The Sunday Pamper Part 2: The Facial

I had some really great feedback from my first Sunday Pamper post, so as promised here's the second in the series and tonight it's all about skincare. It's not all that often that I give myself a full on facial, but when the time comes I get down to some serious business. I really love to run a hot bath, pop in a Butterball (my all time favourite from Lush, but that's another Sunday post altogether!) and let the steam work some extra magic.

I make sure I've thoroughly removed all makeup with a good micellair lotion and then take a palm full of Philosophy's Purity Cleansing Oil evenly all over my face. I spend a few extra minutes working this into the skin gently with my fingertips, ensuring that every scrap of make up is gone and also boosting circulation to help flush out any nasty toxins lurking away. The great thing about using a cleansing oil for this is that unlike regular massage oils, once splashed off with some warm water it doesn't leave any residue on the skin.

After that it's on to exfoliation. I like to use a good deep scrub and No7's Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion is great for this. It's made up of tiny rough crystals which are quite abrasive. I'll only use this once every couple of weeks but that's really all it takes to see the benefits. Not only does this slough away every scrap of dead skin it also stimulates cell renewal to work against fine lines and uneven tone, just make sure you're wearing a good SPF the day after you use this!

I make sure I give my skin a quick rest after exfoliating so I take a trusty muslin cloth, soak it in warm water and lay it over my face for a few minutes. Not only is this super relaxing it also opens up the pores ready for a good deep cleansing mask. At the moment my favourite is the Super Facialist by Úna Brennan Tea Flower Clay Mask (isn't that a mouthful) which you can see a full review of here. This takes every drop of excess oil out of clogged up pores and leaves skin feeling zingy fresh.

The last part of the in-bathroom routine involves another of my all time favourite products, the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel which I paint on with an old foundation brush (an odd tool you may be thinking but believe me using one will change your life) and leave on for about fifteen minutes (this is when I usually hop out of the bath and get those cosy jammies on). I find this mask works best at getting rid of any really dry patches so I concentrate it on my forehead and nose. It uses fruit enzymes to exfoliate without the need for abrasive beads and I always notice how well my make up goes on after using this!

Once that's all wiped off, again using the muslin cloth, I pat my skin dry and move on to the final part of my mini facial: hydration. For that I use a recently discovered wonder combination of Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and Bio Oil. The Overnight Mask is like an intensely rich night cream that keeps on working even into the morning. On top of that I pat a few drops of the Bio Oil and gently work them together on the skin. I have quite a few facial oil's rattling around in my draws but recently I've been choosing Bio Oil over them every time. This unlikely beauty product gives my skin the most amazing glow and once washed of in the morning leaves it plumped up and moisturised. I let that sink in for about half an hour before going to bed, just enough time to snuggle up with a good book (or in my case a good blog or two) and a few relaxing candles!


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Posted in: Beauty,Bio Oil,Elemis,Lush,No7,Origins,Philosophy,Skincare,Sunday Pamper Series,Úna Brennan

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