We all love how our skin looks and feels after a facial – that smoothness and plumpness; that clarity and glow which our friends and family comment on with envy. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could keep skin glowing for longer?
Giving yourself a mini-facial at home is one way to keep your glow long after your facialist has worked her magic. You could, of course, go for a facial more regularly, but we don’t always have time to squeeze that into our busy lives.
Here is how you can give yourself a mini-facial at home and keep skin glowing:
1. Cleanse your skin thoroughly, but gently
A double cleanse with your favourite cleanser is best at this stage: your first cleanse will remove make up and grime from the day, while your second cleanse works deeper into pores removing build-up and is when your facial massage starts. Take time at this stage to massage skin gently with fingers. Follow up with a hydrating toner to remove any remaining cleanser, and to leave skin fresh and soft, ready for the next step.
2. Apply a serum to face and neck
Pat your serum gently into face and neck, if you use one. Not everyone needs a serum, as these are very concentrated products designed to target specific skin issues, such as dehydration, open pores, breakouts, sensitivity, or very dry skin. Use one if you feel you need a boost to your skincare routine. The serum will work into skin more deeply during your face massage (see below).
3. Apply an eye product
Again, gently tap your eye product under the eyes, along the socket and brow bone. If you are using an eye oil for this step, then it will also be worked into your skin more deeply during your face massage (see below). We recommend using an eye product as soon as the skin around the eyes starts changing or feeling different to how it used to. This area of the face moves a lot with our expressions, so keeping it supple will allow the skin to ping back into place more easily.
4. Seal your toner and serum into skin with some face oil
Using a face oil as your last step will help to seal in your serum, whilst the massaging action will help push both the serum and the nutrients from the face oil deeper into skin. Warm some face oil in your hands, hold your hands over your face and breathe in the scent deeply. Whilst exhaling, apply the face oil to your skin, massaging in small circles moving from the centre of your face outwards, as shown in the diagram below.
5. Massage skin using a face roller
It is this last step that will keep skin glowing after your facial. The massaging action of a face roller will not only push the products and face oil deeper into skin, but it will also boost circulation and bringing blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the surface of skin. A face massage also drains toxins away from skin by moving the lymphatic system and relieves tension in muscles under the skin. Aim to massage your skin with a face roller for 5 minutes every night, using the small end of the roller around the eyes, and the large end of the roller on the rest of your face and neck. Watch skin look and feel smoother, and glow with health, much like it does after a facial.