Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and Beauty and the Budget is here to help you whittle away your check-off list. Whether you're single or taken, you've probably already narrowed down your V-Day plans. And if you've been keeping up with Ms. B and I, you already know how to be sexy, what beauty products you need to fit your sweet or sexy side, and you've gotten lots of celebrity makeup inspiration. Now let's take a look at a few V-Day must-haves for your evening out.

I have quite a love affair with pink and red, especially when it's paired together. In what used to be a huge fashion faux pas, mixing pink and red together has become quite doable over the last few years. That's why these Velvet-Bow D'Orsay Pumps ($35.50 at Charlotte Russe) are the perfect addition to your ensemble.

If you're looking to channel your sexy side, these Jenny Jenny Tassel Earrings ($42.00 at farfetch.com) have a boudoir vibe. And who can forget the perfect scent to emulate a romantic evening? Opt for Philosophy Love Sweet Love ($42.00 by philosophy at Sephora).

See the rest of the essentials below, and click on styles for more details.

What are you planning for Valentine's Day?

 

 

I'm falling in love with girlish, fashionable decor in pink. Only Betsey can pull off a completely Barbie-esque apartment, but there's no harm in the rest of us adding a little pink flair to our place as well. Even if pink is technically not in season as a fall color, it's always a woman's color.

I love the utter elegance of Betsey's place, something hard to pull off when you're using a predominantly pink color scheme. It's brightened up with splashes of yellow, black and white. You can see from the photos that there is a lot of natural light, which means she has lots of open windows. When you have a slightly monochromatic color scheme, opening up the windows can make a huge difference in how beautiful your place looks.

Isn't it just lovely? Maybe I'll add a few splashes of pink to my new place, thought I'm not so sure the boyfriend would be thrilled. I suppose when you're Betsey, you can get away with a pink home, but for the rest of us, we'll have to settle by adding a little at a time. Check out my roundup of pink decor items below.

A model presents an outfit at Matthew Williamson of Britain spring 2009 collection show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 8, 2008 in New York....

Hot pink is the most popular color of the summer. Several models in spring 2009 fashion shows were drenched in hot pink.

This color was exceptionally popular in the collection of up and coming designer, Alexander Wang, and also in the collection of Matthew Williamson.

But hot pink items don't have to come with a designer label and an expensive price. Check out all of the fabulous pink items I've selected in Think Pink under $50.

While spring fashion obviously brings with it an entourage of bright, vivid colors,More fashion...