Fitting in a moment for me every now and then is SO important.
I’m writing this as my freshly-minted five month old son naps quietly in a bassinet next to my dining room table. I’m working from my dining room table because I do, in fact, work long hours (articles for major magazines don’t write themselves, do they? I wish.) in addition to parenting my four little ones and being a wife to a particularly energetic guy, and trying to fit in all the normal stuff for my prior-to-kids life like working out, eating normal meals, TV appearances, and travel.
Tired mom eyes, no makeup, no creams. I need a moment for me, obviously.
OH. MY. GOD. If anyone ever tells you parenting is a breeze and they have oodles of extra time to just hang out and “chill” you need to give that person some major side eye, because it’s totally impossible if you’re fully leaning in, and I am, and the shower is basically the only moment for me I routinely get. I bring my little bluetooth speaker in (that’s what bathroom shelving is for, right), crank the Pandora to match my mood (usually something upbeat because shower dancing counts as a workout in my eyes), and get going on some serious skincare. Nothing is better than emerging from the shower with radiant, bright skin that doesn’t really require makeup — because as any other mom will tell you, momming doesn’t always equal a fully made up face whether we want it to or not (only so many hours in each day, #amiright?). Lately I’ve been using the new Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial in my shower each Sunday evening before bed and loving the results. It cleanses, scrubs, brightens, and magically gives the whole spa experience in one minute, and I’m extremely down with that for all the obvious time-saving reasons.
I was pretty pleased to find that Aveeno was partnering with FaceLove in New York last week – if you haven’t already heard of FaceLove, OMG, now’s the time— because it’s great, and works as a sort of massage-meets-acupressure-meets-lymphatic drainage approach to glowy skin. The owners, Heidi and Rachel, are trained massage ninjas who do their best to make faces glow with minimal products. If you’re wondering how this heavenly experience went, imagine this:
This is FaceLove in NYC, my favorite little slice of calm
You sit back in a comfy reclined chair with a massage therapist behind you, gradually cleansing and exfoliating your face with the Aveeno 60 Second In-Shower Facial. Then they add a warm, steamy towel to your face (see below), wipe away all the week’s grime and stress, and go to work on your newly smooth skin. Obviously all this is super easy to recreate in a twice weekly moment-for-me routine, and that’s what I’ve been doing.
Heidi doesn’t mess around when it comes to facial massage and great skin
Then Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial is applied to seal moisture in and work as sort of non-oil massage cream for the face to keep pores bright and brilliant instead of clogged and gross. She goes to work mapping out facial pressure points to help increase circulation and overall radiance. Facial massage, by the way, is probably one of the best ways to use your “moment for me” if you have any, because you can do it while you’re watching TV, on the train to work, waiting for the kids to finish ballet, or whatever else — and it’s got serious beauty benefits according to experts.
Cold jade rollers over the Aveeno cream = all my happiness
Heidi was really clear when she told me, “You don’t have to spend a ton on $300 night creams when really good, affordable products do just the same, if not better, and you can really enhance your routine with a little DIY facial massage. It’ll increase circulation, cell turnover, and reduce the need for makeup. Other cultures rely less on makeup and more on facial massage and dedicated skincare routines.”
This is what the 60 Second Facial looks like
This was obviously music to my overworked mom ears.
She recommended the following super easy ways to turn up my skincare routine at home:
Leave a bottle of the Aveeno 60 Second In-Shower Facial in my shower, that way I won’t forget to take a moment for me at the end of each week
When I’m using the product, apply it evenly over my skin. After 60 seconds, massage it with gentle-but-firm pressure in a circular motion around my face and neck and continue working the product in by section. Rub each section for 10-12 seconds.
wash the product off with regular warm water or with a warm soaked towel or washcloth
Follow up with the Overnight Hydrating Facial, and get ready for about 2-4 minutes more massage.
The face has over 300 acupressure points that correspond to different functions and organs, so Heidi says you really can’t go wrong by stimulating any of them gently. She suggests using your index and middle fingers for massage, holding a point for a three-Mississippi count, and then repeating one to two more times before moving onto another point. Voila.
The warm towel method of wiping the 60 Second Facial off my skin gets a two thumbs up rating from me
I’ve been doing this pretty routinely, and I have to say — the (designer) bags under my eyes seem WAY better, and I know for a fact with a little baby at home it’s not because I’ve been sleeping more, because I definitely haven’t. The added massage and lymphatic drainage coupled with really good products in my moment for me routine are what’s done it, and I’m loving that my moment for me is easily done on a quiet Sunday night, in my bathrobe, without any additional contraptions, cash, or major effort.
My skin is looking about a thousand times better than before I took a moment for me with the Aveeno 60 Second Facial
Have you tried facial massage for beauty? Weigh in with your thoughts and comments below!
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This post was sponsored by Aveeno, but I have really been a loyal user of their products for years and count Heidi as a real friend and would recommend her spa to just about anyone — kids or not.
