During the week, I’m usually too busy catering to my fussy tabby’s redonkulous demands (where, pray tell, does one find an XXL Gucci cat snuggie??) to catch up on my beauty maintenance tasks, like hair plucking and nail polishing (like, where I paint all 10 fingers in the same shade, as opposed to the single-finger technique I use a lot for swatching), etc., etc.
So it’s only on the weekends that I’m able to take care of many of my beauty rituals. Things like…
1. Hair masks
I’ve been wearing my wavy hair straight a lot lately, and if I’m not careful, the heat from all of the flat ironing and blow drying will do a number on my locks.
Doing a hair mask over the weekend seems to quench my coif’s thirst, and lately I’ve been turning to Lush’s $19.95 H’Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment, which I like to use right after I finish my Saturday or Sunday run.
As soon as I’ve caught my breath, I’ll comb the treatment through my hair from roots to ends, put my hair up in a ponytail, and let the mask do its moisturizing thing while I do my stretching, eat a post-workout snack, and putter around the house.
When I finally jump into the shower, I keep the ponytail on while I lather and shave. Then, I’m finished with my body stuff, I take out my ponytail and rinse the mask away (it smells like pumpkin pie!), before shampooing and conditioning. After everything, my hair looks and feels about a million times better — soft and shiny.
2. Face Masks
Because of the moisture-sapping cold outside and the heater running almost non-stop inside, my face has been totally parched, so I’ve started to use a weekly June Jacobs Intensive Age Defying Hydrating Masque ($80), which hydrates the heck out of even the driest patches on my forehead and around the corners of my nose.
Like I do with hair masks, I like to apply face masks right after a run, when I know I can let it work for 30 minutes to an hour before I hop in the shower. Then once in the shower, I try to leave the mask on as long as I can to let the warmth and humidity in the air open up my pores, making it easier for the product to absorb into my skin.
3. Exfoliating scrubs
Ah… There’s nothing quite like a good scrubbing to get my skin baby soft, and I’ve been de-crusting lately with Borba’s $28 Firming Micro-Diamond Body Polish. Borba calls the tiny grains in it “prismatic micro-diamonds!” — which just sounds very cool to me. I’m sure there’s nothing diamond about them, but they scrub like the dickens without rubbing my skin raw.
The product contains glycolic acid, green tea, colloidal oatmeal, aloe and cucumber to scrub, soothe and firm. Teamed up with these $3 exfoliating gloves from EcoTools, it’s a skin-scrubbing dynamo!
4. Removing excess body hair
Have I ever told you that I’m part Sasquatch? Yeah, that’s why I’m so hairy and have these big feet… Get it? Bigfoot? 🙂 Anywho, to mow the fuzz that seems to sprout up overnight, I use the Gillette Venus Razor ($13) and EOS Shave Cream ($5) on my bod, and pluck my brows, upper lip and chin bare with the Tweezerman tweezers.
5. And painting the paws (mine, not his)
I’m primo picky about my nails and like to do my own at home, so on the weekends I’ll usually start up a movie and do them while I watch TV on the living room floor.
To do the best job I can with my at-home manis/pedis, I use Lippmann Cuticle Remover ($17) to remove debris around the cuticle area; Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat ($10) to create a strong, smooth foundation for whichever polish I decide to use; and Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat ($10) for shine and polish protection.
Now how about you? What are your weekend beauty rituals?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
sleep lol
Just did a hair mask and body exfoliation myself. This rainy weather is forcing me to stay indoor.
This is not a set in stone ritual but if I have to handle my beauty business, this is what I do.
– Hair: Aussie 3-minute miracle (which I leave on longer).
-Face: homemade scrub using cleanser with sugar then apply Queen Helene Mint Julip Mask. Sometimes my skin is real bad then it’s no mint nor scrub just cleanser with a bit of baking soda. Leave that on there for a few. Then wash off.
-defuzz: Schick razor plus Skintimate for sensitive skin
-Wrangle the brows: revlon tweezers
-nails:clip, file, then push back cuticles. Love Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.
I also watch Glam Fairy and/or Jerseylicious on the Style Network. Highly recommend. I also take time to refresh spiritually. Usually means church, and/or a longer walk plus longer prayer and meditation time.
