No matter how tired or totally exhausted I am, I always perform my nighttime routine. I know that everyone’s nighttime routine differs and based on your skin type, you may or may not benefit from the products that I suggest. If there’s one thing that we can all agree on, despite the products you use, is that we all have a few things we cannot live without. Some ‘non-negotiables’ if you will. For me, I often find myself picking at my skin after I’ve removed my makeup and washed my face. This habit became problematic when I noticed that this nasty habit was starting to cause scarring. So one thing that I invested in to really soften up the skin, prior to be extracting (fancy word for digging out your pores) is a facial steamer. I then lather up my eyes with almond oil, put on my ‘blue-light’ protection glasses, fill up my thermos and snuggle under my weighted blanket. I know it sounds like a lot, but in true Pameluxe fashion, I breakdown why I swear by these 5 items:
Facial Steamer: Having a facial steamer is super important for really creating that ‘at-home’ spa like experience. It’s calming, opens up the pores and really softens up the skin. When the pores are open, the face begins to sweat and releases built-up, residual makeup, and really helps purge the gunk that burrows deep within our skin. Taking time steam the face is also essential if you like to pick at your blemishes, pop your zits and really just go to town on problem areas. Yeah, I said it, because as much as we all hate to admit it, we’ve all been there. Although we should try to avoid it as much as possible, there is a right way to go about it. First and foremost, make sure your hands are clean because you don’t want to deposit more bacteria into the open pore. Secondly, steam the face because going in on skin that isn’t softened increases your chances are scarring and using unnecessary force can cause bruising. And lastly, while the pores are open, you want to cleanse and then follow up with a splash of cold water. Cold water causes the pores to shrink back up and tighten. There’s a few facial steamers on the market that can be upwards of $120, but the one that I use is from Amazon and it gets the job done just fine. Facial Steamer Nano Ionic Hot Steam For Face Personal Sauna SPA Quality Moisturizing Pores Cleanse Clear Blackheads Acne Impurities Skin Cares Mini Home Humidifier: https://shopstyle.it/l/0YT7
Cute Water Bottle: What can I say about drinking water that hasn’t already been said? Water is vital for your organs and although we don’t always feel the immediate benefits of that, it definitely shows up in our hair and skin health. Water is super key for skin health because it helps filter out toxins, and keeps the skin vibrant and elastic. It’s super critical for cell growth aka cell turnover, which allows healthy, glowy skin to shine through. Aside from our chapped lips and dry itchy skin, dehydration can also show up in the form of dry cuticles. I notice that when I am slacking on my hydration, my cuticles are dryer and often start to peel. The way I combat this is to always to go bed with a thermos of water. It’s become my nightly ritual and honestly I can’t live without guzzling 20-30 ounces of water each night. I drink quite a bit of water during the day, but I still love to end my day this way. I personally like warm water with lemon and a little dash of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. For me, having a cute thermos is important, but not as important the functionality of it. I love the Simple Modern blush pink thermos because it’s super insulated so it retains the heat/cold and doesn’t leak. Simple Modern Summit Water Bottle + Extra Lid – Wide Mouth Vacuum Insulated 18/8 Stainless Steel Powder Coated: https://shopstyle.it/l/00XS
Weighted Blanket: Sleeping with a weighted blanket has literally ruined all other sleep situations for me! No joke, I loved snuggling in my mom’s bed and what I realized is that it wasn’t her bed that I was obsessed with, it was how heavy her comforter was. So on my quest for a ‘heavy’ bed sheet/comforter set, I found a weighted blanket on Amazon. Weighted blankets and other weighted products have been used in the medical field for things like PTSD, insomnia and *drumroll please* anxiety. I noticed that my anxiety peaks at night when I start to plan/obsesses over future events. Weighted blankets offer deep touch pressure which raise serotonin (happy hormone) and offer a calming effect. Deep touch pressure also triggers melatonin (sleep hormone) release and helps you sleep deeper, longer. Anything that helps me calm down, alleviates my anxiety and gets me better sleep is a must. The weighted blanket I use is by Amy Garden on Amazon. Amy Garden Weighted Blanket (60″x80″,15 lbs for 140-150 lbs Individual, Grey) | 2.0 Adults Heavy Blanket: https://shopstyle.it/l/000B
Blue Light Glasses: Our eyes are super sensitive to different wavelengths of light, and the one that bombards us the most is ‘blue’ light. The blue light emitted from televisions and cell phone screens actually disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm which tricks our brain into thinking it’s day time. So although most of our nighttime routines involve scrolling and swiping away on our phones, blocking your eyes from the blue light is super important at night. One thing I do have to mention is that not all blue light is bad, but if you are going to be working on a screen within 2 hours of the time you want to hit the hay, make sure you are protecting yourself by wearing the proper eyewear. The blue light glasses I have are a super affordable pair from Amazon. A few brands released some really cute styles as well, but since I only wear them at night, I didn’t want to spend a ton. TIJN Blue Light Blocking Glasses Square Nerd Eyeglasses Frame Anti Blue Ray Computer Game Glasses: https://shopstyle.it/l/003o
Almond Oil: Of all the oils on the market, my absolute favorite on has to be Almond oil. Almond oil is incredible for lightening the under eye area, which is one area of my face that I absolutely obsess over. The eye and under eye area is extremely delicate and it needs to be treated totally different from the rest of the face. One step of my nighttime skincare routine that I cannot skip is hydrating my under eyes. Each night, after I’ve cleansed, scrubbed, steamed, extracted and toned, I take a quarter size amount of almond oil and go to town on my eyes. To be honest, I apply so much that I almost look *insane* but T has just gotten used to my greasy eye region, lol. I buy my Almond Oil from Amazon but I’ve seen the brand that I swear by at Whole Foods as well. Almond oil is packed with essential fatty acids that enhance the protective barriers in our skin, and revitalize dehydrated skin which often has a darker appearance. Now Solutions Sweet Almond Oil: https://shopstyle.it/l/01gY
