Self-Care During Quarantine: 5 Ways to Use Your Beauty Routines to Make Time for You!

Self-Care During Quarantine: 5 Ways to Use Your Beauty Routines to Make Time for You!

Hi Everyone! A few weeks ago, Amy shared some awesome tips to keep our stress levels low while practicing social distancing.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how simple beauty routines have become a form of serious self-care during quarantine. If you’re like me and you’re finding a lot of your routines have been interrupted in a big way right now, I’ve got 5 tips that will hopefully help you feel a little pampered and a lot more in control while we’re all hunkered down.

So, let’s dive in and look at some ways we can stay feeling fabulous even when things are stressful!

1. Self-Care Pro Tip: Take All the Time You Need

What do I mean by this exactly? Well, self-care can look like a lot of things to a lot of different people. For many of us, right now is the time we’re finding we have a lot of unexpected free time on our hands. Why not use some of it to take your time doing daily tasks you normally have to rush through! My favorite way to do this is to take a longer shower.

Try it out! Instead of rushing through washing your hair, try giving yourself a gentle scalp massage for a few minutes. Check out that new deep conditioning treatment or face mask you’ve been wanting to take a crack at! One of my favorites is to take a few extra moments to rub my shoulders and neck under the hot water.

It’s okay to slow down, savor the time you have to do these basic everyday tasks, and really find the joy in them. One way I added some extra self-care and fun to my shower routine was buying a LED shower head and Bluetooth speaker.

Hey, my shower concerts are full blown productions!

And that’s okay. Find the fun and joy in slowing down and take this opportunity to savor moments you wouldn’t get to otherwise.

2. Self-Care Pro Tip: Looking Good for You!

This one came to me unexpectedly, but about a week into sheltering in place I realized how badly I missed putting on makeup! For some people, makeup isn’t their preference (although I have a feeling that if you’re here reading Health and Beauty Girl you might be a huge fan of it like I am).

Even if you have nowhere to go but the living room, try taking some time to get done up. This is a great time to experiment with new makeup. Try a fun look, check out some interesting trends, and do whatever makes you happy.

I make a point every morning of sitting down with my favorite podcasts, drinking my coffee, and doing my makeup. Even though it only takes up a little time out of my day, I spend the rest of the day feeling so much better and my self-esteem goes through the roof.

Makeup is a great form of expression and I definitely recommend taking some time right now to express yourself! 

3. Self-Care Pro Tip: Don’t Forget the Basics!

While Instagram can make self-care look aesthetically pleasing, with perfectly laid out bubble baths and amazing flat lay photos of products people are loving, we can’t forget that often self-care is doing what you need on a basic human level. A full face of makeup may not do you much good if you haven’t brushed your teeth and hair today.

One of my favorite self-care moments in the day is brushing my teeth. I know it sounds odd but taking the time to do a full dental routine with a 2-minute brush, floss, mouthwash, and even teeth-whitening makes me feel so much better. The same goes for doing my skincare, combing my hair, and putting on a fresh outfit even if that means yet another pair of sweatpants.

If you’re feeling down and struggling, try even the basics. If a shower is too much, try splashing some water on your face or using a makeup wipe to get your skin at least semi-clean. If a full dental routine is too much, try taking the time to brush your teeth. It sounds simple but when people are really down these little things can make a monumental difference in their outlook on the day. If you’re feeling down, check in with yourself and ask what little beauty routines you can do to feel better.

4. Self-Care Pro Tip: Treat Yourself!

Have a new skincare product you wanted to try that’s normally out of your price range? Had a new beauty item in your cart forever and can’t bring yourself to buy it? Friend, treat yourself!

A lot of the ways people usually treat themselves-- restaurants, shopping, travel-- are all off the table right now. It’s okay if you want to splurge on a product you ordinarily would not.

Not sure what to get? Try shopping with online retailers that let you include samples of products at checkout! This may be one of the easiest ways to discover something new you’ll love. Or! Buy a travel or mini size of a product first to make sure you like it. These are often cheaper and you likely won’t have overspent if it turns out you don’t love that product after all.

