The month of September is recognized as Self Care Awareness Month and what better time to practice self-care than now, when so many of us are living through what feels like forever in lockdown!

And yes, I hear and echo many of those mum’s (and dad’s!) who are likely thinking self-care? Who has time for that! But self-care can be as simple as getting an extra hour (or minutes even!) of invaluable zzzzz’s! In fact, sleep is probably the most important part of self-care! Why? Because it can improve your mindset, memory, concentration, energy, productivity, and skin too! And we know, no one is choosing to be sleep deprived, the stresses of everyday life can seriously prevent us from getting the amount of sleep we crave, but if it’s possible to try and get our heads down at a reasonable time (I’m talking to myself here too!) and stick to it nightly, it’ll improve your quality of sleep and in turn have a positive impact of your life and complexion too!

Below are 7 self-care tips that will help induce sleep as well as seriously benefit your skin. And if they are working for me, I’m pretty sure they’ll work for you too!

Get outdoors and get active

Spending time in the great outdoors in nature is paramount to our mental wellbeing, but it is also known to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, lower blood pressure and induce peaceful sleep! If you aren’t already doing so, or are becoming a wee bit complacent in lockdown, as part of your daily self-care routine, try and force yourself to get that 20 minutes plus of exercise daily and release those feel-good endorphins it induces.

Eat your way to sleep

We all know eating too close to bedtime can impact the quality of our sleep but so can the foods we eat! Now is the time to make changes to your daily diet and incorporate the following foods and drinks that are known to have sleep promoting properties!

Nuts – such as almonds, are a great source of the hormone melatonin which regulates your internal clock and signals your body to prepare for sleep. They are also an excellent source of magnesium which has the ability to reduce inflammation and stress levels, in turn helping to improve sleep quality, especially in those who suffer from insomnia.

Dairy – such as a glass of milk or plain yogurt are known sources of the amino acid tryptophan which increases the production of melatonin. A glass of milk before bed has been proven to improve sleep.

Bananas – like milk contain tryptophan, and the fruit itself is a modest source of magnesium.

Oatmeal & rice – are high in carbs and fibre and have been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed close to bedtime. Additionally, oats are a known source of melatonin

Chamomile tea – offers a variety of health benefits! From being rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, to boosting your immunity, reducing anxiety and depression! In addition, this popular tea contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in your brain that help promote sleepiness.

Indulge in a salt infused bubble bath

If you can’t remember the last time you let yourself enjoy a long soak in the bath free from distraction, then now’s the time to treat yourself to a salts-infused bath. Little instantly promotes relaxation quite like taking a remineralizing bath. Ahhhhhh. Begin by creating a spa-like atmosphere so your entire body is relaxed – I’m talking soothing music, burning essential oils, lighting your favourite candle, whatever it takes to set the mood. Next, fill your bath with Phytomer’s Oligomer Well Being Sensation Essential Minerals Relaxing Bath. This amazing lightly foaming product is enriched with Oligomer – a partially sodium-reduced seawater concentrate that contains all of the remineralizing properties of seawater –to strengthen and restore the skin and release all pent-up tension, helping you drift off into a world of utter relaxation.

Create a night-time skincare ritual

It only takes minutes to apply your skincare products before bed but what a difference it will make to your skin! If you want to drift off to peaceful slumber and awake to gorgeous glowy skin these are my personal night-time go-to’s;

Phytomer Night Recharge Youth Enhancing Cream – Skin cells do their greatest renewal and repair whist we sleep, so applying much needed hydration at night is encouraged to maximise absorption and to enhance your skin barrier. I personally LOVE Phytomer’s Night Recharge Youth Enhancing Cream and use it religiously because my skin demands that extra layer of rich fluffy moisturiser. The cream literally cocoons my skin in nourishing hydration and really does restore youthful vitality by morning.

Pevonia Aromatic Oil – with all the benefits of 4 mood enhancing essential oils – lavender, grapefruit, chamomile and rose, combined with squalane and vitamin e, this soothing and indulgent face oil combats dehydration and dryness while soothing, calming and brightening skin. It also promotes an immediate feeling of increased wellbeing and total relaxation from the moment you apply it! Heaven.

Say goodbye to dark undereye circles and bags

It’s not an urban legend — falling short on your zzz’s, whether due to insomnia or late nights, can cause circles under your eyes to appear or become more prominent. This happens because lack of sleep tends to cause the blood vessels under the thin skin of the eyes to dilate, creating a dark tint. Not getting enough sleep can also increase stress which too can exacerbate dark circles.

Fed up of waking with bulbous bags and black circles under your eyes? Try to get more of the necessary shut-eye, but also apply an eye cream like this beauty before bed and when you wake in the morning;

Vie Collection’s Chrono Eyes Puffiness-Dark Circles Wrinkles Cream. Yes, a mouthful to say, but a product that does exactly what it says. It’s a beautifully fine cream enriched with moisturising ingredients to nourish the eye area while reversing puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles! Seriously! it gives immediate gratification thanks to a pearlescent finish that instantly brightens the eye area and it has definitely calmed my puffiness, lightened my dark circles, and even smoothed my wrinkles!

Meditate to clear your mind

Meditation is one of the best ways to take care of yourself. I couldn’t imagine not having my nightly 5-minute meditation ritual, which my little one’s love to do before their bedtime too! It’s my way to wind down and calm my mind before bed and has vastly improved my quality of sleep too (because prior to committing to my bedtime meditation I was guilty of sitting staring at a screen until at least 11.30 pm at night and we all know how this can interfere with our circadian rhythm (our natural, internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycle.)

