If there’s one thing I love, is getting pampered! And we all know that already, thanks to the endless list of ‘how to pamper yourself‘ guides I’ve written for this blog… But let’s be honest: there’s a reason why we keep trying to recreate the perfect spa at home, and that is because the most of us can’t afford spa treatments, facials, massages and hairdresser touch-ups on a weekly basis.

So yes, today I’m sharing another pampering guide, yet again, but this time it’s for anyone who loves to treat her/himself but has an attention to her/his limited budget too. What if you could afford the random spa weekend a bit more often than you think? 😉

Your SPA at home

This is probably foregone and obvious, but I couldn’t do a budget friendly pampering guide without encouraging you to do it all at home. Because yes, if all you need is an evening for yourself, a hot bath, some relaxing music and some aromatherapy, that’s totally something that shouldn’t be expensive at all and that you can do yourself at home.

Of course this would still be quite far away from massages, saunas, muds and all that jazz, but I can assure you sometimes it’s just what we all need. You could buy yourself fancy bath salts or oils that, although might be a little pricy, will last you a really long while; and then maybe enjoy a face mask or two but only after having lit your favourite relaxing candle(s).

Any long term reader might remember our daytrip to the lake from last Summer – in that exact occasion we decided to spoil ourselves to 5 hours at Sirmione’s beautiful spa thanks to a great deal we found on Groupon, and, now that I think about it, I should plan another day just like that for the two of us only! As well as a proper haircut for yours truly… because it has been a while… ops!

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Would love to know how you pamper yourself on a budget and if you ever use Groupon too! x

This post is sponsored by Groupon. All opinions and love for the service are 100% my own!

I always begin these “pampering routine” posts like this, but I really am not one that loves to just sit there with face masks on for a couple of hours and do absolutely nothing. Or just feel like I’m wasting my time. That’s why I hardly really find time to pamper myself at all most of the times, however lately, after feeling way too constricted by working 24/7 for weeks, I decided I’d reserve my Saturday mornings to myself and nothing else.

I would take my time to do the breakfast I fancy, and not on a rush as I’d usual do, then shower and put a nice but quick face mask on, keep on top of my body hairs and eyebrows (especially) duties and then remember myself of popping some nail polish I like on my nail and maybe also to not be as lazy and apply a nicely scented body butter all over – because I know I like how my skin smells and feels right afterwards!

Recently my skin is not having the best time, with the heat always leaving it a sweaty oily mess and the temperature leaps causing bad breakouts all the time. On my face I’ve been loving my old favourite Antipodes Aura Mask, a 100% naural all-in-one mask I love for treating blemishes and breakouts thanks to the antibacterial properties of the Manuka honey, but also for re-hydrating my skin without leaving it oily or greasy by any means. And its scent is a combination of mandarin and vanilla, and it’s probably not possible to describe at words how nice and relaxing it is!

In the meanwhile I leave on my face mask, I’ve been loving to treat myself to a mini manicure! It might sound extreme, but I very rarely take some time to properly fix my nails and put some nail polish on, so this is a big deal for me! As for nail polishes, I love anything that stays on for 4-6 days without needing any touch-ups as I rarely can be bothered with re-painting my nails in the middle of the week. The L’Oreal Color Riche Nail Polishes are something I would totally recommend for their amazingly opaque and long-lasting formula (the two shades in picture are Parisian Rooftops and You are worth it and they are both amazing!).

A product that won’t ever be missed in my pampering routine, whether it’s in the evening or in the morning, is the L’Occitane Relaxing Pillow Mist, which I actually use more as a proper room spray everynight but also whenever I fancy switching off and recreating a relaxing atmosphere in my room. It smells like lavender fields with a touch of sweet orange and bergamot – it’s just the most calming scent ever.

And lastly, the body butter I would usually pick is the Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Souffle Body Creme, that smells and feels as fancy as it sounds once massaged into the skin! I’m a lover of sweet scents and there’s really nothing that can beat smelling like a creme brulee for a couple of days (yes, it lasts that long) to me! I’m usually that lazy that I would skip the body moisturizer step, but I actually deeply love taking some time to apply this one on my legs and arms.

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And that’s basically it, my short and sweet weekend pampering routine! Hopefully this will find any of you who feels a bit down recently and inspire you to treat yourself this weekend!

How do you get along with finding time to pamper yourself? x

Although I’m coming to love bath time more and more recently (thanks Lush for making me rediscover my bathtub!), I’ve always been a shower kind of gal: no matter how hard I try, I rarely can just lay there and relax, take time for myself without doing anything at all. It just feels a waist of time to me, and I know I shouldn’t think of it that way, but I just can’t stay there with nothing to do – am I the only one?!

Whether you feel the same way or you just don’t own a bathtub, I think we shouldn’t still give up on a bit of pampering time for ourselves. I like it to be nice and easy and especially quick, but it doesn’t mean my skin doesn’t love a bit of care, or that showers can’t allow you to have some time for yourself and switch off! Actually there are so many products I like to use in the shower instead of in the bathtub, scrubs for example always feel better in the shower to me!

After many years of searching and trying I feel like I’ve mastered the “Pampering Shower” routine like a pro now: in fact I have a four step guide for you today, including my all time favourite pampering products that make relaxing and caring for your skin fun and quick! Ready?

The 7 Minutes Facial

Most of the face masks out there require 15 or 20 minutes of your time and although I sometimes like it, most times I want my home facial to be quicker, so when I look into buying new face masks I always go for the 5mins ones. They’re great because they are usually lighter and perfect also to reinvigorate your skin in the morning if you have a dull-complexion day, like the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, that acts in only 5 minutes and aims to lighten and tighten the skin with Vitamin C and powerful antioxidants: it creates a nice tingling foam when applied and also has a very uplifting orange smell which is always a plus! Also the Lavera 3 in 1 Wash Scrub Mask is a quick one acting in only 3 to 5 minutes and especially great for those who have oily skin or acne.

I usually like to top it off with a quick and easy face oil massage treatment: I especially love the Superfacialist Rose Miracle Makeover Facial Oil for its delicate rose scent. I massage it into my dry skin for a couple of minutes (that’s actually the most relaxing part!) to rehydrate it and just give it some love (and if you don’t know how to massage your face just check this out!). Then I rinse it off with a cloth and warm water and I’m ready for jumping into the shower.

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That’s basically it, my pampering shower routine in 4 steps. I’m usually left feeling regenerated and completely relaxed – showers have nothing to envy to bathtubs indeed!
Are you a bath or shower kind of girl? x