Beauty rituals that relax me…
- Painting my nails
- Doing a face or hair mask
- Massaging in a hand cream/cuticle oil
- Exfoliating (hurts so goooOOOoood!)
- Spritzing on a nice perfume
Beauty rituals that stress me out…
- Filling in my brows (it’s been really hard getting them symmetrical lately)
- Removing wayward chin hairs (those little stubs!)
- Washing my brushes, mostly because I like doing it daily
- And applying bronzer, because if I’m not paying attention/half-@ss it, I end up looking muddy
How about you? What are your most relaxing beauty rituals and the ones that stress you out?
You friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
What a beautiful color! Soothing, too 🙂
Hmm I’m going to name one example each. I find painting my pout relaxing, ESPECIALLY with a lip brush. Doing my eyeliner on the other hand, stresses me out because the stakes are so high (like if I make a mistake I’ll mess the eyeshadow up and blah blah blah…)!
Most makeup-related things relax me, while most hair styling-related things stress me out. I just do not have the knack for doing my hair, and half the time I give up and put it up in a messy bun.
I like their green one!!
I find styling my hair and doing my makeup in the mornings to be relaxing as long as I’m not short on time. At work, I’ll take a short break to use hand lotion an cuticle cream.
Not relaxing is getting my eybrows threaded. It hurts a bit, especially if I let them grow out too long. But I put up with it b/c I get good results, even for my wacky brows!
Hi Ruchita,
Totally with you on the time thing. If I had all the time in the world, I’d spend two hours getting ready every morning. If that was the case, I’d be totally relaxed every single day, hahaha!
I’m going to agree with Karen on everything except the brows as I never fill in my brows since they are so full. I’m also not a fan of getting my hair colored but I have to do it.
Hi Kimmwc03,
Lucky you to have such full brows! 🙂
Relaxing? I’m with you on the whole list, Karen! I also find it pretty relaxing when I dye my hair with crazy colors. 🙂 As for stressful, my whole “upper lip waxing” ritual. I get pimple-like blisters from waxing. Ugh! Then there’s the brush washing, removing nail polish when I mess up or get tired of it, and plucking my brows. Ouchie. 😛 Even if my brows are now tiny Vulcan-like brows haha.
Hey Danii, I just wanted to let you know that the pimple-like blisters that you get may be because your skin is too sensitive for waxing. Try using the kind of wax that hardens if you haven’t already since that kind of wax is better for sensitive skin (unless you’re allergic to bee stings). It’s usually made from beeswax and is green in color, and it hardens instead of staying sticky and requiring muslin strips. Clean-up is also much easier with this form of wax.
Try threading, too! You’ll have an even lower chance of getting the red bumps when you thread since that technique tugs at the skin less.
I use pre-waxed strips by Sally Hansen for the face rather than a pot of hot wax and cotton strips. Sugaring used to work but I don’t know if my mixture went bad or if it just became less effective. I used to have my brows waxed (when I was 13 maybe?) but now I get blisters. I have a whole ritual to prevent them, getting only one or two.
Hi Danii,
That’s cool that you dye your own hair. What’s the craziest shade you’ve ever done?
That’s a toss up between fire-engine red all over, hot pink and turquoise! ;D I could always be found in a crowd at least!
Relaxing:
Moisturizing dry skin freaks me out.
Stressful:
Doing my nails cause I suck at it. Would you consider doing a Tutorial on yours Karen? They always look so perfect!
Hi Krystle,
Sammy, one of the fab MBB guest posters who helped me out when I went to Kauai last year, did a really great nail tutorial:
7 Steps to a Perfect DIY Manicure
Relaxing: face mask time!
Stress : Has to cleaning makeup brushes. Oh so necessary and oh so boring!!
Hi Vineetha,
I wish there was a way for brushes to clean themselves. That would be awesome, right?
Ugh. Plucking my eyebrows stresses me out! lol I guess because I always manage to pinch myself trying to get those practically invisible fine hairs on the inner corner.
