Ok, we’ll be honest with you, this is sort of a trick question.  You might not have a skincare ritual.  Not yet.

It’s ok, we understand.  Life gets cluttered, our brains get cluttered, our inboxes get cluttered.  The thought of stopping to reassess the nuances of your beauty routine - or start one - when you’re so busy you just left your car keys in the fridge might seem indulgent.  But here’s the real kicker… that’s exactly WHY you should have a beauty ritual.  Relax, we’ve got your back.  And your front in this case.

Once upon a time, this whole thing didn’t seem like a far-fetched notion.  From Mary Queen of Scots swearing by wine baths (One might wonder if her version of a bubble bath was filled with sparkling wine...) to Cleopatra’s milk and honey facials, beauty rituals have been around for a while.  And why mess with a good thing?

Setting aside some specific time for yourself might seem crazy (Here’s the thing- it’s not).  But this habit is grounded in self-love and a commitment to your own wellness.  Friendly reminder: It’s not vanity, it’s sanity.

A wellness ritual is a commitment to a practice and to ourselves.  It’s a hands-on, purposeful experience.  When we create a skincare ritual, it is about pausing to be present, to align (or maybe realign) with our feminine self and nourishing ourselves in ways that are much more than skin-deep.

There’s tons of research out there pointing to the positive effects of ritual and the power of intention as not only useful for our mental wellbeing, but for the healing effects on our physical bodies.[1]

It’s easy to make excuses about how there’s not enough time to take care of ourselves.  But prioritize a positive skincare ritual... is it any different than eating well, meditating, going to the gym… you get our drift. It is stress reducing and confidence boosting.[2]

So are you now ready to create a skincare ritual of your own? Great! How you ritual is up to you!  It’s a good old different strokes for different folks situation. It’s about tuning into what you’re feeling in that moment.  Go on, picture it… the feel good sensations of massaging a facial oil into your skin, the spritz of a mist refreshing your mind and soul…  Feel free to let out a relaxed exhale now. Ahhhhh!

We are all capable of building a habit around tuning into our body and slowing down for a few minutes each day (pinky swear).  Stopping to honour your wellbeing and mindfully pause is the ultimate form of self-respect. Feeling better might just, in turn, allow you to be more productive, keep stress at bay and give more freely to others.  Now that is totally worth celebrating.

So, go forth and love yourself silly.  To all you beautiful women out there- celebrate you, celebrate one another, celebrate your community, celebrate Mary Queen of Scots and Cleopatra.  To us, every day is Women’s Day.

 

Naturally yours,

The LUXE Botanics Team

 

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18596974