Okay so you buy great beauty products and your bathroom is probably well stocked with some product that you bought because they’re meant to be quick and easy to use. But as we are still in the first few days of the New Year I think that is the perfect time for you to take a step back from your usual skincare routine and make a promise to your skin and ultimately to your well-being to start practising and mindful beauty routine you know when you make your skin care routine a time for intentional self-care.
I really don’t want to hear you saying “I am busy and my days don’t allow me to have the luxury of mindful beauty” because really it is not good enough. And really you deserve better yes of course cleansing wipes and micellar Waters have their place when you need a quick fix like in the back of the cab or may be at your desk before rushing out of the office but not to start your day or to end it. The thing is the time that you allow yourself to indulge in a mine for beauty regime is for some of us the easiest way to incorporate some me time some self-care some mindful moments into a busy day.
I have been making a concerted effort to add as many mindful moments to my day as possible and it starts with my cleansing routine: as you can imagine I have got an extensive range of products at my disposal but recently I’ve really been enjoying using products that involve ritual – the time and the space to really connect with my skin and the process of cleansing it.
Double cleansing is also something that is both very effective in making sure your skin is completely clean as well as being a mindful ritual. The first cleanse will be the one that will take off the dirt and any make-up on your skin. Then when you follow up with the second cleanse – this will usually be when you’d use a more lush, rich cleanser – you take the time to really massage and cleanse the skin. It also gives you a chance to play with different textures on the skin – you could start with a jelly for example and then follow this up with your favourite balm. It’s a way to really take the time to connect with your skin.
Here are some products that you could try:
Cleansing
Cleansing Oils
Tula kefir cleansing oil
The oil is thick and rich and doesn’t sting if you use it to remove eye makeup (always a winner for me!). I love how much skin feels after using it – so soft and silky smooth but with absolutely no residue or greasy feeling leftover. It transforms into a soothing milk once water is added and washes away easily. It’s formulated with Kefir to calm and hydrate the skin.
Votary Clarifying Cleansing Oil
This oil is specially formulated for skins that are prone to breakouts and blemishes, which my skin isn’t: but it is combination to oily and occasionally disgraces me with a blackhead. My logic is that if it’s designed to prevent blemishes and nourish at the same time… it’s a win-win.
This lush oil smells amazing thanks to containing a range of skin loving ingredients…I know that I always say this but it really does encourage ‘Mindful cleansing’,. You just want to keep massaging your face and inhaling the fragrance of Rosemary and Bergamot.
Here’s a link to our full review of this oil
Buy the Votary Clarifying Cleansing Oil for £55 from Space NK
Orveda Cleansing Oil
This oil starts out as more of a gel… a thick rich lush gel that thins out into an oil as you massage it into your face. This is an enjoyable experience and in my opinion, not one to be hurried – this is your perfect time to practice mindful cleansing… enjoy the sensual experience… the feel of oil on the skin, the fragrance etc…
This oil leaves the skin clean, really clean but not stripped or uncomfortable.
Read our full review of this cleansing oil here
The Deep Cleansing Oil from Orveda is £89 from Harvey Nichols
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
I have to say that this is one of my personal favourites because it does what it says on the bottle; it deep cleanses my combination skin perfectly, leaving it feeling clean but hydrated. You’ll love this if you like a bit of ‘squeak’ in your clean.
This oil is designed to remove makeup …all makeup even the waterproof stuff. It contains olive oil and skin boosting vitamins which means that it leaves my skin looking and feeling good.
Cleansing Powders
De Mamiel skin Botaniques Brightening Cleanse & Exfoliate
Demamiel skin Botaniques Brightening Cleanse & Exfoliate – is a real multitasker that you can use as a cleanser or as a treatment. This transforms from powder to paste and every time you use it, you are left with clean, smooth and glowing skin thanks to the vitamin c, ginseng and raw cacao powders blended with calming gemstone powders…..pure alchemy.
Clinique Vit C Cleanser
These are little sachets of magic! They contain water activated Vitamin C (vitamin c is amazing for brightening the skin) and love that whole two step process – pouring out the product and mixing it with water to activate it. They’re so effective too – skin will be left glowing!
You can then follow up the powder with the emulsion which can be added to your moisturiser to give it a boost. Amazing!
Cleansing balms
Jane Scrivner’s Nourishing Cleanser
Now this is a serious cleanser. A beautiful formula, which is very much an oil based balm (it’s rich in Jojoba Oil), this balm melts into the skin and is a joy to use. It feels so soft and your hands just glide over your skin as you gently massage it in… heavenly.
Dafna’s Recovery Cleanser
The balm is very thick and melts with the warmth of the body and it has a soothing yellow colour. As with quite a few nourishing cleansing balm, you can also leave this on as an overnight mask for added hydration. I love how it melts into the skin, sort of like a moisturiser when worked in.
Dafna also speaks about this balm as also helping to reduce intrinsic stress. They want the balm, all of their products, to be like a support system and a way to help alleviate stress – through the scent and through the ritual of using them. Love that!
Read our full review of the balm
Buy the Recovery Cleanser for £42 from Content Beauty and Wellbeing
Face oils/serums
Inner Senses RESET Beauty Potentiating Facial Elixir
A key part of this is that it’s formulated around Schisandra (schisandra sphenathera) fruit CO2 extract – a powerful adaptogen – renowned throughout Chinese Medicine for centuries for increasing resistance to physiological and environmental stress. It’s a lush face, good quality and makes the skin feel plumped and radiant.
Try a trial bottle for £10 from Inner Senses
Vanderohe No 1 Nourishing Face Serum
As soon as you open the bottle and inhale the pureness of the ingredients, they start to work on you, they start to envelop you … it’s like apart from the initial pleasure of smelling pure rose, lavender and other yummy oils, this oil goes deeper and seems to tap into the part of the brain that deals with moods and emotions, creating a calm euphoria this is due to the sheer power of organically sourced ‘active’ essential oils. So before you’ve even touched it, it starts to transform your mood.
Next is the sensual pleasure of using it:
When you put a few drops in your hands the feel of the/oil is expensive. I like holding it up to my face and taking a few deep breaths before I start to press it into my skin. It appeals to most of the senses – touch, visual with its golden colour and smell, you can actually feel the quality of the oil.
(*PR GIFT/SAMPLE)
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