Sometimes the holidays can be a little overwhelming: between all the shopping, wrapping, visiting long lost relatives and having to converse with them for hours on end, I surely see why it can be a hard period to relax and regroup.
So, what's the fail-safe thing to do, in order to re-charge those batteries and... get ready for another round? My answer to that, is have an at home pampering session!
Thankfully this year, I didn't feel any of that stress on my shoulders (well, almost), and to be honest I'm in a light and positive mood, excited that 2012 will soon be over! But even so, a mini spa is always welcome, so I took the opportunity of staying indoors this Christmas to devote some time to.. well, me!
See? I mean business!!!
So, to start, I get in the shower and enjoy some exfoliation. The scrub I'm currently using is the Soap & Glory "Some Like it Hot" Body Softening Thermal Scrub (brands are making longer names by the hour these days, it seems). If you're not familiar with thermal scrubs (I know Bliss makes another one that gets great reviews), they're basically products that heat up when you rub them in. I would love to be able to say that the principle behind this is to warm up your pores, so that you can get a more effective scrub, but this one warms up only for a few seconds, quite a bit of a let-down. In spite of that, it has really fine beads in it, the smallest ones that I've seen in a while, and a lot of them, so it does exfoliate really nicely, leaving the skin feeling soft and clean.
After I shower, I follow up with:
Sephora Super Supreme Body Butter. I've mentioned this in the past, and my god, I love it! It's a really thick white cream, but it spreads easily and I find that you don't need a huge amount for any given area. It smells fruity and luxurious and though it takes a few minutes to fully absorb, it doesn't leave any greasiness. Another major major plus? It contains 470ml of product for only about 15 euros. If you manage to get this with a discount, then you'll be getting an amazing deal!
Next up in line: feet! I soak them in a basin with warm water, in which I've added some of The Body Shop Pepperming Reviving Foot Soak and leave them there for as long as possible. Then, I pat them dry and continue with the tedious task of removing the dead skin off my feet. For that purpose, I use Mont Bleu Foot Scraper, which is basically a glass foot file. I've tried another foot file in the past, like the ones that nail salons use, but I've found that this Mont Bleu one leaves a much smoother finish. The best way to use these types of files is on previously wet feet and alternate between the two surfaces. After a while, you'll see the gross dead skin peeling off! I know, it's not a lovely picture, but you're rewarded with super soft feet afterwards!
When all that's done, and I've shaped my nails, I add some color! Lately, I've fallen in love with this:
L'Oreal Color Riche nail polish in 406 Burgundy Diva, an amazing deep berry shimmer, which manages to be vampy, trendy and festive at the same time! Now, if only L'Oreal could lower the prices for these 5ml bottles, I'd be a happier camper, but, that's another story.
And when fingers and toes have dried, I'll complete the mani/pedi with some lotion! For my hands, I use Soap & Glory Hand Food cream, a great hand moisturiser, that smells nice and doesn't prevent you from using your hands straight away. It's not a "hand butter" consistency, though, so if you have drier skin, you may wanna go for another product, or, just apply it more often. And lastly, for my feet, I use the Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion from The Body Shop. I use this product religiously for years now, I adore the scent and the way it softens my feet! I only hope they never discontinue this!!!
After all that work (that pays off, trust me), a pair of socks, a hot beverage and a magazine are in order! :) Goodbye stress and hello renewed spirits!
What do you do to unwind? What is body pampering routine and
what products are your favourites?
Disclaimer: the foot scraper is a pr sample.
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Hey heyyyyy, Happy Holidays ^_^
ReplyDeleteWhat a fine pampering routine, I'm envious!
I do the same but my favourite body butter atm is the shea butter one from L'Occitane. Also I always make sure to relax with a sheet mask, so that my face will shine the next day :)
@Cel: Hey hunni, χρονια πολλα!!!
DeleteThank you, atm I'm quite pleased myself, I've finally found lightweight products (well, apart from the hand cream which is good, but not amazing), that work and smell refreshing!
I must try L'Occitane at SOME point, I must be the only blogger in the world that hasn't!
Too true about the face masks, I just keep the body and face routines more separate if that makes sense (trying to bring balance to my dry skin takes quite some time, lol)!
xx
I've not tried the Soap & Glory thermal scrub, I really like the idea so may try and find one to try. Your nails look so pretty, I love the shape and the polish is such a nice colour xx
ReplyDelete@Lydia: You know, I've heard mixed reviews about the regular Soap&Glory scrub (the one in the pink jar), so, being already curious about thermal scrubs, I just went for that one!
DeleteThank you, my nails grew a little the last few days (no house work, haha), one more mm is my ideal length!
xx
You know what, I might just start pampering myself like you do; up until now, putting "that extra effort" to me meant a body scrub, applying a face mask and doing my nails (by the way, the L'Oreal nail polish looks so pretty!). I haven't tried any products specifically for feet, and yet those two Peppermint products by TBS sound all too enticing!
ReplyDeletexx
@Evi: Oh nooo, trust me, you feel like a whole new person after this routine! Too bad it takes forever though! My solution is to just split it over each week: a mani pedi today, a scrub tomorrow, a face mask the next and so on..!
DeleteAs for the TBS foot range, they smell gorgeous and they work!!! I often get the foot scrub from this range - makes guys' smelly sneakers' feet smell..human again, ahahaha!!! xxx