All of us like to look pampered but most of us either do not have enough time to spend a day at the spa, or the appropriate funds, or both! Here are some tips that will allow you to look fresh and pampered without spending tons of money or an entire day to achieve the look! It is also a great pick me up if you are not feeling socially motivated and you have an event to attend.
#1 Clean your bathroom the day before or have your partner do it so that it does not ruin the experience.
Treat your hair, your face, moisturize you skin, and prep your hands and feet for a manicure pedicure all at once! You can do all of these things during a relaxing bath.
Create a moisturizing, skin renewing bath:
For your bath purchase a big bag of plain Epsom salts from the first aid department of your grocery or drug store.
"The reason for the inclusion of the salt is partially cosmetic: the increase in ionic strength prevents some of the temporary skin wrinkling ("pruning" — partial maceration) which is caused by prolonged immersion of extremities in pure water. However, magnesium sulfate can also be absorbed into the skin, reducing inflammation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate)."
Since these have no fragrance you can add whatever you like to them. Add a pot of tea to your bath! Use Green tea, Jasmine, or a fruit tea that you enjoy the smell of. This smells great and it does not leave a film on your skin or a residue in your tub. This is a healthy and cost efficient way to pamper your self. I like to add body moisturizer to the bath as well. This adds to the moisturizing affects of taking a bath without adding soap which can irritate the skin when it is exposed to it for a lengthy period. Bubble baths are not good for your skin and can also promote the occurrence of yeast infections! Try adding a St.Ives lotion that compliments the tea you plan to use.
Treat your hair:
While you are in the tub treat your hair at the same time by working olive oil and a couple drops of tea tree oil into it. Wrap your hair in a towel and let it soak in for the duration of your bath. After your bath have a shower to wash out the olive oil. Shampoo twice and skip using conditioner.
Face:
During your bath use a milk mask or clay mask and place 2 brewed and cooled Green tea bags on your eyes. Green tea contains an anti-inflammatory called EGCG that reduces bags and circles under the eyes (http://davidhayden.com/blog/dave/archive/2005/10/18/2521.aspx).
Milk and Clay masks should be removed after five minutes so simply wash it off in the bath. Clay masks are great for purging the pores of impurities but if you leave them on for an excessive amount of time they can dry out the skin. Be sure to choose one that is appropriate for your skin type. You may want to use a cucumber peel off mask for the entire duration of your bath instead. Peel off masks also have a soothing affect on skin and pull impurities out of the pores. Check out Freeman products. They are great products which are affordably priced (http://www.freemanbeauty.com).
Feet:
Drain the bath and use a pumice stone or a Ped Egg (http://tvpedegg.com/index21.html) or a Revlon Pedi-Expert (http://www.revlon.com/ProductCatalog/ProductDetails.aspx?CategoryID=4&SubCategoryID=14&ProductID=187) or whichever rasp-like product you choose and remove all the dead skin from your feet. Your bath will have prepped your feet for this.
Next, push back your cuticles on your toes and hands. Only trim them where it is necessary because when they grow out from being trimmed they tend to look ragged. Next use a nail buffer to achieve the salon look.
Save time by whitening your teeth while you paint your nails! Apply Life brand Whitening Strips before you brush your teeth. These are my preferred whitening strips because unlike many others they have yet to cause tooth sensitivity.
While your teeth are whitening paint your fingernails and toenails. Use an OPI polish that is tinted pink if you just want to do a single coat. Otherwise, apply a clear basecoat and then a coloured polish so that it does not yellow your nails (http://www.opi.com). Apply a quick dry oil on top of your polish to speed up the process.
Last but not least moisturize. Use a relaxing leg gel by Biotherm called "Happy Legs" to moisturize your legs from the knee down and your feet. Use Clarins firming High Definition Body Lift "cellulite smoother" from the waist down to the knees. Rub it in using a circular motion. On the rest of your body use Biotherm Lait Corporel anti-drying body milk. Speciality moisturizers are one of the few things I am willing to splurge on because a good skincare regimine will extend the youth of our skin.
If you strategically plan you can pamper yourself from head to toe regardless of your budget or how hectic your lifestyle is!
