Get Glowing Skin and Practice Self Care
Do you have a plan for Valentine’s Day yet? Whether you’re celebrating solo or with a partner, this is the perfect time to romanticize your life and prioritize self love.
Even though it’s very commercialized and is a big money grab, Valentine’s Day to me is about making sure you take the time to put yourself first. Think about it, every other month, what’s your focus? Someone’s birthday or an anniversary? Let’s dedicate this February to be our self love sanctuary, and I’ve come up with 4 ways to do just that. We can do these at home or in the spa and we will cover it all, not just from making sure you look amazing but to making sure you feel amazing as well!
Welcome to Aligning Auras, I’m a licensed esthetician who loves to share self care tips that help you align with your best and most authentic self. I post every Saturday on my blog, everything from monthly horoscopes to skin care tips to talks about spiritual awareness and energy. Let’s use these upcoming plans to romanticize your life and prepare for Valentine’s Day or splurge and make them part of your V-Day celebration. Either way, let’s have fun!
1. Plan for the Future
In the first week of February I like to re-evaluate where I’m at in life and make a plan for the rest of the year. Normally I do a version of this in January for New Years and the one in February is to fill in the gaps and to help romanticize your life a little. The process usually looks like this..
A) Write down goals
B) Create a vision board
C) Make a step by step realistic plan
A cute thing I saw recently was making punch cards to track your progress for certain things, link here, so make it a day and give that a try this year! The ultimate trick is to use Pinterest.. and go easy on yourself! Wherever you’re at in life you’re meant to be there. We are meant to have fun and live life!
2. Get a Facial or a Massage
As an Esthetician, I of course recommend getting a facial once a month, but I know that isn’t always possible. If it isn’t possible for you to make them a routine thing then I’d say to prioritize getting them done twice a year, once being in February. Most spas offer deals on services or gift cards around the holidays, grab a few then and treat yourself later! (P.S. most facials come with a face massage plus a neck and shoulder massage, the best of both worlds!)
My favorite facials at this time of year include a lot of hydration, some exfoliation, and whatever other nutrients my skin needs from this dry and cold weather. Some ingredients to look for include:
Hydrating – hyaluronic acid, niacinamide (vitamin b3), squalane, vitamin E
Exfoliating – look for gentle AHAs like lactic acid or go for a PHA like gluconolactone
Misc. – Antioxidants like vitamin C, Extractions, LED or preventative care, etc!
Be careful at this time of year doing anything too harsh or physical on the skin because with this cold weather, I know all of our skin barriers are stripped and dehydrated! Snow on the beach, are you kidding me!
3. Head Massage + Hair Mask
Now I know I talked about massages in step 2 but this is deeper than that. Taking care of your scalp and/or your hair is an essential step to romanticize your life with overall good hygiene. A simple step to keep your head healthy is to do a scalp massage to get blood flowing and to help the pores relax and then to oil with castor oil or coconut oil to hydrate and promote some hair growth! Make sure to use the pads of your fingers and not your nails when massaging the scalp, be gentle and use medium to light pressure to grow the best hair ever.
If self care and hair care is totally your thing, you might consider investing in going to a head spa. There you will get a hair wash and a massage so soothing and therapeutic it relieves stress and basically, changes your life. Some of them in my area can combine with a facial for the ultimate relaxation session and to knock out 2 of the 4 steps here!
Either way, don’t forget to care for your head, there are so many pressure points and energy centers there that will age us faster in the long run without a little t-l-c!
4. Soak in a bath tub
To my surprise, many people don’t romanticize their lives so of course they don’t take advantage of soaking in a bathtub. Water holds memory and is healing, not to mention it improves sleep, relieves stress, and hydrates and soothes dry skin. Don’t even get me started on the garden tub debate!
There are some fun and healthy things I like to add into my tub occasionally,
A) Oatmeal – hydrates and nourishes dried or irritated skin
B) Epsom Salts – salts like Lavender can help with pain relief and reduce stress and anxiety
C) Herbal Bath Tea – any herbal blend with healing properties like peppermint for relieving pain and tension
I know a bath isn’t for everyone, but if done right, it can have a multitude of benefits. Make sure not to have it too hot or to stay in it for too long (aim for 20 minutes) because you could end up drying out your skin instead (guilty!). Did you know the Lush spa in NYC offers a unique “Book a Bath” experience allowing you to enjoy a bath with all of the necessary products for an enjoyable soak… literally a bath in the store, how cool and crazy is that?
Who doesn’t love soft, supple, good smelling skin and a clear view of life ahead? Overall these are just some of my secrets to help romanticize your life that you should try out this Valentine’s Day! Whether you have a partner or not, you deserve to prioritize self love. Which one of these self care tasks are you most excited to put on the calendar? Leave it in the notes below!
2 responses to “4 Secrets to Romanticize Your Life this Valentine’s Day”
I absolutely love this!!!! Honestly, this is exactly what I needed this Valentine’s Day.
Planning for the future is so key and I truly think it’s important to ensure we know what we want for ourselves. Also , I love to look at a cute vision board! I’m going to buy posters now to do this!
I’m so glad you found this useful! And I completely agree with you about planning, have fun vision boarding!! 🙂