“Nail art is a very inexpensive opportunity to be creative. It’s a colorful distraction and every day you can do something new with it! What I call drybrush nails is such an easy technique; you don’t even need a tutorial. I also call it ‘the wet paint manicure’ because it looks a but streaky. First, paint your nails a base color. Then, take a second color and when you take the brush out of the bottle, you wipe off all of the polish until almost all of the polish is off the brush and then you take the brush and streak it across the nail. Repeat with as many colors as you like. Mostly I like to do it randomly, but you can make it more placed and do it up the middle of the nail. The best part about it is that every color combination looks good. So whatever colors you have at home is going to make for a beautiful look.”
Give Yourself A Full Spa Experience
“Giving yourself weekly facial at home is a great way to get results above and beyond what your normal skincare routine offers. An at-home facial will take about 25 minutes.
Step 1: Start with a thorough yet gentle cleanse to remove all traces of makeup, sunscreen, oil, and debris from skin. This will create the ideal foundation for the rest of the facial, and ensure the following steps are as effective as possible.
Step 2: Apply a thin layer of an exfoliating peel which dissolves cellular build up to provide a really nice exfoliation.
Step 3: Follow immediately with a facial mask. For oily skin, use a non-drying, clay-based mask or a hydrating, gel based formula. If your skin is dry, choose a moisturizing oil-based mask. Leave the mask on for fifteen minutes and then rinse off gently with a washcloth or baby washcloth (for sensitive skin types) or a facial sponge.
Step 4: Finish off with an alcohol-free toner to remove impurities from tap water then seal everything off with a moisturizer. Dab on an eye cream to finish it all off.”
Try Out Gua Sha
“I highly recommend folks at home try out a simple gua sha routine. A gua sha stone is easy to find online and is reasonably priced. You use the flat stone pulled slowly across the contours of the face after applying a serum or oil for ‘slip’. It’s great at releasing tension within the facial muscles while also sculpting and lifting, releasing puffiness and excess fluid. It’s incredibly relaxing. It’s a routine that can be as quick or as long as you want it to be, so with more time to do these things it’s great to deepen your gua sha routine if you have one in place already.
First, make sure your skin is cleansed and you have a serum or oil applied so you don’t drag and pull the skin with the stone. Start by slowly running the gua sha tool around the back and front of the neck to open up the lymph pathways before starting on the face. No matter what routine you try, the concept is always to move the stone outwards and upwards up the neck and face. You want to move everything towards the lymph nodes behind the ears and at the base of the neck. A gua sha routine could be performed once or twice a week, or every day. There are no rules! I personally like to do it just before bed as I find it very relaxing.”