5. Self-Care Pro Tip: Stick to a Routine

For me, sticking to a routine means that I do my skincare every morning and every night. A lot of my routines are thrown off right now. My eating schedule, my work schedule, my sleep schedule. It helps to pick an aspect of your beauty routines and make sure you stick to them. Whether this is skincare, makeup, a once a week hair treatment, etc. Find something in your beauty routine and make sure you commit to sticking to that routine whenever possible.

Set it up like a goal for yourself. You’ll feel proud of yourself when you accomplish the small task and help do something to beautify your day at the same time! It’s a win-win. 

Now I want to hear from you!

Comment below and tell me what beauty and self-care tips have been your favorites recently!

About the Author:
Alaina Lightfoot
Owner/Beauty Content Blogger
Alaina Lightfoot Freelance https://alainalightfoot.com/

#guestpost 

Occasionally, Health and Beauty Girl works with Authors who write content that we love and want to share with you! We hope you love them, too!

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish and Glow Blush in Pillow Talk Review + Swatches

Featured Product:

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish and Glow Blusher in Pillow Talk - 8 grams/ SRP $50.00

After hearing so much about Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk line, I became so intrigued that I just had to try it for myself. 

The Pillow Talk line includes this blush, a lip liner, lipstick, and eyeshadow quad. Because of the high price tags, I just wanted to start with one item and see if it lives up to the hype, so I went with the blush.

From Charlotte Tilbury:

Cheek to Chic in Pillow Talk is a two-tone powder blusher in a dusky pink and champagne shimmer shade that will add a kiss of colour to your cheeks.

With luminous gold flecks in each shade, this blush will add an instant healthy sheen to your complexion for a gorgeous glow! Complete your iconic Pillow Talk love story look with this blush, perfectly paired with the new luxury palette, award-winning lip liner and matte lipstick.

WHAT MAKES CHEEK TO CHIC MAGIC:

• Light Flex Technology creates the appearance of capturing light & re-emitting it for a luminous-looking complexion.

• Colour-rich pigments are rolled into finely crushed pearls to create smoother-looking skin with excellent blendability & perfect colour uniformity.

• The secrets to a glowing, just-kissed blush are de-coded into a two-step “SWISH & GLOW” ritual for a flawless looking finish every time

• The formula is buildable for the perfect, healthy, even glow

• Universally-flattering shade suits everyone aged 18-80

• Paraben-free

When I first received the Pillow Talk blush, I thought that it just looked like a bronzer and wasn't sure what to expect. I actually felt a little disappointed by the shade in the pan as it looked quite basic. Well, I was all wrong! This blush really is magical! Read on and I'll share my reasons why...

Although this two-toned blush is described as pink and champagne, I would describe the outer shade as a beautiful rosy bronze shade, while the centre shade appears more peachy on my skin tone. Just one of the great features of this blush is that it would look fabulous on a wide range of skin tones.

The two shades can be worn separately to really sculpt and highlight the face, or you can swirl them together for a beautiful flush and glow. I find that this blush can make you look like a bronze goddess or a natural beauty or both if you choose. Because this blush is in the nude colour family, it goes with any makeup look! The texture is unlike any blush that I've used before. It's not powdery at all, it's sheer yet pigmented and buildable. It isn't glittery either, it just provides a beautiful sheen to the cheeks.

Sometimes I take my time and use the darker shade as kind of a contour/blush and use the centre shade as a highlight on my cheekbones. But, most days, I swirl them together and apply all over my cheek area. I find that this blush serves as my bronzer, blush and highlight, which is amazing for days when I don't want to fuss with multiple products.

This product is fabulous for aging skin as it doesn't accentuate pores or texture and it really gives a lifted look to the face! This alone makes it worth the hefty price tag for me as I age and my face is going south. For this reason, I think CT should update the description of this product from ages 18-80 to 18-100+!

The product does fade slightly throughout the day but I would say the lasting time is excellent!

Swatches in natural daylight:

Pillow Talk Blush Swatches

Left: Outer shade, Centre: middle shade, Right: blended together

#nofilter 

Trying to capture the sculpt and glow that this gorgeous blush gives

Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk blush is totally worth the hype in my opinion. The only thing I would change is the name, I would call it "sculpt and glow."

If you are looking to treat someone special in your life or even to treat yourself, I highly recommend this blush!

Now I really want to try the eyeshadow in Pillow Talk, too. 😄

Some links are referral.

