EVENING WIND DOWN

I did a post a few weeks ago about morning pick me up products. Seeing as my anxiety levels have been through the roof lately, now seems like an optimal time to go completely the other way and talk about evening wind down products. Sometimes surrounding yourself with a variety of soothing smells and pampering sensations can really help lull you into a sleepy state. Anything I can do to calm myself down in the evenings (and when I say anything I mean anything... Gilmore Girls) is incredibly valuable at the moment.

Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil
Massage is a great way to wind down and relieve stress, but of course not everyone has a personal masseuse or a whipped significant other to cater to our every whim, so sometimes you've got to do it yourself. Cracking out a cleansing oil and giving yourself a mini-facial massage can feel surprisingly good. If you're not quite sure how to perform a facial massage, take a look at Lisa Eldridge's video where she demonstrates her facial massage routine. It's relaxing even just to watch.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask
Once your all done with your facial massage it can feel good to pamper yourself by following up with a nice face mask. I've been using this one quite a bit lately because I've been both breaking out from stress and having trouble with dry winter skin. This mask deep cleans and combats spots, but does it without drying out the skin like a clay mask can. Manuka honey is a bit of a miracle ingredient as it fades scarring, provides moisture to the skin and has antibacterial properties.

Lush Bath Bombs
Hopping in the bath is obviously a fantastic way to relax and doing it with a bath bomb is even better. I've got Tisty Tosty and Dragon's Egg here. Tisty Tosty is quite a typical relaxing floral scent with rose, geranium and jasmine. Dragon's Egg smells even more amazing to me though. It's a lovely fresh lemon scent that I could just sniff for days. In fact I might be sniffing it for days as I managed to sniff up a good chunk it earlier this evening.

Shu Uemura Ultimate Remedy Extreme Restorative Treatment
Now that you're in the bath and you've got a face mask going, you may as well treat your hair too. I'll be honest, this mask if all kinds of expensive, but I promise you it's worth every last penny. I've had this mask for over a year... maybe even two... and I haven't even hit the half way mark, which is really saying something because I use it regularly. It is so moisturizing and so concentrated that it actually takes only a blueberry sized dollop to coat my entire head of hair. It takes a good handful of Redken conditioner to coat my hair and that doesn't even feel half as nourishing. If that wasn't enough, the smell of this product will blow your mind. It smells of lotus flower and angels and the scent stays behind powerfully after you wash the product out.

Nuxe Multipurpose Oil
Bath times over and we're ready for bed. This oil is the perfect last step to lather yourself in before sleepy time. I talk about this product all the time so I'll keep it brief. It smells like sweet, floral heaven, feels beautiful and can be used pretty well anywhere. It's another one worth the investment.