Here are four simple recipes using a combination of chocolate and Epsom Salt guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate craving this Valentine’s Day. These recipes are easy to make, easy to afford and contain easy to find ingredients that you probably already have at home. Plus, it’s the perfect way to set the mood for a romantic evening at home with your loved one.

Coco Loco Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt
1 cup sea salt
3 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. oil (almond, olive, sunflower or other good quality oil)

Combine dry ingredients and mix. Add the vanilla extract and oil. Mix until oil is completely blended in. Store in an airtight container.

Mint Chocolate Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt
2-3 tsp. cocoa powder

½ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rough chopped

5 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional)

Add together the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the peppermint oil if desired and mix again.

Chocolate Almond Truffle Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt

1 cup powdered milk
2 tbs. of almond oil
2-3 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional for extra fragrance)

In a clean, dry bowl, add together the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the almond oil and almond extract (if desired) and mix very well again. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Body Polish

2 cups Epsom Salt

¼ cup petroleum jelly

1 tsp. cocoa powder

3-4 drops of pure chocolate extract

Mix together Epsom Salt and petroleum jelly. Add cocoa powder and extract. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches. Rinse in the shower with warm water.

Image: Epsom Salt Council

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Give your hair some sexy style with Mizani Shimmer Reflects Spritz. It is uniquely formulated with Gold Mica for luster and shine, and Panthenol, which conditions the hair. Surface coating Silicone helps seal the hair cuticle and Meadowfoam Oil helps to enhance shine. Available at salons nationwide for $17.96

Susan Posnick Cosmetics rings heats up Valentine’s Day with a Limited Edition COLORME Champagne Shimmer. With hints of pink and gold sparkle, it illuminates the skin and enhances a warm flushed look—from cheeks and eyes to décolleté—with a hint of color combined with a light-reflecting shimmer. Sweep the puff anywhere on the skin using gentle strokes. Reapply for a more intense glow. Available nationwide at fine apothecaries, spas and at www.susanposnick.com for $22.00.

The Body Shops’ Luxurious Moroccan Rose Bath & Massage Oil ($16.00) is ideal for bathing bliss and can also be used for a relaxing, sensual massage. This massage oil is imbued with rose oil, perfect for softening skin, this gloriously fragrant oil also contains rosehip oil, which is renowned for its moisturizing properties. Community Trade organically-grown soya oil from Brazil is also included, which is rich in essential fatty acids to help restore the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

Image: The Body Shop, Colorme, Mizani

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SWEETHEART

Eyes- Sweep a soft shimmer beige brown shadow on entire lid extending up to the crease.

Next- use a soft chocolate brown eye pencil on top and wedging between lashes, making a thicker line on outer corner, then blend top line with a soft brush.

Cheeks- Use a blush in a red or pink color and apply softly with finger tips on the apple’s of cheeks.

Lips- apply any color in the pink or red family in a tinted sparkly shinny gloss.

SEXY AND SEDUCTIVE

Eyes-apply a chocolate shimmer or mat color on lid extending up to the crease, next apply a shade darker in a metallic metal or dark brown on lid only

Next- take a black eye liner pencil and rim inside entire eye top and bottom, then with the same eye pencil apply on top lash line extending thicker on outer corners.

Next- apply false eye lashes on top lashes in a edgy style depending on personal taste. Note make sure you measure and cut the lashes accordingly to your eye shape

Cheeks-using a cream blush with finger tips apply in a pink or red tone on apple’s of cheeks, then follow with the same color in a powder blush and apply on top of cream blush for a hot sexy blushing cheek
Lips- use a hot pink or vibrant red lip pencil and fill in entire lip, follow with a lip stick color to match, last apply a sparkly shinny lip gloss over entire lip, don’t be shy about the gloss.

NATURAL

Eyes- apply a neutral brown color on lid extending to the crease, use a chocolate eye pencil and apply softly and tight to upper lash line, than blend to a soft natural look.

Next- apply 2 coats of mascara to top lashes only, bottom lashes should be clean of mascara

Cheeks- apply a soft rosy or pink color to apples of cheeks.

Lips- Use a tinted lip gloss in any sparkly shade of pink. With tinted lip gloss, you can never get to much gloss…the glossier and wet better.

Image: DEX New York

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Why not a box of nourishing lip glosses, or sweetly flavored lip balm?

Lip Gloss/Lip Balm Sets

For soothing color, choose between a Bright & Warm Set or a Neutral & Cool Set of Lip Glosses, each featuring one brand-new shade. For nourishing moisture without the color, try Scented Lip Balm #1 Trio of the three newest Lip Balm #1 scents: Mango, Coconut, and Vanilla. Each set is packaged in a special Kiehl’s heart box, just for the holiday.

LIP GLOSS SET #1

$29.00

Bright & Warm Set includes:

• NEW SHADE!!! Lights on Broadway

• French Rose

• Downtown Peach

LIP GLOSS SET #2

$29.00

Neutral & Cool Set includes:

• NEW SHADE!!! Mahvelous Mauve

• Icy Everest

• Pink Rider

SCENTED LIP BALM TRIO

$25.50

• Lip Balm #1 Mango

• Lip Balm #1 Coconut

• Lip Balm #1 Vanilla

Image: Kiehl’s

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Another totally delicious product that any woman would love to receive as a gift (trust me on this!) is NettieScrub.  Nettie is a manicurist and a Texan relocated to California – and she has come out with a wonderful line of body scrubs.  They come in a variety of aromatherapy scents (I love the grapefruit!!), and are chock full of good-for-your-skin oils, and use sugar as the exfoliant.  The packaging on these is precious – these will make an impressive gift for sure.  Try this gift set with bath salts – for an incredibly reasonable $15.  Get them from Nettie’s Etsy site – and hurry!

Beth Bender Beauty has a February/Valentines Day special going on as well.  If/when I get a picture of it, I will put it up, but for now, you have to trust that the gorgeousness that is Beth Bender will carry over to this.  With any $50 order, get a red satin cosmetic pouch with 6 samples of Beth’s spring colors.  Also, with any order comes the new lip color, Tallulah, a name that is close to my heart.  Tallulah is, in Beth’s words, the perfect shade of pink, and from the looks of the color swatch, I have to agree.  Thanks again to Beth for including her Get In Line Eye Kit for our Splendicity gift bags at Fashion Week.  She is a doll and just the kind of person I love to support, so be sure and check out Beth Bender Beauty all month!

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