The Single Girl’s Guide to Surviving Valentine’s Day

The Single Girl’s Guide to Surviving Valentine’s Day

If you’re reading this, you’re probably single and have been made uncomfortably aware of the fact that a giant, mushy, ooey-gooey holiday is coming up (hint: it starts with the letter V. And it’s not for Vendetta). It’s been shoved in your face as you walk down grocery aisles, screamed in your ear as you flipped the dial on your car stereo, and manifested itself in the form of all of your happily committed friends trying to set you up with every single guy within a 5 mile radius (including the homeless pirate who haunts the parking lot across the street), all in a desperate attempt to save you from spending Valentine’s Day – gasp – alone. The horror.

If you’re tempted to guzzle a bottle glass of wine and surrender yourself to V-Day Despair at this point, we don’t blame you. But we’d also like to change your mind. Here at MDC, we believe in celebrating beauty, after all – and the beauty of being single, happy and free is a feeling even the first swipe of a brand new lipstick can’t match (well, we can think of a couple ones off the top of our heads that might come close…we are beauty editors, after all). To help all our single sisters out there, we’ve pooled our collective experiences together to create the ultimate guide to surviving doomsday – er, Valentine’s Day on your own. In fact, we might even go as far as to say you might enjoy Valentine’s Day with these tips. So put down that wine glass, step away from the Ben & Jerry’s, and read on…

1. Take it off (the day, that is)

Sure, the acronym for Single’s Awareness Day might spell out SAD, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. Instead, take the day off and do something you’ve never done before – something that you, an independent woman, are able to do without consulting anyone. It’s a liberating thought, yes? Whether you choose skydiving, Bikram yoga, exploring a new part of your neighborhood, or driving down the highway blasting Madonna’s Immaculate Collection (but, let’s be real, you’ve probably already done that before), take this opportunity to celebrate your freedom and feed your single-girl spirit in a positive way.

2. Spend quality time with your other best friend, the spa

Besties are forever, but spas – well, nothing quite compares to a nice long therapy session with one. Though we enjoy the idea of buying ourselves flowers, we’d much rather pamper ourselves with a relaxing facial, deep tissue massage and full-body scrub. The results last longer and you’ll leave feeling glowing, refreshed and empowered.

3. Let yourself go…at the makeup counter

We firmly believe in the therapeutic power of trying on new makeup…and you should too. Take a trip to the makeup counter this Valentine’s Day and let yourself go – and we mean, really have at it. Try on a hot pink lip stain you’d normally shy away from or ask the makeup artist to give you a crazy-sexy smoky eye. Who cares if the only one who’ll get to see it is your cat Peaches? You’re doing you, girl, and if you look fabulous then chances are your spirits will catch up sooner rather than later. Don’t feel guilty about buying a product (or two…or three…or four…) before heading out – a little beauty therapy never hurt anyone.

4. Make Gal-entine’s Day a thing

We know, we know – how stereotypical. Spending Valentine’s Day with your closest girlfriends is nothing revolutionary, but it’s all about perspective. Instead of sitting around watching chick flicks and letting the conversation fall into familiar man-bashing territory (“I thought we were on the same page but apparently not!” “My ex just uploaded an Instagram picture of him and some blonde, WHERE’S THE TEQUILA?”), get your butts off that oh-so-comfortable brown couch of yours and hit the town. Check out the new exhibit at your city’s contemporary art museum, grab reverse happy hour at the sushi place that just opened or hit up the movie theater for a double feature (we won’t judge you for sneaking in snacks and libations). Surround yourself with your other single-and-fabulous girlfriends and do something positive – we guarantee you’ll have a better time and maybe, maybe even enjoy yourself. Imagine that.