Divine Essence Organic Rosehip Oil Review

Featured Product:
Divine Essence Organic Rosehip Oil- 30ML / SRP $15.49CAD

I am beyond ecstatic to have finally found a Rosehip Essential Oil that doesn't break me out!  I added Divine Essence Organic Rosehip Oil to my current skincare regimen by adding it to my serum, before I moisturize, and my skin is loving it! It's really amped up the moisture in my skin and my skin looks much brighter.

Rosehip Oil is one of the top essential oils for anti-aging, so I've always wanted to add it to my skincare routine but every time I tried one, it made my skin breakout so badly. I'm so happy to finally be able to incorporate this wonderful essential oil into my skincare routine. 

Rosehip oil is also great for rosacea-prone skin, dry, damaged skin, reducing stretch marks and scars, and as an after-sun treatment to soothe sunburns. Rosehip oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and is very healing and regenerating to the skin.

This product is #organic #vegan and #crueltyfree .

Available at @welldotca and currently on sale! But, it's very reasonably priced, to begin with!

Not Sponsored. The product was provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.

#aromatherapy #carrieroils #organicbeautyoils #aromatherapyexpert #naturalremedies #hydrosols #floralwater #buycanadian #msquaredbrands

New! Cetaphil Hydrating Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid Review

Featured Product:
Cetaphil Hydrating Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid 48 grams/ Approx $12 USD

I haven't used Cetaphil products since I was in my 20's when a dermatologist recommended this line for my problematic skin. Now, over 20 years later, I was given the opportunity to test out their new Hydrating Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid through Topbox Circle. 

About:

Cetaphil Hydrating Night Cream nourishes skin to provide intense overnight hydration for normal to dry skin. Formulated with HYALURONIC ACID, olive extract and a pro-vitamin E, A & C complex, this creamy moisturizer rehydrates skin and boosts moisture reserves to protect skin from dryness for 24 hours. This rich, non-greasy night cream leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and supple.

• Made with hyaluronic acid and olive oil
• Dermatologist tested
• Non-comedogenic
• Paraben and fragrance-free
• Hypoallergenic
• Suitable for sensitive skin

I wasn't expecting much but a good basic moisturizer. Boy was I wrong! 

The packaging is pretty simple and had I not received a sample, I probably wouldn't have tried this. This night cream has blown me away! It has to be the most hydrating night cream that I've ever used, without being greasy or heavy. It takes care of my dehydrated like nobody's business!  It has not broken me out and it's so soothing. My skin feels like glass, so soft and smooth and the hydration lasts forever! 💦💦💦 It contains hyaluronic acid which I have used before but not with results or effects like this! This product actually works better at combating my dehydrated skin than expensive spa products! I love it so much that I'm also using it during the daytime as I can't get enough of how wonderful my skin feels when I use this product!

I am completely sold on this night cream and will definitely purchase it and use it in conjunction with my serums, Retin-A etc. 

Note: I use a little beauty spatula to keep things sanitary. 

You can learn more about this product and purchase it HERE.

Not sponsored. I received this product free for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

1 Year Blog Birthday! Big Beauty Giveaway! *CLOSED

A year ago today Health and Beauty Girl was born. I want to celebrate Health and Beauty Girl's birthday by giving back to you with a giveaway!

I started this blog to share my experiences and passions with other like-minded people. I have learned so much along the way and met some of the most incredible people! I have been very lucky and truly have the most amazing readers. Having this giveaway is my way of saying thanks for reading my posts and sharing so much with me.

I can't believe that I've been blogging for a year! The year just flew by... must be having fun! I had no idea that I would end up blogging for this long and didn't know where things would go, but I'm even more excited today for the future of Health and Beauty Girl than I was when I started.

I will probably celebrate with a cupcake and my favourite tea! And, this giveaway of course.

Let's get this party started!

I have selected some of my personal favourite beauty products and some I've never tried before to give to one lucky reader.