A nice, warm, mint & lavender bubble bath is definitely my go-to if I need a girley wind down remedy. =)
Stressful: Manicures and pedicures if I’m the one doing them. I hate worrying about smudges and chipping. I gave up on paining my fingernails because I couldn’t deal with looking at chips or touching up every few days. Now I just buff & shape them.
Relaxing: Putting on my makeup in the morning. I listen to podcasts while I do it and ease into my day. I give myself plenty of time so I can play.
Other than a massage, nothing is more relaxing than a bubble bath, a glass of wine and a face/hair masque combo. I like pumicing my feet too for some reason. I also agree with exfoliating my skin. I feel so clean and revived afterwards.
Waxing anything is on my list of not relaxing but I love plucking my eyebrows. Is that weird?
Hi Leah,
I find pumicing my feet satisfying. Maybe not relaxing, but I definitely feel like I’ve conquered something, LOL!
Oh, and it’s totally not weird that you enjoy plucking your brows. I have to do it with my favorite pair of Tweezermans, though, otherwise it turns into a stressful event.
Yes, the correct tools are key 🙂 I need new Tweezermans soon. I’ve had mine for so long the design has worn off the side and they are losing their grip a bit. Nothing beats Tweezermans.
Relaxing: Doing my makeup, deep hair conditioning mask, face mask, any skin care routines I’m into at the moment
Stressful: Filling in my brows!!! I have to take a picture of myself on my cell and adjust the wax/powder/pencil! So time consuming, but my brows are SO uneven that I have to spend more time so that I don’t look like..”Do you smell what the Rock is coooking!” Doing my nails is stressful for me too because I’m just not the best at it and don’t have the patience for it…yet I do it every week.
Relaxing:
Face masks, doing my makeup, giving myself pedicures, skin care in general, washing my hair, shaving my legs, anything involving creams or moisturizers
Stressful:
Styling my hair, clipping/filing my nails, tweezing, and definitely cleaning makeup brushes!
Most relaxing would be painting my nails, my nightly skincare routine, doing a face mask, exfoliating face and body, and putting body cream on.
I dont know if I would really say I enjoy doing these, but shaving and washing my makeup brushes always zones me out and allows my mind to kind of wander. It sucks to actually get started but once I do, I’m in the zone 😛
For most stressful, I am DEFINITELY with you on filling in brows. Some people make it look so easy (like YOU! 😛 Seriously, your brows have always looked so perfect–I’m jealous!) but I have always struggled with my brows. Mine are naturally quite crooked so I really have to pay close attention when I’m filling them in so I can TRY to somewhat make them appear a little more symmetrical.
Putting on eyeshadow and lipstick relaxes me, though putting on eyeliner and blush stress me out, because it’s so easy to mess up. Painting my nails is relaxing, but waiting for them to dry stresses me out…and removing my nail polish is a hassle too, but I enjoy how my nails look while I’m not doing either of those things. I also dislike taking off my makeup.
I haven’t commented on this ol’ blog in a while! I hope things are well for you, Karen! I’m back in the Bay for spring break, and I’m surprised by how chilly it’s been (compared to L.A. weather, at least).
Stressful rituals: Anything regarding hair removal, ugh. And girl, I do a LOT of it. Frequently. (I think my beauty routine would be cut in half if I didn’t have to shave my legs, pluck hairs, thread my mug, etc. all the time.) I LOVE doing my nails (and I’m pretty great at it), but I rarely do it because it needs to be perfect.
Relaxing rituals: Exfoliating! (I am obsessed with my Burt’s Bees Body Scrub. Thanks to you, Karen.) My evening facial routine. (I slather jojoba oil onto my dry skin. It is divine.)
Speaking of facial routine, I saw your MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation review. That foundation is not all that’s working for your skin! Please share your current skincare routine, Karen?
