Life as a college student is a “bumpy road” to some, beautiful to others and unpredictable to all. To me personally, it’s all of those things. Between exams, 9 ams, scholarships, internships and attempting to even have a remotely successful social life, I began to feel overwhelmed. And in the midst of all of the chaos, I need time to myself. Time to calm my mind, body and soul. I needed time to care for myself. And I granted myself that opportunity. I spent all of my Thursday night performing my very own self-care routine. I focused on myself physically and emotionally and I must say I feel better than better. I feel greater than great! So if you are interested, here’s how my night of pampering went:
SHEA BUTTER BABY (Ari Lennox)
Moisturized, soft and relaxed is exactly how I felt directly after I finished the physical aspect of my self-care routine. I began my routine with brushing my teeth and popping in my retainer (which I always seem to forget to wear). I then slide on my shower shoes and began to lather my legs in Veet (shaving cream). In my opinion, using a wash off shaving cream in college (because of the community bathrooms and shared showers) is far more easier actual shaving cream and a razor. Once I let that sit and marinate on my legs for about 7 minutes, I hopped in the shower. This particular shower I used Dove bar soap, I feel like it is much smoother on my skin. I then proceeded to use my Bath&Body Works Pink Cashmere sugar scrub and lather it onto my whole entire body and wash it off until it was completely gone and my skin was super smooth!
Skin:
After my shower, I went to the sinks to begin my skincare routine. I typically wash my face day and night and on two nights throughout the week, I wear a mask (usually Wednesday and Sunday), but this particular night my routine was different. My organization “Her Campus CAU” gave me two products to use and give my honest opinion on. These two products were: (a) Conair Skin Pod and (b) Garnier Micellar Foaming Cleanser. I was super excited about the skin pod because I’ve always wanted a face “brush” or something that I can wash my face with other than my hands. However, I was a tad skeptical about the facial wash. I’ve only used Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus facial wash, so I wasn’t sure about another product on my face. But because I am open to new things, I decided to try it. So, as I began this new experience, I wet the pod and put the Garnier facial wash on it. The facial wash is kind of “liquidy”, I usually prefer a thicker wash but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me so I was okay. I wet my face and turned the power to high. The wash foamed up pretty quickly and it had a nice smell to it as well. The skin pod made the experience much easier than using hands also! After I used the pod for about 2 minutes, I rinsed both the product from my face and the Skin Pod. I used my hands to rinse my face. HONEY! CHILE! SWEETHEART! When I say my skin was softer than a plush pillow! And that my pores felt squeaky clean! I really mean that! I had no idea what I was expecting but it wasn’t that! I was so amazed at the final product, I told my mom that she needed to get herself BOTH products!
AWAKEN, MY LOVE (Childish Gambino)
Now that I was feeling calm physically, it was time to feel calm emotionally/mentally! During this particular practice, I completed it over two (2) days. Around the time of me writing this article, it was my university’s homecoming celebration. So, Thursday night, I sat in my bed and played some ocean waves on Spotify to meditate to. I played it for about 10 minutes and did some deep breathing with a clear mind at the same time. After that, I became super restless so I decided to get some rest. When I woke up, I was beyond refreshed! I believe it had everything to do with my nice shower but also, the fact that both my 9 am and 11 am classes were cancelled. With my free time, I spent the day with my friends (not worrying about anything) at our schools’ pep rally and meeting with a ton of alumni.
From the shower to the Skin Pod and Garnier facial wash and the meditation before bed, I would 10/10 recommend. Of the last 3 months that I’ve been away from home, this is the best I’ve felt! Self-care is extremely important, especially in college! This session was something I needed urgently. If you ever get the feeling of being anxious, sad, overwhelmed, I highly suggest that you take a few days to yourself and practice self-care so that you can remain as grounded as possible!