Hannah Betts' Better... Not Younger: Don't wait for a man to buy you these top Valentine treats!

This week, UK beauty expert Hannah Betts shares Valentine's beauty treats READ MORE: Here's how to fake the fresh faced look this winter

My boyfriend, a man who gave me a kitchen composter he’d had his eye on for Christmas, is not a chap to depend on when it comes to February 14.

This is the way I prefer it. Valentine’s, and the new broom that is Gal-entine’s Day, are naff marketing concepts and I’m not suggesting you give them much thought either.

And, yet, the opportunity to indulge yourself at a time of year when life feels grey should be seized.

While the smells and bells of this advent of spring bring delight, whether it be scarlet smiles or rose-strewn scents, behold: I give you five girlish joys to treat yourself with this Valentine’s Day. Pick one — you, and I, have earnt it.

Scarlet lips

Red lipstick is the ultimate cosmetic as it is the ultimate fillip. Yet, I had never discovered mine; my features so cool it looked too orange. After a lifetime’s wait, make-up artist and colour genius Lisa Eldridge has solved this by concocting a ruddy bullet I can do business with.

While the smells and bells of this advent of spring bring delight, whether it be scarlet smiles or rose-strewn scents, behold. Stock image used

While the smells and bells of this advent of spring bring delight, whether it be scarlet smiles or rose-strewn scents, behold. Stock image used

Lisa Eldridge Velvet Duchess True Velvet Lip Colour (£27, lisaeldridge.com) is the clear, deep garnet inspired by the 1940’s shade favoured by royalty, and used for Imelda Staunton’s Queen in Netflix series The Crown. Finally, a classic red lip looks winning on me. I’m giddy with delight.

If you have the opposite problem and reds look too blue, then opt for Lisa Eldridge Velvet Dragon True Velvet Lip Colour (£27), a rusty, Chinese lacquer red with yellow undertones. While, if you veer neither one way nor the other, Lisa Eldridge Velvet Ribbon True Velvet Lip Colour (£27) is your hue, a sensational pillar-box number.

Heavenly hand cream

I’m terrible at using hand cream, which is ridiculous because, whenever I do partake, I am struck by the instant feel-good factor it imparts. When my mother was dying, we used to massage it into her hands when words failed and touch was all, and were all soothed.

I only wish we’d had Bamford’s new Rose Hand Balm (£25, bamford.co.uk) at our disposal. Intense, but non-greasy, crammed with 99 pc natural ingredients and environmental cred, its serenity-inducing aroma makes it greater than the sum of its parts. It even makes parched nails look polished. I’m hooked.

Petal-pink nails

Like many women, I’ve been skipping manicures to save funds, and, ye gods, my nails are a mess. However, even those not penny-pinching have a tendency to fall back on the same old shade. Groomed, yes; fun, not so much. Dullness and dreariness be banished in the form of Leighton Denny OBE’s Electric Neon collection: Bright Spark (£12.50, leighton denny.com), a Barbie pink neon; Live Wire, a neon coral; and Shocking, a glorious neon purple; or score the trio for £30.

If these feel too high-octane, Dior’s spring limited-editions are exquisite: Dior Vernis 555 Popeline (£27, dior.com), a peachy peony; 595 Lilac Organza (£27), an impeccable lavender grey; and 001 Dior Sequins, a glittering, silvery rose sheen (£31).

Candle-Lit

Aja Botanicals is a handcrafted British brand that specialises in natural scents made from the highest quality oils. Its Walk on the Wild Side Candle (£39, ajabotanicals.com) is pure boudoir: an edgy fusion of sensual smoke and soft leather, all labdanum, cade, cabreuva and oakmoss. There’s a sweet muskiness, and something slightly, suggestively off — and thus very much (get it) on.

Dream cream

I fan-girled M&S’s Apothecary bath oil a couple of columns ago, noting that, in just two years, this range has become a £20 million brand.

Marks & Spencer Apothecary Warmth Hand & Body Lotion (£5, marksandspencer.com) is my wet and windy February obsession.

For, yes, a 250ml dispenser of this sublime cardamom, cinnamon, cedarwood and sandalwood-scented wonder — smelling as expensive as it is soothing — can be had for the same price as some ghastly Frappuccino.

I’ve just spotted that there’s a Warmth Eau De Parfum (£10 for 50ml) and have ordered it, along with the Warmth Linen Spray (£8). Come Valentine’s Day, I shall be occupying a sultry world.

FIVE SCENTS FOR GENTS

Guerlain Vetiver Eau de Toilette (now £78.20 for 100ml, johnlewis.com)

For the guy who smells as glorious natural as he will wearing this.

£78.20 Shop

Dior Eau Sauvage Eau de Toilette (now £58.65 for 50ml, johnlewis.com)

A provocative compromise between starch-shirted cleanliness and hints of masculine skin.

£58.65 Shop

Hermes Terre d’Hermes Eau de Toilette (£74 for 50ml, johnlewis.com)

Flinty yet passionate, earthy yet ethereal — this is the male ‘skin scent’ extraordinaire.

£74.00 Shop

4711 Eau De Cologne (£6.59 for 25ml, victoriahealth.com)

This 18thcentury cologne blends citrus, lavender and rosemary notes, presented in its classic bottle.

£6.59 Shop

& Other Stories The Lost Chapter Eau de Toilette (£29 for 50ml, stories.com)

An elegant choice which mixes sublime spices with creamy sandalwood.

£29.00 Shop

RACE YOU TO IT!

Maybelline Sky High Mascara (£12.99, superdrug.com)

The UK’s number one mascara, Maybelline Sky High Mascara (£12.99, superdrug.com) has launched two flattering new shades: Blue Mist and Burgundy Haze, a cunning means of lending your eyes more depth. Blue Mist brightens whites, while Burgundy Haze makes your irises pop. Subtly and beautifully enlivening

£12.99 Shop

MY ICON OF THE WEEK

JULIA ROBERTS

The star, 56, is a zealous cleanser, using Lancome’s Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover (now £20, boots. com). She wears Shade SPF30+ (£16, shadesunscreen.com). For her hair, she emulsifies extra-virgin olive oil with warm water as a 30-minute mask, then brushes her teeth with baking soda.

The star, 56, is a zealous cleanser, using Lancome's Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

The star, 56, is a zealous cleanser, using Lancome’s Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

COSMETIC CRAVING

This Works Sleep Plus Massage Relief (£32.30, thisworkscbd.com)

If you think of aromatherapy as pleasant smells that yield little else, prepare to be converted by the award-winning This Works Sleep Plus Massage Relief (£32.30, thisworkscbd.com). This rollerball filled with aromatic clove and black pepper, magnesium and 5pc CBD (a compound found in cannabis without any of the psychoactive ingredients), has become my nightly essential. I knead it into the back of my neck, jawline, chest and stomach, to soothe clenched muscles and ready myself for bed. Not for nothing is magnesium known as ‘Nature’s Valium’, and this is great at allaying restless legs, or aches and pains. Demand your ­Valentine massage you with it. I only wish I could apply it straight to my brain.

£32.30 Shop

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