We’ve all seen the green masks and cucumber slices that Hollywood’s “girl’s nights” often pair with nail polish and plush robes, but do at-home facials really work? Today is your chance to find out! With the changing of the seasons, your skin will be looking for a little extra TLC. Spa treatments, however, are often a luxury college students cannot afford. Luckily, many ingredients for a fall facial, like hydrating honey and anti-aging almonds, are available at your local grocery store. Try out this Fall favorite and make your skin smile all month!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 soothing Pandora playlist (search under genres until you see “Spa Radio”)
1 bath towel
3 washcloths
1 small bowl of warm-to-hot water
½ teaspoon of lavender oil (optional)
1 tablespoon of finely ground almonds (food processors come in handy here!)
1 tablespoon of honey
1 egg white
Juice from ¼ fresh orange or lemon
½ of a freshly ground mint leaf (optional)
1 Paraffin Facial Brush (optional)
2 round cucumber slices, chilled (simply because you can)
PREPARE TO BE BEAUTIFUL:
Before you begin mixing ingredients for your fabulous at-home facial, you’ll need to properly prep your mind as well as your skin. Turn on some calming music, like Spa Radio on Pandora.com, to help you tune out any nagging thoughts and tune into a peaceful state of mind. Make sure you have a way to keep your hair out of your face, like a Tassi, pictured below and available at TassiCompany.com, or a thick, cloth headband that you most likely already have tucked away in your bathroom. Throw on a cozy robe or a cotton tee and yoga pants, lay a bath towel over the pillows on your bed, and bring your mask ingredients into the bathroom.
Tassi, available at TassiCompany.com
Take your small bowl of warm-to-hot water, stir in the lavender oil, and soak a washcloth in it for about five minutes, making sure to submerge the entire cloth. Then, mix your almond powder, honey, egg white, citrus juice, and mint leaf in a medium-sized bowl until a paste is created. Set the paste aside and proceed to take off your makeup with your usual makeup-removing wipe. Next, sooth your skin by pressing the warm washcloth, after ringing out excess moisture, into your neck and face for a full minute to encourage your pores to open. Before moving on to the application stage of the facial, massage your face with clean fingertips around the temples and sinuses to relax the muscles and encourage relaxation.
APPLY THE MASK:
After setting the washcloth aside, use a paraffin facial brush, like the Gigi Brush from BeautyEncounter.com, or clean fingers to apply the facial paste to your face and to the top of your neck. Be sure that you have spread a thick, even layer across the entire facial surface, avoiding nostrils, lips, ears, and eyes. Lie your head atop the bath towel on your bed, place the chilly cucumber slices over your eyes, and relax for a full 20 minutes. This is the most important part of the spa experience, so be sure to take full advantage of it by warning roommates to hold off on any chit-chat with you during this period, and set your phone’s alarm ahead of time so you don’t have to constantly check the time (a soothing alarm will be beneficial for this, so save your new One Direction ringtone for your morning wake-up).
Gigi Brush, available at BeautyEncounter.com
MASK REMOVAL:
Once your alarm goes off, you’ll know it’s time to remove the cucumber slices and move back into the bathroom in order to gently clean off your facial paste. Rinse your second washcloth in warm faucet water and wipe off the mask until all of your skin is completely free of paste. You will probably need to rinse the washcloth several times in order to remove the entire mask. Take the third washcloth and pat all moistened areas dry. Finally, congratulate yourself for taking a little time to self-pamper!
The great thing about this mask is that you can choose to increase the almond grindings to create a scrub or load up on the honey to make a more hydrating mask. Listen to your skin this season, immerse your mind in serene thoughts, and give yourself this at-home facial whenever you want that extra-special glow!