I really enjoy my skincare routine. I like taking all of the steps to cleanse my skin. It feels so nice and moisturized when I am done with my routine. It gets me in the mindset to go off to bed.
I also really like having my hair done (that counts as a beauty ritual right?)
LOVE that plum on you! Super pretty!
I love doing masks, painting my nails, and recently I did something I never do: I took a bath! Granted, I do bathe, but in shower format b/c we have a regular ol’ tub and not on of those glorious soaker beauties where you can fully immerse your whole body into warm bath-y goodness. I usually don’t enjoy baths b/c if I can get all my business under the waterline, what’s the point? I rec’d a Lush bath bomb for Christmas and tossed it in and the fizzling explosion was super fun! I actually loved taking that bath! The oils in the bath bomb left my skin really soft and it was surprisingly relaxing. Do you ever do Lush bath bombs or are you strictly a shower gal as well?
Relaxing: taking long, hot baths to soak and soften my skin; putting on a favorite body butter or lotion (lately I’ve loved Victoria’s Secret Aqua Kiss and The Body Shop Moroccan Rose); doing eye makeup if I have the time and I’m not rushed.
Stressful: if I happen to be short on time for any beauty ritual that I do daily for any reason – shaving my legs/armpits, using my Olay Pro-X facial brush for a relaxing and thorough face cleaning, making sure all of my hygienic needs are in order (deodorant, face lotion, hair looks somewhat neat, etc.). I like to have time to do things properly, and while I have the ability to do a very shortened routine in a pinch, it’s not something I like to do for a long period of time.
Doing my makeup is super relaxing for me. I can spend hours just thinking of how I will so my eyes, what blush and what brushes I will use lol since I’m 23, with about 75% white gray coverage, dyeing my hair is relaxing as well. I do my roots at least every 2 weeks. My hair grows super fast.
Painting my nails is stressful because I suck at them lol and shaving is so irritating, it’s a chore for me! I wish I could wax but I have dark hair that I can’t go long because it freaks me out to see them growing lol
Relaxing: a lovely hot bath followed up with gentle exfoliation, moisturizer and a long nap! My hubby is taking our 3 year old to visit his folks tomorrow so, I will finally have a day to RELAX.
Stressful: Removing nail polish – can’t stand it. The stink of the remover and how the cotton snags on any rough bits. I’m dreading having to take off the green and gold from St. Patty’s Day. It’s a wonder I ever paint my nails.
WOW! Lauder is really coming out with some goodies, huh?
I love giving myself manis and pedis, applying beauty masks, I love taking long, relaxing, delicious smelling baths. I even enjoy washing my brushes daily with my lavender scented Castile soap :).
What I don’t enjoy as much is shaving lol.
Oh yeah, me neither! At least it goes by quickly.
Loving your Estee Lauder Bittersweet mani! This color is so gorgeous, like yummy chocolate.
Stressful- eyelining. I’m ok with a pencil, but heaven help me with tightlining, liquid, gel etc. also anything that involves hair styling. My hair has always had a mind of its own.
Relaxing- masks(hair or skin), evening skincare routine and painting nails! when i have had a hard day, I look forward to a mani and a new color. Sometimes I feel those tiny square inches of real estate are the only thing in the world I can completely conquer and manipulate, KWIM?
Thanks, Lorraine! I had a feeling you’d like it. 🙂
Relaxing:
Painting my nails
Applying coconut oil all over after a shower (that smell!)
Taking off my makeup/washing my face after a long day
Stressful:
Cat eyeliner (usually I can get it perfect but lately I’ve been way off my game!)
Applying dark shadow
DARK lipstick (I’m a perfectionist)
I LOVE a hot shower or bath after a workout. LOVE my Clarisonic, massaging in creams and lotions. I ADORE getting my hair done! Adore getting nails done and massages if I can afford it.
I HATE plucking my eyebrows and waxing anything.
Painting my nails is so-so, I do it so often its not as relaxing because I have to concentrate not to screw it up!