Hey, beauties! Ever wondered if there were benefits to a beauty routine beyond just looking glowed-up and glam? I’m here to say that the answer is a resounding yes! I recently made my way back to Cityline to talk about the benefits of a feel-good daily routine, what helps me feel like the best version of myself and how to create a mindful beauty routine of your own!
Adding a greater, more intentional sense of self-care to your daily beauty routine can help you feel more relaxed and more grounded. I’m a big believer that a powerful beauty routine is more than just skin deep! Many of us understand the benefits of mindfulness, how routines like yoga and meditation can help ground and calm you. Mindfulness comes in many forms, though, and it’s possible to experience mindfulness in your own beauty routine! It can be nourishing to your spirit and your overall wellbeing, impacting how you feel both inside and out.
More and more women have begun to share their self-care routines and the rituals they have and products they use to help make themselves feel good (especially amidst two insanely challenging two years). Not only that, but these routines have helped them combat extreme stress and anxiety.
Research has shown that daily routines can help lower anxiety and provide a greater sense of control. As far as I’m concerned, your beauty routine is no different! I’ve always found mine to be meditative, it can function as a wellness and mental health tool for me — so I want to share some of my own rituals, products and tips with the knowledge that they may help others in a similar way!
✨ Morning Routine
I absolutely love that there has been so much more open discussion about self-care and how to treat yourself with kindness and prioritize your wellbeing, even when life is chaotic all around you!
For me, the morning is a precious time and I truly believe that your overall wellness can be positively impacted if you do something positive for your mind, body and spirit each day.
To start, keep your phone out of reach. The morning is the perfect time to keep your mind clear. Be open to hearing yourself think, create that space for new ideas to come in! Don’t let yourself disappear into tech before your day even begins!
With two little ones at home and a very busy work life, step one for me is setting my alarm to wake up 45 minutes before anyone else in my home. I start my day with a tall glass of water in a favourite cup and take time to write in my journal, setting my intentions for the day. This Five Minute Journal is perfect to help you feel inspired, it offers prompts to get you going and offers you little reminders to start your day with positivity and confidence.
I also use this time, at least 4 or 5 times a week, to move my body, get in a stretch and exercise and do a 5-10 minute mini-meditation.
Using essential oils during this also helps me set the tone for the day ahead and puts me in a brighter frame of mind. When it’s time to hit the shower, I also love adding some essential oil drops in and really creating that wonderful spa feeling! Fresh out of the shower, it’s time to get my pampering on! I feel like most people don’t think about how amazing using a body cream that you love can be! I’ve never really enjoyed putting on body lotion, so I had to find a spa-like body lotion that I couldn’t live without that also worked for my skin. A fun little tip is to mix creams with essential oils and body oils. Taking even just two minutes to treat your body is a subconscious reminder that you are absolutely worthy of your love and care!
Once my body is feeling hydrated and fabulous, I move on to face care! For me, applying my serum and moisturizer, eye cream, lip treatment and lash serum is super calming and meditative. Looking at myself in the mirror, my skin glowing and hydrated, it makes me feel good! And that feeling sticks with me.
If I have the time, before I begin my skincare routine to really boost that therapeutic atmosphere, I’ll light a candle (one of my absolute faves is our French Affair Candle), burn some Palo Santo, place my crystals nearby (The Rock Store is a happy place) and listen to a guided morning meditation or uplifting, inspiring audiobook. Here and when I’m applying my favourite makeup for the day, I even take a few minutes to practice affirmations and visualize the energy I want to share and receive. It truly changes the course of my day!
✨ Evening Routine
If I am being completely transparent, my evening and night routine is still a work in progress! Between work and family, it’s easy to get caught up the busy-ness of the day and taking care of the people you care about. I know you beauties can relate! But I began to notice when I let my self-care rituals and routines fall to the wayside, I wasn’t myself. I didn’t feel good. And I couldn’t help anyone, let alone myself, when I was feeling depleted.
When I recognized this, I thought about what made me feel good at the end of the day. The answer? And epic, all the bells and whistles bath! Cue the candles, essential oil, boss bath bombs, more bath bombs, hair masks and face masks. I’m telling you, the whole nine yards! These are products that I just can’t live without! Dim the lights and dip into that warm, soapy water for twenty minutes of self-care and I’m a new person! I must admit, I feel proud of myself when I take the time to honour what I need to feel good. It also means the world that my daughter and son can see the rituals that help me cope, feel calm and joyful and that they can begin to understand that taking care of yourself is important. It’s such a big lesson for them, too!
Out of the shower, I’ll enjoy a cup of chamomile tea (I cut out caffeine after 2pm to ensure a more restful sleep!) and apply a relaxing body oil infused with CBD and scented essential oils to help me relax and prepare to sleep. I pop on my Honey Shot Supermodel Lip Bath to wake up to full, hydrated lips and I also set my phone to night mode so I don’t get any more notifications.
The truth of the matter is, so many women have trouble carving out time for themselves every day, and many feel guilty doing so! Even when they do put in the effort, new routines can be difficult to stick to. But the more you’re able to clear even just twenty minutes in your day and night just for you, the better you’ll feel. If you can master the 5-minute face mask that makes you feel fabulous while saying three affirmations out loud, that in itself is a beautiful step toward greater self-care!
It is possible to feel more rested, more content and more joyful. I truly believe there’s power that can be tapped into in the world of beauty. You just have to give yourself permission to explore it.
Check out the Cityline segment here for the full interview and to see how I use these mindful tips and tricks at home!
