If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that most Friday afternoons I’ll post a little roundup of some pamper essentials. A lot of people use Sundays as the day to pamper themselves, but after a long week at work I always just want to do it right away.
The first step of my routine is always to take a shower (once the weather cools down a little more I’m sure this will change to a Lush bath). I make sure I take this time to use a hair mask, and my favorite of the moment is the Sachajuan Hair Repair. I think using this around once a week has really helped strengthen my hair - the last time I got my hair cut was in February and I still don’t have any split ends or breakage. I also make a point to use a body scrub - I’ve got a few from the Body Shop, but my favorite right now is the Ocean Salt Scrub from Lush. It’s a salt scrub rather than a sugar one, so it feels a little more abrasive, and it’s got avocado and coconut to help hydrate the skin. I think I’ve mentioned before my legs get incredibly dry and itchy very quickly, but this helps keep that at bay and gets rid of that dead skin.
Once I get out of the shower, it’s definitely time for a face mask. I love using a sheet mask (all of my favorites are from Peach and Lily) as they’re so intensively hydrating and also help soothe the skin - after scrubbing the grime of a manufacturing plant off my skin all week, it could definitely do with some soothing. If I don’t go for a sheet mask, another recent favorite has been the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. I love that it both purifies and hydrates the skin, and my skin just absolutely loves this stuff.
After the mask comes an oil with some facial massage action. I’ve sung praises of the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil already (full review here), but it’s still one of my favorites to slather on. Another recent favorite has been the Antipodes Divine Face Oil (mine came in this little duo) - my skin just drinks this stuff up and it leaves me positively glowing. I’ll apply a few drops and start working it in with my hands, and then I’ll switch to the Facial Massager from the Body Shop for a really relaxing experience.
Last comes nail painting, and my most recent nail polish pick has been Essie Merino Cool. I wrote about this one in my Essie Favorites post - it’s a perfect neutral gray color with a bit of a lilac tone to it that looks really chic but not over-the-top on the nails.
What are your essentials for a pamper night?