This beauty prize pack (value over $60) includes:

-Elf eyeshadow palette in Smoky
-Elf eye primer
-Essence Contour and highlight powder (New product, I hear it's comparable to high-end!)
-Essence Sun Club all-in-one bronzing highlighter (I own this and love to use it every summer)
-2 Essence Lipsticks in my 2 favourite colours: Cool Nude and Creamy Nude
-Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral eyeshadow palette- matte 02
-Sonia Kashuk Shine Luxe Sheer Lip colour in "Sheer Pink Lust" (I have backups of this!)
-4 eye brushes
-a pair of rhinestone crawler earrings

Giveaway details:

-The giveaway will run for 1 week and will close on March 18th
-The winner will be announced on the blog, twitter and IG
-It is open internationally
-If the winner's shipping address is outside of Canada and the USA, the package will be shipped by ground and may take up to 6 weeks to reach you
-No purchase necessary
-Must be age of majority in your state, province etc.
-Healthandbeautygirl.com is not responsible for lost or damaged merchandise
-This giveaway is not sponsored and is fully funded by Moi!


Thanks to everyone for participating in my giveaway and congrats to the winner! It was such a good time, I will definitely be hosting more giveaways in the future!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Decluttering Series: Beauty Samples Stash Testing + Reviews #challenge

I love getting samples of new products to try but I don't always use them right away as I'm often trying to finish up some full size products that I'm using. Now I find myself in a sea of samples so to speak so I've decided to take on the task challenge of using up all of my samples.

Hair Samples

Face & Body

Other Samples

As you can see I have a lot to get through and these are only the small size sample that I've accumulated. I have given a lot of samples to friends and family when I had duplicates or items that I thought they would enjoy more than I would.

Storage

This is how I decided to store my samples to give me easy access until I finish them up. Oh, the victory I will feel when that day comes! All the hair samples are in the basket and everything else is in the clear zippered bag.

I will use a few samples each week and report back on my experience with the products. Some samples are one time uses and others will give me a few uses and may take longer to finish up. 

I am looking forward to this challenge! 

Here is what I tried this week:

-TreSemme 7 Day Keratin Smooth System- Wow, did I lose a ton of hair using this 3 step system. I lost a lot of hair during each step and I have no idea why. Maybe it's not suitable for fine, fragile, bleached hair, but I didn't read that on the packaging anywhere. I didn't even follow the part of the instructions that tell you to go over each section with the flat iron 3 times, once was enough for me. The end result was dry hair and it only remained straight for the 1st day, after that my waves started to come back. I did not notice any special straightening from this product over using any normal shampoo, conditioner and treatments.. other than a lot of hair shedding!  I have two more of theses samples and they are going straight in the garbage.

-LaCoupe Argan oil Smoothing Shampoo and conditioner- My fine, curly hair was totally weighed down by this products and looked dirty with no style. Maybe better suited for people with coarse hair.

-Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser- This worked well at removing my makeup but still required a cleanse after. I prefer to remove my makeup with an oil, Micellar water or wipe over this lotion cleanser.

-Almay Smart Shade- This blended into my skin nicely and had light coverage that evened out my skin tone. I didn't have any irritation or breakouts from it but I found the shade turned dark on my light-medium skin tone. Maybe it oxidized or is the wrong shade. The sample was from a magazine insert and doesn't state the colour.

I hope you enjoyed this post and mini reviews. If you have a lot of samples to use up maybe you'll join me in this challenge.

Come check out some other great beauty blogs here! Fabulous and Fun Life Linkup Party!

Amy

Day 2: #lipstickleague Photo Challenge: Current Hair Care Love

Today is day 2 of the #lipstickleague photo challenge. Today's challenge is to post our current hair care love. Here is a link to the original post for the #lipstickleague May photo challenge including the chart with the challenges as well as who are the #lipstickleague? if you're curious. ;)

I thought I would do a quick blog post about it since it's beauty related and I really want to share this one with those who may not have Instagram.

My current hair care love is North American Hemp Co's "Never Too Late to Repair Deep Hair Treatment Oil" I bought this on the recommendation of a friend. I use this oil every time I wash my hair.  Regardless of whatever styling products I decide on, I mix this in with it which helps it to spread throughout your hair more easily since it's a blend of oils and not a silicone based product.  Unlike other oils that sit on the hair, this one really seems to penetrates the hair, and my hair is healthier from using it. I only use 1 pump, a little goes a long way! You can use it on wet or dry hair but if your hair is fine use very little. I imagine this would also be great on thick or ethnic hair types.

