Studio 5 Beauty & Style Contributor Holly Stone shares tips for 30 minutes of “me” time that will eliminate daily time-wasters and help you feel better as you speed through your jam-packed schedule.
Remember that taking care of yourself doesn’t make you self-centered, it makes you centered. Give yourself permission to lock yourself in the bathroom or closet and concentrate on preparing YOU for the week. This time spent will yield positive results throughout your daily interactions. When you put your best image forward, what comes back to you will astound you!
1) Plan Your Weekly Wardrobe: 12 minutes
As quoted in the Daily mirror.co.uk “Women on average take 9.2 minutes deciding what to wear. The research was by: www.lastminute.com. A recent study by UNI revealed that “the typical woman needs 40 minutes to get ready for work every morning as well, the amount of time spent preening adds up to more than two years and nine months over a lifetime.”To cut down on this time:
Think of your list of events and activities for the week. What kind of dress is required? Choose outfits for your 3 most important events. Use colors or prints in your pants or blouses to put ensembles together that are appropriate for the activity. Iron any item that is wrinkled. Organize each outfit in clusters, including shoes and accessories. This will save you the time and frustration of standing in your closet wondering what to wear.
A bonus: for an additional pick-me-up, take the opportunity to look in your closet and put together a “new” outfit. Combo something you may have never worn before. This gives you a chance at exploring your personal style and stepping out of a rut.
2) De-Clutter Your Beauty Area: 5 minutes
Do you have a mess in your make up drawer? Perhaps a powder that has broken, a lip gloss that has leaked, a hair spray that is sticky and spraying funny or a lotion that is smells odd? If you have to rummage through a mess to beauty yourself up, you are creating more work. Take the time weekly to de-clutter your beauty area. Throw away products that are more than 2 years old or that you haven’t worn in 1 year. Wash any products tubes that have leaked. Sharpen eye and lip pencils. Put your favorite lipstick in a place where you can grab it fast. Re-arrange your hair care products so you can pull what you need quickly. Assess any products you are running low on so you can add them to your shopping list.3) Mini-Manicure: 6 minutes
Your hands are busy and various activities throughout the days wreak havoc on your skin. Take some time to nurture your hands.• File or cut nails
• Combine ½ cup of sugar with 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Rub mixture vigorously onto your hands
• Rinse with a gentle cleanser and tepid water
• Dry hands thoroughly
• Dip a q-tip into the olive oil and massage into cuticles
• Rub a rich cream into hands4) Clean Brushes: 5 minutes
Clean hair and make-up brushes. This eliminates chemicals, oil and bacteria from creating future problems. Wash both in a mild baby shampoo or shampoo for color-treated hair, reshape, and let air dry on side of bathroom sink.5) Closet Clean-up: 2 minutes
Take a moment to organize a part of your closet. When you go to your closet and have to bury through piles of clothes to get to something, you 1) end up pulling the same thing which keeps you in a fashion rut 2) get frustrated with the loss of time spent searching. Put your shoes back in pairs. Fold your t-shirts or jeans. Hang up your pants and shirts that got dropped on the floor at the end of an exhausting day.
TIME BONUS: If your beauty drawer and closet are completely organized, pamper yourself with a facial or hair mask. This restores volume and clarity and makes skin and hair more manageable.
Soothing Facial Mask:
Mix 1 cup of plain yogurt with ½ cup of ground oatmeal. Leave on face for 10 minutes. Splash off.
Hydrating Hair Mask:
Wet hair. Pour 1 can coconut milk (found in Asian section of most grocery stores) and massage throughout hair. Wrap hair in towel and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse out with shampoo.
Add comment