I no longer wear makeup daily; however, I've not lost the appeal of looking good through proper grooming and personal care. So, I am mindful of my diet and daily activities, which play a big role in how I look and feel.
My mornings start with a 20-minute face massage that helps with lymph drainage and toning the muscles of my face, and my day ends with a bedtime face massage routine.
Here, I apply pressure to my temples with my thumb, and I use my index finger to apply a slight pressure under my brows and do an upward sweep with my fingers towards the hair line.Moving the fingers along the brows with some pressure is great for people with hooded eyes, and this helps to open up my eyes and strengthen my weak eye muscles, as it helps to increase the flow of oxygen around the area.
Below, I do a repeat of this movement, which helps to tighten and smooth the skin around the smile line.
Placing my thumbs underneath the chin and moving my hands outward like a wave from the centre of the face towards the ears helps to smooth smile lines.
After the massage, the excess oil is rubbed on my hands, and all I need to do is let the oil (or cream) absorb into my skin, and then I remove the excess with oil-blotting paper to reduce the sheen.
This is pretty much the natural look that I leave the house with, which gives the illusion of youth compared to makeup, which helps to add a few years to my appearance.
After completing my face yoga and massage, I brew my coffee, and right now that I'm here at my mother-in-law's, I might browse through the Daily Mail, which she has a subscription to.
Good coffee is a must!
I make provisions for freshly brewed coffee, even when I travel.
This portable drip coffee maker that hubby picked up recently for under £10 is convenient and easy to use, and it makes a delicious brew.
Just one tablespoon of ground coffee makes one cup of coffee, and this eliminates the unnecessary purchase of coffee from a cafe or coffee shop.
Another ritual is preparing a healthy evening meal, which is light and high in protein but low in fat and cholesterol.
One of my favourite light spring/summer meals, which leaves me feeling full without bloating, is a Japanese-influenced shrimp-flavoured surimi served on a green salad with a small serving of rice soy sauce and wasabi.
Oh, the wine—it's about the one doctor's order that I follow, and I might have one glass three days in the week.
An economical meal for under £10, that serves one person for three meals.Salad: 0.85 p
Surimi: £1.69
Wine: £4.09
Soy Sauce: 0.69 p
Wasabi: £2
Rice: 0.59 p
Total £9.91
This is a delightful treat before I shower and tuck in with my nighttime face yoga and massage, which helps me to relax and fall into deep sleep quickly.
Before bed, face massage
(I will be honest and say that I mixed up my sequence, but I was tired, not used to doing this in front of the camera, and I was running out of memory space.)
I always start with a fresh, clean face and hands to avoid germs and debris from touching the face, which might clog pores or cause an outbreak.
With this nighttime face massage, I apply some pressure to the pressure points that help to relieve tension and stress. It's important to use facial oil for easy gliding and to avoid pulling on the skin.
The oil being used here is a vitamin C and squalene blend, which has a nice consistency to it.
Some of the overall benefits of these rituals are increased confidence, an increase in the blood flow to my face, which helps to give it a natural glow, less bloating in the stomach area and a faster digestive system, and increased mood and better sleep.
These are just some of the minimalist lifestyle hacks that I rely on instead of considering drastic procedures and simple, nourishing meals that help boost my immune system.
I trust that you'll enjoy trying some of these hacks.
All the images and videos included were taken by me.
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