masking.

i believe strongly in self care. it can be a lot of different things and will look different to everyone. people tend to see self care as a woman laying in a bath tub with candles, wine and a magazine, and while it may look that way for others, it's not for everyone. a dear friend of mine practices her self care by getting up early to go to the gym and remembering to tidy up her room. my partner practices his by playing video games or exercising with a game of hockey. my mom practices self care by staying home and ignoring everyone. there’s no rule book on how to do it, but there is always the same outcome. doing something just for you when you need it or want it, that makes you feel comfortable and content and pleased with how you've spent the time on yourself. it's all about you.

i like skincare, so a natural form of self care is face masks. and lots of em. i'm a typical self care practicer in that i enjoy pampering myself with a warm cup of tea, slathering goo on my face and either soaking in a bath tub or laying curled under twenty blankets with a murder documentary on. sometimes though i see myself writing in my notebook to let go of some deep feelings and traumas or even just staring at the wall while my kitty luna lays on me purring. but my favourite has to be the masks, so let's talk about them!

i have a hefty collection of masks and i use and love most of them. i have a few that are too intense for my dry skin and a few that sting too much when i wear them. but the ones i love are ones i have found to give me phenomenal results! when looking for a mask i used to always look for acne solutions. masks that contained green tea, salicylic acid, bentonite clay or charcoal. i save these now for when i've had too much cheese and need to get rid of some breakouts. but now that i am suffering from dry/dehydrated skin, i find myself leaning towards hydrating and soothing masks. a few of my favourites are Tama from Dr. Roebucks, Hygge from Ole Henriksen or Moon Mask from Glossier. these babies don't dry out all the oil in my skin. they simply soften my skin, give it a boost of antioxidants and healing properties (thank you honey and turmeric in Tama) and provide that comforting hydration i crave!

another love of mine are overnight masks. these babies are everything to my skincare routine. i use Cliniques Overnight Moisture Mask, Glow Recipes Avocado Overnight Mask and Youth to the People Superberry Dream Mask. what is so great about these, is that you get those benefits i mentioned earlier, but the moisturizing properties are so much stronger! you're skin naturally rests and regenerates at nighttime while you're sleeping, so it's pretty perfect that you would mask when your skin is healing itself and you're boosting that by adding those hydrating ingredients it needs! especially since you loose moisture and hydration while you sleep since you aren't exactly drinking water when you're dreaming.

so my masking self care ritual begins with an oil cleanse to get rid of that makeup, then a face cleanse, a tone, a serum or four, moisturizer and then the thickest layer of an overnight mask slathered on! i like it on there thick so that my skin can absorb it over time. just don't try kissing your cats or their hair will be stuck to you for hours. OR. if i'm doing like a 20 min mask, i will apply the mask, go annoy my boyfriend for 20 min and then go back to rinse it off and begin the routine with a serum or four and skipping the overnight mask.

i hope you found some inspiration to work on your own self care today or maybe in the near future. please be kind to yourself and remember, it's okay to have a selfish day, just as much as it's okay to have a bad day and be sad about it. your mental health will thank you.

much love, xo