advice
H
appy Mother’s Day month! If
you’re reading this from one
of Hong Kong’s many five-star
spas, having been treated to
a day off with all the trimmings by your
grateful brood, then please feel free to
skip forward a page!
If however, a professional pampering
session is a dimly-recalled notion these
days and you’re more likely to sprout
wings and fly than get a full afternoon to
indulge yourself, then read on for some
time-savvy, home-made DIY treatments
and their off-the-shelf alternatives that
will have you feeling tip-top from the
comfort of your own bathroom.
Body
Sunshine and air conditioning play havoc
with your skin’s moisture balance, leaving
limbs more reptilian than resplendent.
Buff your way to super-smooth summer
skin with a homemade body scrub,
applied liberally in a warm bath
(ideally with the door locked to prevent
unwanted interruptions from small family
members).
First, choose your grain. While sea salt
scrubs are very effective, they can irritate
sensitive skin. A combination of brown
sugar and olive or coconut oil, scented
with a couple of drops of your preferred
essential oil will gently exfoliate, moisturise
and dissolve in warm water, leaving you
silky soft. A word of caution – oil and
water never mix so tread carefully getting
in and out of the tub!
If you’re too pushed for time to get
mixing, soften scales in the shower with
a gentle loofah, then add lashings of
oil while your skin is still damp. Nuxe’s
multipurpose Huile Prodigieuse dry oil is
feted by beauty editors the world over
and can be used on the body, face and
even hair, giving gorgeously scented
results without greasy residue.
Face
We’ve all been there; waiting patiently
for the overpriced avocado in your
fruit bowl to finally ripen, and then –
boom – overnight, it’s turned to brown
mush. Fortunately for your face and
wallet, avocados are packed full of
monounsaturated fat. This dietary good
guy amps up the skin’s moisture levels,
leaving your face super-smooth. So
if guacamole’s now off the menu for
tonight, simply slather on, relax, (again, a
locked bathroom door now may prevent
childhood nightmares later) and plump,
moisturised skin should be yours in around
15-20 minutes.
If you prefer your facial with an added
dash of science, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial
Mum hacks:
DO try this at home…
Can’t make it to the spa? Don’t worry, you can still indulge in a bit of
pampering from the comfort of your own bathroom, says
Kate Farr
.
Overnight Hydrating Masque is a gem of
a timesaver that delivers moisture by the
gallon, courtesy of its active ingredient,
hyaluronic acid. Smooth generously onto
a clean face, hop into bed and then
rinse off in your morning shower. Hey
presto! Happy face!
Nails
A bright manicure looks great… for
exactly the amount of time it takes for
you to smudge it. If you’re unable to sit
still long enough for your home mani to
dry properly, wait until the polish is just
about set then plunge your fingertips into
a bowl of iced water for five minutes, or
else gently paint on olive oil to set your
colour like a stone whilst moisturising your
cuticles (mums are famous multitaskers,
right?).
Really need to paint and run? OPI’s
Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops will have
you safely rummaging in your bag for
keys within five minutes flat.
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