I love that cuticle cream too! Lately I’ve been obsessed win anything lemon: The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter (my friends and I agree it smells like lemon meringue pie!), the Burt’s bees stuff, Crabtree and Evelyn lemon lip butter (the tube is much more handy and I put it on every night).
I like H’Suan Wen Hua but the smell is a lil too much for me. Almost like the foot mask lush makes 😛 I LOVE the Jasmin and Henna Fluff Eaze though…it’s an amazing mask for my unruly hair 😀
For me it’s pedicures and deep moisturizing. I slather myself with lotion, because I don’t always have time to do that during the week. Luckily, my skin isn’t dry, so it can hold out. 🙂
I do pedicures and hardcore cuticle maintenance over the weekend. Weekends are also the perfect time for a moisturizing hair mask! I’ve gotten hooked on that pink Fekkai deep conditioner.
Saturdays I deep clean all of my makeup brushes first, then apply Origins charcoal mask for around 10 minutes. Sundays I use a Philosophy Microdelivery Peel Pad before bed, and always paint my nails. I’ll usually throw in some body exfoliating too, usually with St. Ives.
The weekend is when I try to give my skin a break from makeup (unless I am going out). My skin is super dry and needs all the tlc I can give it. I love using Virgin Coconut Oil on a daily basis for my entire body, hair to toes, and I slather on ton on my face using it like a face mask. My skin feels so much better after a VCO mask. I wipe most of the excess off, leaving some on for extra moisture.
You made me want to have a pamper day even though it’s already Monday here! It’s funny, during the week, I’m pretty good about doing masks after a bath before bed, doing manicures, and keeping my brows groomed, but weekends are when I get lazier and do fewer beauty rituals.
Such a good post! I usually do these — except for body polishing, which I’m too lazy for — over weekends as well.
I don’t currently own a hair mask though. I know you’re a big fan of the Bumble & Bumble Creme de Coco Conditioner; have you tried their mask as well? I had some sample packets of those and OMG amazing!
i always do a facial mask. right now, my fave is the freeman chocolate and strawberry detoxifying mask. It smells so good. I usually exfoliate the body and deep condition my hair and just relax.
Ohhh I love nail polish and lately I have been googling loads of swatches, and I notices that the Seche Vite Top Coat keeps popping up everywhere? Is it really that good? Im using OPI start to finish at the moment and its nearly finish ( There’s about 1 mm of brush still hanging in the polish ). Would you recommend the seche vite to be my new best friend? Because, believe me, a good topcoat will be my best friend 🙂 Oh I was thinking about a china glaze base coat, never tried them before, any recommendations? 🙂 xx
I love Seche Vite – it’s my holy grail! It’s a quick dry top coat so it’ll dry within minutes of application, but it works best if you apply it 1-2 minutes after you apply the colored nail polish, not when the color is dry. Super shiny and lasts at least a week for me, usually longer.
Thanks 😀
No problem, but I forgot to mention that it thickens easily after a few months. Sally Beauty Supply’s “Beauty Secrets” nail polish thinner restores it back to normal consistency though, and it’s cheap – I think $5 for my bottle of 4 oz.
I also have one “maintenance day” (that’s what I call it, but I think I should stop calling it that ’cause it doesn’t sound so luxurious, haha) each week.
I give my body a good scrubbin’ with Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Scrub before shaving my legs. (I really indulge in this!) Out of the shower, I slather Aquaphor on my arms, elbows, legs, and feet (this something I do after every shower, though). Then, I use my Tweezerman and Ardell brow razor for brow upkeep. Lastly, I meticulously trim, shape, and buff my nails! Nail polish is only for special occasions. My spirits are lifted ten-fold from doing this ritual after a long school week!
Sleep,rum, wine and pork. That’s my ritual. I’ll use Renee Furterer Complex Five on my scalp and oil on the ends. But really it;s the sleep and booze that makes the biggest difference.
For the weekend I’ll mainly indulge in a sheet mask- it varies depending on my mood, but it’ll either be a hydrating or soothing one 🙂 I also scrub my body with Soap & Glory’s Breakfast Scrub- I really love the smell of that! Then I top up my body skin with Melvita Fondant Body Balm. I’ll also do some trimming of excess hair hehe. If I really have the time, I’ll have a detoxifying foot soak too and trim and buff my nails if they get too long.
