MINDFUL BEAUTY

There’s no better place to start your self-care journey than with your beauty regime. Sarah-Jane Corfield-Smith looks at how mindfulness can easily be put at the core of skincare

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword right now. And rightly so. Our lives are getting busier and busier, stress levels are rising, we’re spending far too much time on our phones and tablets and nearly all of us are social media addicts. The mindfulness movement has come along and made us take stock and be more aware of the need to take time out, to rebalance, spend less time looking at a screen and to simply enjoy some silence, calm and quiet. Beauty and mindfulness are natural bedfellows, for while there are elements of skincare and makeup that are focused on achieving results quicker and faster, so much of it is about creating a ritual in your bathroom; allowing you to take time to massage your skin, relax your shoulders, breathe in some balance, breathe out the anxiety and enjoy some gorgeous products.

And that is the heart of mindfulness. But lets explore exactly how you can introduce a more mindful way to your everyday skin routine.

You may not think your feet would be the place to reach for to bring some zen into your life, but if it’s calm you’re after then that’s where to look. And it can start with something as simple as giving your feet a quick cleanse at the end of the day. Washing feet has a grounding in ancient religions and is often linked to humility and tranquillity as well as still being used today in cleansing rituals.

There is something so peaceful about washing away the dirt off your soles and giving your feet, the things that have (quite literally) supported you through your day. It doesn’t need to be some lengthy process – obviously it can be if you have the time – but a simple few minutes is all you need along with some warm water and a great foot wash.

However, dedicating a few minutes to your feet can also help tap into other areas of your wellbeing, something that acupuncturists and reflexologists are pros at doing. “I love feet washing for the innate care it brings a patient in the acupuncture environment, but also because the hands and feet are where the acupuncture meridians begin and end so there are points here that have a greater impact than elsewhere on the body,” says Joanna McGarry, beauty editor and acupuncturist in training.

“The Chinese have a different perspective of the feet compared to the rest of the world. They appreciate that the feet often infer the health of the person and they must be cared for to maintain overall health. I might use liver points on the feet to treat someone who has recurrent headaches. Equally I might use a kidney point, at the back of the ankle, for a post-part women who needs a boost.”

So while we’re not suggesting you’ll be able to do the kind of healing that trained professionals can, when you’re washing your feet take some time to use the pads of your thumbs to apply pressure to the points of your feet, and be mindful of how the rest of your body reacts to this seemingly simple act.

Next, to the area we spend most of our time and attention on, the face. Facialists have utilised pressure points on the face to stimulate things such as lymphatic drainage for years, but this can be hard to reenact on your own, mainly down to not knowing exactly where to target, and not being able to get the same sort or grip and pressure onto your own skin, but perhaps more commonly because who has time to do anything more than quickly rub a product in and hope for the best?

That’s where crystal rollers come in. Not only do these automatically look like they belong as part of a mindful routine – crystals and the concept of zen almost cannot exist without one another – but they also provide an essential service easily. By rolling your face you can exert more force onto your skin than with fingers and it targets a larger surface area quicker. Result.

But why should you bother? “Both jade and amethyst face rollers should be your new best friend!” says Noella Gabriel, co-founder of skin and spa brand Elemis. “Crystals create energy on contact with the skin, subsequently supporting the energy of the skin. Used as a massage tool you will be supporting the skin’s function, reducing any irritation and daily aggressors and stresses.

“Furthermore, crystals have a positive charge which latch on to toxins on the skin that have a negative charge.” But as well as giving your skin a boost, your well-being will be pepped up too. “They are great at alleviating tension around the jaw and supporting the energy flow of the skin below the surface. It is also a great tool to use to relieve any tension around the eye area from what a headache or blocked sinuses may cause.” If using first thing in the morning then store your roller in the fridge and use after applying serum; the coldness will give your skin and mood extra zing.

Essential oils play a huge part in mindfulness. The easiest way to incorporate them into your daily routine is to look for products with them clearly earmarked on the packaging. Relaxing lavender night cream, uplifting citronella shower gel and the like. For a smarter, more tangible way to get aromatherapy oils working for you there are other options. Yoga oils are the hot new way to get your mood-boosting hit. Designed to be diffused while doing your best downward dog, simply choose an oil to match what you’re trying to achieve and let that be part of your focus while on your yoga mat.

Or just add a few drops of the oil that

Yoga oils are the hot new way to get your mood-boosting hit – designed to be diffused while doing your best downward dog

appeals the most onto a tissue or the cuff of your outfit – and as stressful moments approach you throughout your day, stop and, quite literally, smell the roses, vetiver, geranium or whatever you’ve gone for.

And if you’d rather the mindfulness was all done for you, then why not book yourself in for a treatment instead? ESPA spas have a dedicated mindfulness treatment menu where you can choose from the ‘Mindful Release’, a 90-minute massage that uses breathing and visualisation techniques to help relax the mind and release physical and emotional anxieties, as well as a re-energising scalp massage using warm rose crystals. Or there is the ‘Holistic Harmony’ a 120-minute Ayurvedic treatment incorporating a full body exfoliation, facial cleanse, foot ritual and body and scalp massage that helps tackle insomnia and high stress levels. Prices vary, but the relaxing results do not.