Meditation has a whole heap of benefits from reducing stress and negative emotions to increasing self-awareness, creativity, and patience. So, if you haven’t already and are keen to give it a try, I recommend both the Headspace and Calm apps. They have a range of guided meditations for an array of concerns such as sleep deprivation, anxiety, stress and productivity. It might take you a few goes before you start to relax into it and feel a change but believe me when I stay stick with it as you’ll soon wonder why you didn’t give it a go before now!

Play soothing sounds

This one gets me every time! Not only when I go to bed but when I’m putting my kids to bed and pass out too!! In addition to facilitating quickly falling asleep and improving sleep quality, playing relaxing music before bed can improve sleep efficiency, which means more time that you are in bed is actually spent sleeping. Improved sleep efficiency equals more consistent rest and less waking up during the night. Result!

Our family favourite is Relaxing Deep Sleep Music on Mindful Kids! Bliss.

For more ideas on how to practice self-care at home, check our team BC’s beauty recommendations.

If you find yourself somewhat time poor at present (I hear you!) but your skin needs that little extra attention and love, applying a face mask can be the perfect quick fix, and I am here to tell you why. So read on to reveal 6 reasons you should add a weekly mask to your skincare routine, we promise you you’ll love the multitude of benefits and the outstanding results they bring to your skin.

1. They give immediate gratification

While with most face masks you’ll need to leave it on for a minimum of 15 minutes, the results are instant and go way beyond the impact of your daily skincare routine! The right face mask can help hydrate skin, remove excess oils, improve the appearance of pores and more and after every application your skin will immerge tightened, toned, softer, smoother, and let’s not forget positively glowing!

2. They are quick and easy to use and can be applied at any time

Unlike your daily skincare routine which likely takes place first thing in the morning and then again in the evening, the luxury of a face mask is you can apply it at any time, the application is ever so easy and will only take all of a minute! And while you wait for it to work its magic (which can be anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight) it’s a great excuse for a little “me time” and indulge in a bubble bath, watch your favourite show on Netflix or even continue working if need be!

3. They are pampering and therapeutic

While many of us aren’t able to visit our local spa these days thanks to #lockdown, and home-schooling doesn’t allow us much ‘me’ time, a little pamper in the shape of a mask is a great way to not only address our skins needs but also make us feel amazing in little to no time! This is because a face mask can lift your spirit by stimulating your senses and allow you a moment (or few moments should I say!) of indulgent comfort. Ahhhhh.

4. They are deep cleansing

Applying face masks offer many physical and therapeutic benefits, but first and foremost masks provide cleansing on a deep deep level, benefiting the skin in multiple ways. Don’t get me wrong daily cleansing is an imperative part of your skincare routine, but applying a mask once or twice a week will take that process to a whole other level by removing any remaining makeup, excess oil, dead skin cells and other impurities on the skin’s surface as well as beneath the upper layers of the epidermis.

5. They help all your other skincare products to better penetrate the skin for optimum results

Many of us will be religious when it comes to our daily skincare ritual but if you really want all your products to absorb into your skin both quickly and deeply than a face mask is a necessity. By using a mask regularly, it will assist in enabling all the amazing ingredients from your skincare to penetrate deep into your skin essentially making your products work harder and more effectively than ever before.

6. They are the perfect product for everyone to use no matter how sensitive or reactive your skin might be.

This is because there is a mask for every skin type and concern. From dryness to inflammation, redness to acne, whatever your skin type there is the ideal mask to give your skin that instant boost it needs.

If your skin is on the sensitive side

If your skin tends to be somewhat sensitive, a soothing cream mask enriched with nurturing ingredients is a must. Phytomer’s Accept Comfort Mask not only calms red, irritated skin, it also strengthens it! Healing is faster and it leaves your skin feeling beautifully hydrated, calm and comfortable for days!

If your skin is looking a tad lacklustre

Vie Collections Phyto-C Mask should be your go-to. Power packed with Vitamin C, exfoliating Papain, marine minerals and more, it’s the mask that makes people ask if you’ve been on holiday recently, wouldn’t we all love that right now!

If your skin is currently donning a few too many blemishes

Phytomer’s Oligopur Flawless Skin Mask could be your one true savour! This blemish, mattifying cream-foam mask reduces inflammation from breakouts and refines the pores for a mattified even, clear complexion.

For dry, dehydrated skin, you need a deeply hydrating mask, like Phytomer’s Hydrasea Thirst-Relief Rehydrating Mask. It feeds the skin with ultimate nourishment so you can literally feel your complexion tighten and plump in nearly an instant. The end result is youthfully restored skin.

If you’re concerned about skin fatigue and visible signs of aging

Try Pevonia’s Ageless Skin Collagen Mask – my personal favourite! it instils skin with collagen polypeptides, Vitamin A, Green Tea and Mandarin Orange Extract to repair fine lines and wrinkles, encourage healthy cell turn over and effectively increase your skin’s overall radiance.

If your skin is in need of a detox

Pevonia’s Pure Skin Charcoal Mask is the perfect antidote for congested, dull skin. It rids skin of toxins, draws out impurities and debris, neutralises pollutants, and leaves skin gloriously glowy.

And if you want to address more than one skin issue you can use multiple masks, applying them to the different zones of your face for outstanding results every time.