There are times when you just need to soothe and de-stress your face and body and there is no time better to do this than a day off or the weekend when you have an hour or two to yourself to pamper yourself and unwind. My skin gets a little stressed and dehydrated this time of year when it get a bit colder and last weekend I had a lovely little pamper session which made me feel SO much better, healthy, glowing and renewed.
Always have a bath if you can so you can just have peace and quiet and time to just relax. I always light my favourite Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax candle as the aromatic smell not only soothes me, but when I close my eyes, for a split second or two, I can imagine that I am actually in a spa. Having a bath also allows you to use different face masks etc which can be tricky in a shower as you are constantly getting the face wet.
An absolute MUST-HAVE for any body pamper session is an Aromatherapy Associates Bath oil. No-one does them better…absolutely no-one and I have been around the bath oil block and back again. THESE WORK. They are first-pressed oils that hit the bloodstream and depending on which one you choose (they do like 12) depends on how it will make you feel. Lately I have been loving Equlibrium which is basically a soothing, re-assuring hug in a bottle.
I start off with an exfoliator on my face such as the Jurlique Fruit enzyme mask. This isn’t a ‘scrubby’ one but with fruit acids, so is smooth and gel-like in texture but is as, if not more so, effective as the exfoliators with the bits in them. Last weekend I followed this up with the Antipodes AURA Manuka Honey mask which is a great all-round mask. The manuka honey is really anti-bacterial and soothing so it help fight blemishes, hydrates and relaxes you with it’s gorgeous scent.
Once you’ve hauled your wrinkly body out of the bath, then it’s time to cocoon your skin in some oils and potions, which is equally as important as the face yet often forgotten and neglected. I am really bad at remembering to hydrate my body so when I pamper, I really give it a double whammy with an oil followed by a cream. The Aurelia Firm & Revitalise dry body oil is a gorgeous body oil and the smell alone sold it to me. It has an essential oil blend of neroli, lavender, rose and mandarin and is further enriched with precious oils such as macadamia, borage and mongongo to help firm and deeply nourish parched skin. I tried for the first time (and LOVE) following the body oil with the Liz Earle Superskin body cream, which is again, oil-rich, aromatic and packs a huge punch of hydration. Made with 25% plant oils, it will bring back the most neglected skin back to life!
A good nourishing face oil is the best way to finish off your little pamper session and Sunday Riley’s JUNO is one of the most luxurious, gorgeous face oils I have had the pleasure of using. Even if you are oily, just try and find an oil that has balancing oils and you will absolutely benefit from using one. I don’t use this every PM as it is a very rich oil, but it’s perfect for that once a week/fortnightly boost. Contains superfood seed oils, packed with omegas, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants, this is a real feed for the skin.
