Hi!!!
How is everybody today? I hope your well and if you aren't then I'm sorry to hear that, and hope things start going your way soon.
I don't know about you guys, but I love a Pamper Evening. I relish (totally didn't just rob that word from
THIS post by Lauren...) time spent unwinding, since I'm often busy or just feel busy. Also, being a lover of beauty products, I find a Pamper Evening is a great way to try the
far too many products I own. Plus, I always find that I sleep better after a Pamper Evening.
I've decided to share with you some of my tips, tricks and favourite products for when I have a Pamper Evening, in the hope of inspiring you all and to ramble about stuff I like. OK, let's do this!
I'll talk you through my steps first, and at the end I'll include a list of products and brands I like to use.
The Basic Steps.
First things first I like to wash my hair and have a shower. My hair is very heavy and so it tends to be easier for me to wash my hair in the shower. In the shower, I like to use lovely soaps, shower creams/gels and scrubs with amazing scents. I then wrap my hair up in a towel, and dry off.
You can skip my next step if you are an 100% shower person, and if you are highly eco-conscious, please do not hate me, because I don't have full on Pamper Evenings all the time, so it isn't that bad.
I like to run a nice warm bath. As much as I like to shower - good job too since I do it everyday - I find that baths are much more relaxing. While the bath is running, I sometimes like to light some candles and put them around the bathroom, but not all the time. I also like to grab myself a drink of water.
Whilst the bath is running I cleanse/exfoliate my face. The steam from the bath is great for cleansing the skin and opening the pores, so its always wise to ensure you have removed the day's grime before you get in the bath. And, it saves doing it later.
I am also a complete lover of bath bombs, bubble baths, bath soaks etc., so I love to use these on a pamper evening. They add something a bit more special to the bath, plus they give you a reason to stay in the bath that little while longer.
I like to just get in, soak for a while and think. I do sometimes like to play music or read a book, however I do just tend to fall into sloth mode.
Once I jump out of the bath, dry off and moisturise with a body lotion or butter. Moisturising as soon as you can after having a bath/shower means that the skin absorbs it better.
These steps are the basis of all my Pamper Evenings, and whether I add more steps or not depends on what I feel like doing. Even these steps alone make me feel so much more relaxed.
The Additional Steps.
If I feel like it, have the time, or am going somewhere, I add some steps to amp up the Pamper Evening.
One thing I sometimes like to do is give myself a manicure. I trim my nails and if I desperately have to, I file them, even though I hate the sound of nail files... *shudder*. I then paint them with a base coat, colour and top coat. Finally, I like to apply a rich hand cream.
Sometimes, I like to apply a face mask. This isn't something I do very frequently as I find that face masks can be too rich sometimes, but every now and then, I think it is quite nice.
The Final Steps.
On a Pamper Evening, watching a film or some good old telly is a good way to unwind. Something that is unbeatable for me on many a level is watching a film or the TV in my pyjamas/onesie.
I do also enjoy reading books and listening to music to relax.
After all that Pampering, I feel an early night is in order. Not ridiculously early but even just half an hour earlier than normal can really make a difference, trust me.
Brands and Products and Picks.
Hair Products.
I like L'Oreal Hair Care products, as I find that they work well with my hair, work efficiently, and have good effects. I do also like Herbal Essences, but I use L'Oreal more often as I think I prefer it.
A link to L'Oreal Hair Care (
HERE) and a link to Herbal Essences (
HERE).
Shower Creams, Gels and Soaps.
Soap and Glory rock! I love the witty names, and the products are so good.
I really love Soap and Glory Body Washes/Shower Gels, as they smell out of this world and are very nourishing.
My top picks from Soap and Glory are the Sugar Crush Body Wash, the Rich and Foamous Body Wash and the Clean, Girls Body Wash.
Links (
HERE), (
HERE) and (
HERE).
Link to all Soap and Glory Body Washes and Shower Gels (
HERE).
