial for self-discovery, growth, and improvement if you are trying to be the best version of yourself every single day. Since self-improvement is my daily goal, I am now aware of how to love myself to the fullest potential and wanted to share SIX TIPS on how to shower yourself with self-love this Valentine’s Day (or any day, to be honest)!

1) Pamper yourself with makeup!

To be completely honest, I am a huge advocate of natural beauty and make-up free confidence. The only reason that I do support the idea of wearing makeup is because I know the feeling of how it feels to take the time to pamper and treat yourself. By applying makeup, you are giving yourself the proper ME time to look good!

Because I find makeup to be a huge confidence booster, I wanted to share a reputable makeup brand with you guys that I’ve been using for years. Have you guys heard of Physicians Formula? Ever since my high school days, I have been a huge fan of their black eyeliner, but love their mascara and butter highlighters just as much! You can read my previous blog posts and detailed product reviews on Physicians Formula products here.

Recently, Physicians Formula just launched their Butter Eyeshadow Palette and Butter Lip Cream so of course I was going to play around with these new products! In this glam Valentine’s Day inspired photoshoot that I did in Taiwan (lookbook video coming soon to the gram ;)), I opted for neutral tones and completed this makeup look with a bold red lip color.

The Murumuru Butter Eyeshadow Palette by Physicians Formula comes in two types of palettes called Tropical Days and Sultry Nights that include both shimmer and matte eyeshadows! Personally, I love shimmery and glittery eyeshadows because it helps your eyes pop more in photos. But luckily, we get the best of both worlds in this case because both palettes contain shimmer and matte eyeshadows for you to pick your favorite shades and textures, hooray! Lastly, I cannot complain about the fact that this eyeshadow palette is made with natural, good-for-you ingredients - a quality that should be heavily prioritized for the sake of our skin and overall health. However, I will be honest and say that the eyeshadows are not as pigmented as I expected, BUT it also does not hurt to start off safe with softer shades because you can always apply another layer of eyeshadow later!

Meanwhile, the Butter Lip Creams feel as soft as butter (cue butter commercial ad) and I love how smoothly they apply on my lips! I have tried reputable lipstick brands in the past that are both way more expensive and that have DRIED out my lips (which is the opposite of what you want, especially on a love-filled holiday like Valentine’s Day - yikes!), so I am thrilled to learn that there is another trustworthy product on the Physicians Formula market for such an affordable price of $8.49. Another positive factor is that their lip cream contains SPF 15 and that’s a plus for a crazy skincare enthusiast like me, heh.

Buy the Eyeshadow Palette here.

Buy the Butter Lip Cream here.

At the end of the day, don’t forget to own your confidence. Acknowledge the beauty behind who you are (your unique personality and/or weird quirks) and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise how you should act or look.

2) Indulge in ME time in the way YOU like to spend it.

From cozying up with a soft knit blanket and a good book to getting sheetfaced (yes, I really do mean sheet mask and chill), investing quality time in an activity that makes you happy is the BEST way to pamper yourself.

Personally, various ways that I choose to indulge in ME time includes pampering my skin with an in-depth evening skincare routine (that includes at least seven products because I’m a crazy skincare lady, haha), reading an inspirational book, soaking in a colorful bath bomb or bubble bath, playing the piano, catching up on a Netflix series (currently binge-watching an Asian rom-com drama called “Accidentally In Love”, it’s so good!), and spraying a Room/Bed Spray on my pillow in combination with using a lavender-scented sleeping mask for 10 minutes to prepare for bedtime. When I make the effort to put my phone away and invest more effort in getting ready for bed, that is truly the time that I am focusing on myself and not gonna lie - I appreciate every second of it.

3) Preparing a healthy homecooked meal. Attempting a new recipe is a bonus!

There is no greater feeling (in my personal opinion) than chopping up fresh ingredients and seeing your dish come to life before your very eyes. For example, whenever I start washing and chopping vegetables, I feel like I get this adrenaline rush for spending the time to cook myself a quality meal filled with love and care.

Honestly, it feels absolutely rewarding when you complete a homecooked recipe and even have the time to savor every little bite!

4) Writing my plans or thoughts in a journal/planner instead of my phone.

Call me old-fashioned, but I highly prefer using a notebook, journal, or planner to jot down my thoughts instead of the ever-so-popular mobile phone. Because I am a social media influencer, I am required to be on my phone several hours per day when it comes to engaging with my followers to answering emails, so I find it to be extremely refreshing when I can completely take a social media detox from my phone whenever possible.

5) Book a massage or facial at your local spa.

I get it - spas are pricey and not everybody can afford spa services on a regular basis. However, whether or not you choose to go to a spa monthly or annually really comes down to how much you prioritize your health, self-care, and self-love.

Before working at a spa as a receptionist years ago, I always thought that massages were just a luxury service for the boujie and that they were completely unnecessary to get through life. However, as soon as I booked my first massage years ago, I was HOOKED. After my first massage, I truly felt just how beneficial it was for my health. Not only did the massage help my body feel more loose and less stiff, but I felt a boost of positivity and happiness upon leaving my massage room.

To each their own, but booking a massage at least once a month is now a huge priority for me, as my posture isn’t the best due to my job requirement of having to frequently look at my phone and laptop. Whenever I go to my massage therapist, she always says that my back, shoulders, and neck are the stiffest parts of my body based on the way that I sit at my desk - and I’m sure this applies to a lot of you guys as well since most of us work at a desk all day long.

All in all, if you have the finances to splurge a bit, I highly recommend investing in a monthly membership at your local spa. If that’s a bit too pricey for you, treating yourself to a massage (or facial) at least once every three to six months works too! Just think of it like a doctor’s appointment - it’s good for your health in the long-run!

6) Get that booty workin’!

I can guarantee that there is a 99% chance of a happier Mich after she works out. And we owe it all to endorphins! There’s just something about getting your body moving that makes you feel stronger and healthier, which ultimately leads to a huge boost of confidence - another surefire way to demonstrate self-love to yourself.

These days, I started focusing on strength training more than cardio with Marisa and Alex. In fact, I noticed that when I lift more, my muscles look and feel more sculpted than any cardio class that I took in the past. However, I will say that I absolutely enjoy the cardio classes at my gym for their dope remixes and positive community, but I will continue to focus on strength training for months to come.

If you do not have a gym, I highly suggest watching a few workout videos on YouTube - they’re free and easy to access! Blogilates is my absolute fave and I suggest you check out her videos for sculpting and toning various parts of your body!

To end this post on a good note, please remember that you do not need a significant other or friends to make you feel LOVED on Valentine’s Day. Ultimately, the most important love you need to receive is the love that you have for yourself. Hope everybody has a Happy Valentine’s Day today and remember to spend this day doing something AMAZING for yourself!

What’s one way that you plan to indulge in self-love this Valentine’s Day? How do you destress and relax?

Talk to me in the comments below - let’s chat!