Since having my first baby at the beginning of January, I’m afraid to say that despite telling myself I wouldn’t, self-care took a backseat. I mean don’t worry, I was still showering (so many mum’s told me I’d forget to shower and all my hot drinks would go cold, but I’ve been determined not to let these happen!), but that dedicated ‘me’ time kinda disappeared.
Olivia hasn’t been the easiest of babies. She has been really unsettled since we had her (6 weeks today!) and also has a diagnosis of Laryngomalacia, which is a breathing problem. Alongside that comes the nasty old reflux, which makes her extremely upset for most of the day but especially during the evenings. And the nights? Well, sleep isn’t something I’m familiar with put it that way!
So: self-care. What have I been doing recently for my own self-care? Well, I’ve been keeping myself fed and watered – I love food too much to let that go. I could have given birth to triplets and I’d find a way to hold them all while still eating my breakfast. I speak to friends daily and I have my partner to help. And this week I’ve asked him if every weekend I can have a few hours out to myself, whether I choose to go for a walk, do a workout, or have some pampering time. Guess which one I seem to be picking the most?….
Pampering time, of course! I had a good long hard think about my beauty regime and how I’ve been looking after myself, and realised that I’ve been massively letting myself go a little. I can’t get my hair cut or coloured, so it’s lived in a top knot bun. Wellness shouldn’t be something that is forgotten about or made optional, and having that relaxing pampering time to myself is certainly key to my wellbeing anyway.
So, I was over the moon when I discovered that Very.co.uk have a dedicated Very beauty section online with all the products that contribute to wellness and self-care. For me, it’s about looking after myself the best way, and that includes my appearance. I don’t have as much time as I used to, so for me it’s about products that speed up the process, are high quality, and bring results. Products that help me feel a million dollars and that I enjoy using during that pampering time. One of the first products I ordered from the beauty section at Very is the might Tangle Teezer – I literally cannot live without these brushes!
I have one in every handbag, but I wanted to make sure I have on in every room of the house at the moment so I can stop having scraggy hair when in the home. How pretty is this version I’ve got my hands on? This one is the Terrazo style, and it’s so cute looking!
Next up for my wellness mission is also associated to hair, and this time, it’s centered around the post partem hair loss dread. I am absolutely bricking it when my hair starts to fall after having a baby. My hair is fine to start with, so I’m not looking forward to shedding more.
I scoped out the Very site and saw they retail Mane ‘n Tail, a high quality brand of hair products which aim to strengthen the hair, making it appear thicker and healthier. I decided there’s no time like the present to start strenghening my hair up and getting it in it’s best condition before the post partem loss kicks in, in which the shampoo and conditioner were purchased! They are meant to deliver a luscious gloss and shine to hair too, which is ways a winner.
You’ll also spy a product from professional haircare brand Phillip Kingsley. After years of raving about the Elasticizer product (a nourishing hair mask from the brand which again strengthens and also adds incredible moisture), I moved on to a product again to help me when that dreaded hair loss arrives. It’s from their trichotherapy range, and is their volumising protein spray. I’ve just started using this on my damp hair to try and get it plumped up and moisturised while protected from heat too.
And speaking of heat, I truly believe that wellness is all about treating yourself to a hero product that is literally – in my opinion – worth it’s hefty price. The Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer is literally something I had to get now I need to give myself attention when it comes to getting ready quicker, but with results…
So the Dyson hairdryer comes at a £299 price tag, but I knew I wouldn’t have an hour to myself drying and styling my hair anymore. As this model is designed for fast drying, it’s small, powerful Dyson digital motor V9 is on average 6x faster than other hair dryer motors. With that in mind, I knew that when I get that postpartum hair loss or just in general, I can be blow drying my hair in half the time, giving myself more ‘me’ time for more self-care. Face mask, tanning, body buffing… you name it!
My hair is bleached and quite fine, so I do need a hairdryer that can really provide intelligent heat control to protect my hair from heat damage. The ‘science’ behind it says that the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer measures air temperature over 40 times a second, and regulates the heat. This helps prevent extreme heat damage, to protect your hair’s natural shine. So far, I’m loving it! I haven’t used a straightener since I’ve started using it as it has a great smoothing nozzle that just keeps my hair tame, sleek and shiny.
The photos above show my hair when just blast dried with the Dyson Supersonic, without using the nozzle. Without the nozzle it gives that extra bit of volume, yet stays frizz-free and honestly my hair is dry within about 6 minutes (used to take me about 15 minutes).
In terms of slotting these luxury hair products into my wellness regime, I’ve started having a bath on a Friday and Saturday night, letting my partner look after the little one. Then I spend time using the professional hair products as above, then dry my hair with the time saving dryer, and then give myself some time to just put my snuggly pj’s on with some music on and little tea lights lit.
This is pretty much a nighttime ritual I have, but a more ‘daytime’ aspect of self-care I have indulged in recently is to declutter my makeup bag and feel better about myself by using high quality, luxury makeup and tools to encourage me to start doing ‘my face’ again in the day!
Take a look at some of the new items that have entered my makeup bag…
First thing was first: I ditched my old makeup brushes. I mean, I could have deep cleaned them, but I think I’d had them about two years and it was about time to ditch them! I always go for Real Techniques, they are – in my opinion – the best makeup brushes out there when it comes to foundation and concealer. And if you apply your foundation and concealer with quality tools, you’ll always get the best results.
The best brush I’ve discovered in a while is the Real Techniques Custom Complexion brush, which lets you amend the brush density in regards to the type of coverage you want. It’s a 3-in-1 brush for sheer to full coverage, where Level 1 is a more dense brush, providing maximum coverage. In the middle is Level 2 for medium coverage, and Level 3 for minimum coverage. I tend to use level 2 for foundation, but for more concentrated concealer application I’ll use the Level 1.
It’s fab for bringing out with you in your bag too as it’s fully retractable for storage and on the go ease.
Alongside the new brushes, I upgraded my foundation to Illamasqua Beyond Foundation, which has got so many positive and raving reviews online. It’s a bit of a multi-tasker, as although it is ultra lightweight it creates the perfect base for a dewy, illuminated glass skin finish. It is super kind to the skin too as it is infused with Hyluronate and Vitamin E, so it refreshingly hydrates and moisturises the skin, whilst smoothing and blurring lines.
Plus, I got one of their top rated products to enhance the glow – their Beyond Powder in shade Daze. It’s a gorgeous shimmery highlighter that gives the most incredible dazzle to the upper cheekbones. You can see it below on the photos of me wearing the new Illamasqua foundation, Hoola bronzer, Revlon powder and Illamasqua highlighter…
I could have continued on Very.co.uk and started kitting myself out with an entirely new makeup collection, but felt I’d best not go too OTT. I’ve got myself some gorgeous essentials from luxury brands to start feeling better about my makeup collection, and to look forward to doing my face now in the day!
I know we’re in lockdown, but there’s something about making that extra bit of effort and putting on our favourite makeup items to help feel more special. When I’ve got my full face on, I feel ready to tackle anything, almost like I don’t want to waste the effort. It’s like a new mindset that it brings on!
What do you do for yourself to bring a little bit of self care and wellbeing into your life? If you’re looking at shopping some excellent beauty brands and giving your bath, body, hair or skincare collections an overhaul, I highly recommend shopping over at Very!
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