I exfoliate about every 2-3 days though with Dermalogica Microfoliant, so it’s not really a weekend ritual thing there.
I do my nails every Sunday night while watching TV. And then I always swear to myself that I’ll switch up my color some time later that week (cause at this point, I now have almost 50 nail polishes, and I really really want to wear each one of them more often!), but I never seem to find time to do that.
Such a great post!
I take a bath, use a body scrub, do a facemask, mani & pedi. As for hair, I prefer getting a wax.
Wednesday is my beauty ritual day. I like to be finished all of that for the weekend when I’m more likely to go out.
haha, join the club on the Sasquatch front!
so i usually have a bath (i use a Lush bath melt usually) scrub (Soap and Glory’s The Breakfast Scrub)and do appropriate hair removal. Then i use a REALLY good self tan- Clarin’s Delectable Self Tanning Mousse (it smells like apricots!). I try to only wash my hair twice a week cos it’s SUPER dry and hairdressers tell me the less i wash it the better, so i do a good wash and a deep- condition on the weekend with either Tigi, Kerastase or Herbal Essesnces stuff, and leave it in for 10 minutes or so. the whole process takes place on friday afternoon and last me friday and saturday nights and sunday afternoons!
I love using Indonesian traditional body scrub and bengkoang face mask as my weekend ritual. They eliminate sunburn and also make my skin soft and fragrant.
Oh my. You pluck your upper lip! Ow ow ow ow! I tear up when I get it threaded, and definitely prefer to wax it.
Nothing specific, because I am always busy on weekends with my girl’s activities, dance class, Chinese class, weekly walk in the lark, etc, play group. But by evening, I would treat myself to a long bath soak, maybe followed by scrub and then, after that, a nice face mask.
But I don’t do that only on weekends. Sometimes, during the week, when things get too much, I would treat myself to these rituals in the evenings. Or especially when I need to go to work the next day….. I know I am so vain, but I need to look good when I am teaching! 😉 It gives me extra confidence, you know!:)
Of course, the face part! 😉
My weekend ritual is getting a relaxing mani and pedi, applying my weekly mud mask and catching up on sleep! 🙂
hsuan wen hua is the best. my all time fave! but, with really long, layered, thick hair…that spendy jar of it only gets me about two uses, tops.
I try to take a bath with some sort of moisturizing oils and a ton of epsom salts on the weekend – to sort of detox all the week’s stress!
i do a deep conditioner for my hair, a facial mask and take a long bath. these are my weekend rituals.
i also go for a pedi every 2 weeks!
Definitely do the hair masks on the weekend, along with my nails…nothing like doing your nails after Sunday dinner while watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta 🙂
Weekends are all about hair mask, face mask, and changing up the nail polish.
For a hair mask I love to use either Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment or Giovanni’s Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor.
For a face mask, I keep going back to Korres Yogurt Mask.
The nails for this festive week are Sally Hansen’s Diamond Strength Antique Bronze.
Normally plenty of rest. Bu then, it’s no exception because I always laze around!!
On a serious note, I normally scrub and use a face mask on my face.
I want to try out the eos shave cream, heard great reviews about it
On the weekends, I use…
– an Aveeno conditioning treatment to help my hair through the long week of heat styling ahead. I put it in my hair after the whose, put it up in a bun, and in the morning its soft and hydrated!
– Burt’s bees lemon butter cuticle cream, and I paint my nails; this week I’m going for Sally Hansen Celeb City, my favorite. Its a nice silver.
– I exfoliate with Olay Exfoliate Body Wash and then really moisturize with the Body Shop Shea Butter Body Butter, and then Crabtree and Evelyn rose water lotion for the smell (its actually just as hydrating!)
P.s. current lipstick fave: MAC lipstick in Redwood Ass.
Sorry don’t know how autocorrect changed ‘shower’ to ‘whose’!
I use scrubby gloves everyday. On Wednesday I do a mid-week scrub down and on Sunday I do a full body blast with the roughest scrubs I have. Every bit of dry skin is sheared off in one way or another until my skin is like glass then I moisturise the hell out of it with a thick body butter. Hands and feet usually get a mask/ scrub of some sort and the hubby likes to do face masks on Sunday evenings.
I don’t think I’ll have much skin left when I’m older but at least it will be smooth!