AT HOME SPA: MY FAVORITE DRUGSTORE ITEMS

Beauty

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Ok, so I am sure I am like many women who love to get pedicures/ manicures, facials, having a spa day, or a massage day to make you feel so relaxed and just plain awesome! But really how many times do you want to do those things, but don’t have time??!!! With school starting soon and getting all kinds of stressed, I’m  trying to soak up as much me time as possible. I have a very busy schedule throughout the school year, so I rarely have enough time to go and treat myself. But I know that having me time is so incredibly important,  so I have started doing little things to help myself relax and feel special. Here are a couple drugstore items ( well mostly) I love to use, things that help me feel refreshed and relaxed, and ways to show yourself some self-love in the spa department.

RELAXING BATHS! Bathing in warm water opens your pores, leaves skin refreshed and glowing, and gives you the opportunity to deeply moisturize by adding rich oils and butters to your bathwater. This is one of my favorite things to do to de-stress and relax! Fill the tub with your favorite bubble bath, bath salts or try out a cool bath bomb! One of my personal favorites for bath time is Dr. Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solutions! I have two different ones depending upon what I need or want- the soothe and sleep combination or the relax and relief combination! These bath salts are known to revitalize tired achy muscles, refresh skin’s appearance by using amazing essential oils, which also help your body relax and provide a luxurious aroma to help relieve stress. I would recommend this brand to everyone, but especially people who have tired or achy muscles, musicians, athletes, fitness coaches, anyone that puts a lot of stress on their muscles daily- IT IS AMAZING!  Run to your nearest Walgreens  now and pick it up!

Bath bombs are also the newest craze and I have been loving them. What’s not to love… you get to soak in a beautiful colored bath, while soothing your skin with incredible essential oils, promoting circulation ( also done through a bath with salts), and calming your body and mind through all the senses! But make sure you check the ingredients! Not everything is awesome for your body and some bath bombs can be adding toxins into your body. I have really loved lush bath bombs! If you’re a DIY person, there are tons of amazing bath bomb recipes you can try out!
WASH YOUR FACE and MOISTURIZE! I know it sounds so simple, but for me having a clean face is so important! Although I haven’t been the best (been kinda lazy in this area as of lately) but I can say when I do actually wash my face, I sleep better and feel better!  You will feel so great just allowing yourself to fall asleep with a clean face! Plus, there are so many amazing skin care regiments out there… I have heard of many and have tried a lot! ( I’ll talk about a couple of them later on). There are so many benefits to washing your face and some are listed below thanks to Arianne’s article in skincarewellness.com.

• Regular cleaning is essential to keeping your skin looking radiant and healthy.
• Cleansing helps anti-aging products and treatments to work properly.
• Cleansing helps maintain proper pore size.
• Cleansing encourages proper skin hydration and prevents the production of excess oils.

This article discusses 9 face washing mistakes that you might be making and how to fix them, it’s definitely an interesting read.  And don’t forget to wash your makeup off using a cleansing towel either before or after you wash your face. I usually do this before  I wash my face and I enjoy using Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes. Arianne suggests after you wash your face, all depending upon the cleanser used.

” Not Wiping Off the Makeup. The good news on this aspect is that most cleansers on the market effectively remove makeup, so there’s no need to make makeup removal a separate step in your routine. However, the bad news is that there is a little elbow grease required. After you rinse off your cleanser – but before you dry off your face – it’s important to use either a washcloth or facial sponge to thoroughly wipe off the makeup from your skin. Makeup doesn’t just dissolve when you wash your face since it has to be physically wiped away.”

After I’ve washed my makeup off, I will either do a mask or follow up with my cleansing routine.

If you do a mask, make sure you clean your face before applying the mask and then really well once off. Once I get a mask off, I usually wash my face with my Rodan and Field Refine regimen ( I began using this about 2 months ago and I love it! )  I used to believe that I could use whatever kind of face cleaner and that I would just begin using anti-aging products as I got older and began seeing more wrinkles, but it’s actually way better and beneficial to start using those products at a younger age! Hopefully by starting an anti-aging regiment now I will be able to help my skin stay healthy and help prevent the possibilities of wrinkles or the amount later on.

I’ve also used to use the Micro-dermabrasion kit from Mary Kay… (used to sell it) a blemish control facial scrub similar to St. Ives, or my Clarisonic Mia 2! I love all of these face cleansers and they all get my skin to look glowy and smooth!  I have seen a huge difference in the smoothness and look of my face overall while using the Rodan and Fields, but it’s pretty expensive, so if you can’t afford it, I feel that the other facial cleaners listed above would be great. After washing your face, make sure you use a toner and moisturizer… always moisturize!!! I recently started using oil-free Witch Hazel toner/cleanser and am loving it! For moisturizer make sure you find a good nighttime cream… it is so important that your skin gets hydration at night and during the day!And don’t forget about that sunscreen for daytime…. Sunscreen, the professionals say is one of the best defenses against the signs of aging, but right after that is the antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight the free radicals that cause acne, wrinkles, and even dark spots. But antioxidants have another benefit: Certain ones work synergistically, boosting the efficacy of others, like vitamin C, vitamin E, ferulic acid and green tea extract. This makes them the MVPs of the beauty world, and if you haven’t begun incorporating them into your routine, now’s the time to do it.

 

MASK IT UP! I absolutely love masks and the benefits they provide for our faces! I have tried many different kinds and my favorite lately has been from the brand “yes to tomatoes” and it is the detoxifying activated Charcoal Mud Mask! I got a couple samples before I knew if I would want to buy it.. I suggest doing this! It is cheaper to do it this way and you can test our so many different ones and see what you like, or keep tying them all for fun- no need to buy the bottle! Charcoal is a new thing this year… I have constantly been hearing about it!!! So why is it so awesome? Here’s why! Activated charcoal–when used in a face mask–binds to dirt and helps pull it out of your pores, making them less visible. It also helps with oily skin! If you have oily skin, using activated charcoal will help to pull the excess oil out of the skin, leaving your skin super smooth and way less oily! Activated charcoal can also help with breakouts- just use a little bit of the mask for a spot treatment. 

PEDI/MANI– Get your awesome Gel Kit Here
I have always loved going and getting my nails done, but it can get costly and with being so busy, I usually don’t have enough time to go and get it done, so I’ve been doing it myself! About a year ago I found an awesome kit at Walgreens and have loved it ever since!  This is a Sally Hanson Miracle Gel Kit… want your nails to look like they were professionally done and be gel… this is a great kit! My friend, Becca, actually introduced me to it and she is still by far better at taking time and making her nails look better than mine, but it is fun! Also- it doesn’t take too long… another plus!

MASSAGE FROM THE HUBBY??!! I get really sore playing violin, so sometimes I have been able to get Dave to give me an awesome massage. Many times it is just a quick one, but sometimes I can get a really deep, longer, amazing massage! When that happens, or when I want that, I bring out the big guns… lol… the body oil! I love the smell and the feel of the Neutrogena body oil!!! I feel relaxed, smooth and smell amazing afterwards!

Well hopefully you enjoyed this post of my favorite spa items and how I do a Spa Night! Next time you’re needing a Girl’s spa night or just a spa night for yourself to relax,  try a couple of these at- home spa ideas!!!

NEED SOME MORE IDEAS FOR TAKING TIME TO YOURSELF AND ENJOYING SOME SELF LOVE??? CHECK OUT : Taking Care of Me, Myself and I

Myths about Self Care ( Lots of extra self care ideas) 

Self care for a healthy mind, body and soul

13 DIY at-home spa tricks