The Body Shop have some excellent Shower Gels and Cream. The formula is lovely, the scents are unique but familiar and they lather nicely. My favourite is the Satsuma Shower Gel (
HERE), it is just my complete stand out. There are some other really nice gels/creams so check them out. There are also solid soaps.
Link to all The Body Shop Body Cleansers (
HERE).
Body Scrubs.
I like the Scrub 'Em And Leave 'Em Body Buff from Soap and Glory, and it matches the Clean, Girls Body Wash in scent.
Find it (
HERE).
Find the other Soap and Glory Scrubs (
HERE).
The Body Shop have some really nice scrubs, and (
THIS) Satsuma Body Polish is probably my favourites.
(
HERE) is a link to them all.
Candles.
A family friend makes candles, and they are so amazing. Plus, we get extreme mates rates on them, so they are an obvious choice. She doesn't have a website at the moment, so I can't link her, but I will when I can.
I just like candles in general, plain or scented, however I will link you to the John Lewis Candles Page and the Yankee Candle Page to start you off.
Skincare.
I use only one brand of skincare, because I have sensitive skin. I use the Aloe Range from The Body Shop and my cleanser, exfoliator and face masks as mentioned in this post are all from this range.
I love this range and couldn't be without it, because it is just so blooming good!
Link to the range (
HERE).
Bath Bombs and Bubbles.
I am a Lush addict. Their products are so good!!!
My favourites are their bath bombs - they are amazing - and I always have a stash somewhere in my house. I love how much diversity they add to the bath. They are really beneficial to the skin and they smell so good. Plus, they usually have seasonal collections alongside their permanent products, so there is always something you haven't tried.
I also like Radox Bubble Bath as it creates lots of bubbles, is very relaxing and smells great.
Lush Bath Ballistics/Bombs - (
HERE).
My preferred Radox Bubble Bath (
HERE) - I know its a guy's one by category, so please don't feel the need to tell me.
Music and Books.
To see Music and Books that I like, see my Blogger profile.
Obviously, we all have different taste in music and reading material, so by all means ignore me and carry on like you normally would.
If you feel inclined to buy a new CD or a new book, then (
HERE) is a link to HMV and a link (
HERE) to Waterstones, my favourite book shop.
Body Lotions and Butters.
Soap and Glory, again, are really great here. I find that their butters and lotions are really effective and while they can take a while to sink in, they have amazing effects.
I really love their Daily Smooth Body Butter and the Sugar Crush Buttercream.
Dove Moisturisers are also lovely and work great - (
HERE).
Nail Polish.
I really like Barry M nail polishes, particularly the Gelly Hi Shine in Dark Green - according to the Boots website this is the colours name, I'm not 100% sure about this though..
It has a lovely finish and I really love the deep colour of this polish as it suits my very pale skin.
Gelly Hi Shine range (
HERE) and all polishes (
HERE).
I also think that the Maybelline Colour Show polishes are really good. They last well on my nails and I find that the brush is good to work with.
My favourite shades are Brick Shimmer and Downtown Red.
All colours (
HERE).
Hand Cream.
A friend of ours gave me a bunch of really nice things for Christmas, and one was a Neom Complete Bliss Hand Cream. This hand cream is rich, and yet is absorbed quickly. I love it!
I do like the scent of this however the scent Inspiration is looking increasingly good to me.
Both creams are fragranced with one of my two favourite flowers, which I think is pretty cool.
Complete Bliss Hand Cream (
HERE).
Inspirations Hand Cream (
HERE).
Movies and TV shows.
See my Blogger Profile for my favourite movies.
I love sitcoms on TV, and any other form of comedy shows. I love them and they are really suitable for pamper evenings because they relax you and make you happy. I love Miranda, Not Going Out, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
And that, I think, is finally that! Phew! I didn't expect that to take as long as it did, so I apologise. I hope this post was helpful to you, and that it didn't bore you terribly.
Has this post inspired you to have a pamper evening? What do your pamper evenings entail? What products do you like to use?
Have a fabulous day today!
GingerSnaps xxx