MY EVENING SELF CARE ROUTINE

Now that it’s starting to get a little cooler outside (it was literally 33 degrees the other night . . .), I thought I’d share with you some of the ways that I practice self care throughout the darkest months of the year. I personally believe that self care is super important and should be practiced by everyone. Whether you’re just simply washing your face or turning off your phone a couple hours before bedtime, you’re taking care of yourself and making time for you. And if you’re NOT currently someone who practices self care, perhaps the things that I talk about in this post will give you some inspiration for yourself. Let’s get into it then, shall we? CLEANSING + FACE MASKS Honestly, one of my all-time FAVORITE ways to practice self care is by taking care of the thing that everyone sees the most: my face! I do this by not only cleansing (and moisturizing, you can’t forget that!) my face every day, but also trying to do a face mask about every other day, just to take away some of the stress that’s been placed on my skin and clear all of the nasty stuff from my pores. I’ll admit, I haven’t done a face mask in a little while because I recently had some random breakouts and was worried that my current face products were the culprit. Which is the worst feeling, by the way: worrying that the things you love the most are causing you to breakout *cries softly.* Okay . . . MOVING ON!

I’ve been using my trusty cleanser and exfoliant combo to slough off the dry skin that comes with the colder weather to prime my skin for my face masks. I must say, this exfoliant is my new favorite thing in the entire world. Just sayin.’

I honestly LOVE these face masks. They leave my skin feeling soooooo light and fresh and super squeaky clean. They’re both clay masks from Freeman Beauty, but one has dead sea minerals and the other has avocado and oatmeal. I LOVE ‘EM!

After I’ve finished the whole face mask process, I slap on some moisturizer (the one in the middle is my favorite for this time of year because of how moisturizing it is) and off to bed I go! I’ve added the Tea Tree Oil Moisturizer by The Body Shop and the Cactus Water Moisturizer by Boscia to this post because they’re GREAT for the occasional flare-up, seeing as they both help with inflammation. COZY SOCKS + AROMATHERAPY If there is one thing I love, it’s the smell of the new aromatherapy formula for sleep at Bath & Body Works. It’s called Black Chamomile and it’s honestly the most amazing thing I’ve ever smelled. That, and this formula actually helps me sleep a little better. All you’ve gotta do is rub some of the lotion into your arms and hands (or your entire body, like I do), inhale deeply, and you’re off to sleep in no time. Not only is it good for sleeping, but the lotion is also super moisturizing, so I like to put some on my feet along with my Fletcher the Fox socks (no longer available, but I tagged the next best thing: POLAR BEAR ONES!) from Bath & Body Works. There’s nothing better than having warm, hydrated feet AND a good night’s sleep. I can tell you that much.

MEDITATION

In all honesty, I have not used this app in a while. BUT, when I DO use it, it leaves me feeling super good, so I thought I’d share it with you so YOU can feel super good.

Calm is a meditation/breathing exercise app that you can install for free on the app store. Some of the features need to be paid for, but if you just want some simple guided meditation sessions or you just want some help with your breathing, this app is perfect for you. It’s definitely great for winding down before bed instead of playing on your phone/scrolling through social media (which I’m guilty of . . .) or for when you’re feeling super stressed and just need to get away for a couple minutes. There are different timed meditation options as well in case you’re in a rush and don’t have time to do a thirty-minute session or whatever. It's GREAT!

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: SLEEP! After everything is all said and done, I’m finally ready to pull back the covers and go to sleep. Just taking some time in the evening to be by myself to take care of myself makes all of the difference in the world, and I hope you guys choose or continue to take time for yourselves, as well!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear what you do to practice self care around this time of year, so definitely leave me a comment down below! Until next time :)