A little self-care certainly does go a long way. I was, actually inspired by @aimeludick 's birthday requests links of cosmetics and stuff she'd really like to try.
We both had birthdays this week and were spoilt rotten! I was gifted with the most incredible chocolates from the Spice Route as well as other choccies which I gobbled like a little piggy!
Anyway, back to selfcare that does not include me eating my weight in chocolate, although I did share.. some of it...
That poor chocolate never stood a chance! π
I went to Dischem (A giant Drug Store/ Pharmaceutical and various self-care products Chain in South Africa) anyway to collect my meds.
As I browsed the aisles, I realized that @aimeludick and I have desperately been disregarding our self-care routines.
I mean, I cant remember how long its been since I had a decent clleanser or moisurier. No wonder my skin looks like hell. Aime still has tht lovely teenage glow that lets her get away with it, but it is definitely very noticeable and that the health of my skin, hair and body have declined terribly. Especially my face.
So, while I was browsing the nail varnishes and mascaras that she was looking for, I came across this cleanser! I have never tried it before, but it was a good price and I thought @aimeludick and I could share it.
I then decided that if we were going to go the cleanser route that we would definitely need a good moisturizer (or two! There was a special for two tubs which also contain SPF 20 protection). The first moisturizer I was looking at was one we've used before and therefore I know it works with both of our skins. It's a Rooibos Brand, ad is very gentle on the skin. Moisturizing properly is so important ESPECIALLY if you have greasy skin. Most often, greasy skin is caused by poor skin care and a lack of hydration through daily cleansing and moisturizing. The skin produces grease as it's own defense, but this mostly results in breakouts and blocked pores.I totally bought us our own ones!
Actually, this whole self-care horse that I'm on was also inspired by my bestest friend who came to visit us from London. We dyed my hair, which was desperately needed as my roots were showing drastically. They did not have my usual Lady Gaga/ Madonna/ Gwen Stefani blonde, but they had one that seemed light enough. The issue I have is that with ay other blonde, I go ginger. It's obviously genetic but really annoying. It means I have to go for extremely light blondes or ash blond - which can make my hair look dull which defeats the whole object since my natural colour is dark blonde/ mousey brown. Urgh...
So Anna dyed my hair for me, which was such a luxury. There's just something lovely about having your hair played with β€οΈπβ€οΈπ At first, I thought we had messed up with the colour, but after a week of letting it settle and using toner, it turned out beautifully and looks so natural!
Before dying my hair, Anna and I went shoe shopping and we went to a nail bar, Sorbet, for me to have a manicure: all sponsored by my wonderful @zakludick. With the attention on both my fingernails and my toes, I felt horribly embarrassed at the state they were in.
After the manicure I was totally in love with my new nails. I did get acrylics even though said I didn't want the bother and they ended up looking do beautiful. All I have to do is show up every two to three months to have the regrowth filled and any manicuring attended to.
My feet, however, were a total disaster, which I tried to hide from the camera as much as possible. @zakludick tried to paint them on Sunday with a white French tip colour and a shiny pink overlay, but the varnish took so long to dry that when I went to my interview, all the varnish had come off my big toe (not noticeable thanks to the angle of my lovely new sandal straps. Basically there was so much varnish as Zak had to build up so many layers to cover up my blackened nail (I still don't know what I did: what did I bang it against or drop on it? who knows) that it never dried. It just turned into goop. I tried panting them purple when I got home, but soon just took everything off. I realized that they too need some serious pampering and manicuring and removal of dead skin which is going to take some real effort, and covering it up with pretty nail varnish is not a long term solution. I've probably had this heel and foot balm staring at me for over a year (since I last cleaned out my bedside table), but today was the 1st day I actually used it. How lovely it is to have soft feet! I will use my manicure kit to remove dead skin and cut them/ file the nails to shape. A bit later on.
I learned from this experience that it not only made me feel pretty, but boosted my mental health to actually take care of myself. It felt really good β€οΈβ€οΈπππΈπΈππ
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Very HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to you and @aimeludick π