Directions: Add a little to damp hair for shine that lasts all day. Leave on overnight for the ultimate hair and scalp rejuvenation, for tomorrow’s brilliant frizz-free style.

Ingredients: Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Sesame (Sesamum indicum) oil, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Oil Flavour

I found mine at a Winners or Marshalls for only $6.99.

What hair products have you been loving?

Xo Amy

Target Canada Closing Liquidation Sale- Final Haul: Health, Beauty, Makeup, Home

I did a few Target hauls during their liquidation sale here in Canada. The stores near me closed their doors for good this past Sunday and I decided to make a couple few more trips before they departed as I heard they had everything marked down to 80% off! I wanted to see if there was anything worth getting and take advantage of 80% off of course.

Just before the 80% markdown they were at 70% markdowns and the stores were still brimming with products. By the time I went back during the 80% markdown the store was pretty much bare. They had some health and beauty products, home products, a TON of Sonia Kashuk products as well as racks and racks of basic T-shirts for only $2, but that was pretty much it.

70% off sale

Above is the what the store looked like just days before the 80% off sale. I wasn't able to get photos during the 80% off sale due to crowds and security but as I mentioned it was mostly bare.

Sonia Kashuk!

Sonia Kashuk palettes (drool!) This is the only bin I was able to get a picture of. This is the  highly coveted Eye on Neutral Matte palette and there were even more of them in other bins! They were marked down to just $3.99!!

Haul #1

All of these items were 80% off, so most items were around the $2 range! woop woop!

Pictured above, clockwise starting on the left side. ("SK" will be abbreviated for Sonia Kashuk):

up & up waterproof makeup remover

SK body butter in Yellow Alluriana

SK Eau De Toilette in Yellow Alluriana

SK body brush 

SK Beautifying Blush in pink

SK Eye Duo in Leather & Lace

SK All Covered up Corrector in Ivory

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Opal Orchid

Pixi Fairy Light Solo eyeshadow in Nude Nouveaux

SK nail colour in Golden Ticket

SK Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Colour in Sheer Pink Lust (x2)

SK Satin Luxe Lip Colour in Nude Pink
SK Dramatically Defining Longwear Gel Eyeliner in Ebony

Haul #2

All items were 80% off with the exception of the cardigans which were 70% off:

Pictured above, clockwise starting on the left side:

Mossimo Cardigans at 70% off

Method Laundry detergent, bag and bottle (should have grabbed them all!)

Pixi nail colour in Mink Grey

SK Perfectly Neutral palette

SK Eye on Neutral Matte palette

SK Satin Luxe Lip Colour in Nude Pink (2nd one-love this!)

Pixi Fairy Light Solo in Boho Bronze

Pixi Fairy Light Solo in Bronze beam

Pixi Fairy Light Solo in Fairy Pink

Annabelle Single Eyeshadow in Suedine

Threshold pillow cases

How did I forget about my last little jaunt to Target before they closed!?

I almost forgot about my last trip to Target. I just popped in quickly on the last day and picked up a few last things (shown above). As you can see, I have already dug-in to some all of them.

SK Lash and Brown Enhancer

SK Pearlescence Longwear Creme Eyeshadow in Tiger's Eye

SK Brightening Powder

SK Monochrome eye Quad in Textured Taupe

So, it looks like I have a ton of products to enjoy and to play with. This was a lot of fun and I really got some great deals to try some products that I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.  Saying that, I am really going to miss my trips to Target and all the great product lines they carry.

If you would like to see swatches or reviews for any products, please let me know!

Xo Amy

30 Days of Fitness Challenge: Week 1 Follow Up

Today marks the one week period since I started my 30 days of fitness challenge.  Here is the link to the original post Day 1: 30 Days of Fitness Challenge . I'll be honest, I have had a few fail days where I just couldn't squeeze in a workout for one reason or another. The point for me is that once I fall off I do climb back on. I am not discouraged. In fact, I feel more motivated to do better next week. I am doing this challenge to try and get back into shape, to challenge myself and to try and develop the habit of workout out. I think they say it takes 27 days of doing something consistently for it to become a habit, so I may have to challenge myself to this again once this challenge comes to an end. And, the reason I allow myself to choose to do whatever workout I'm in the mood for is so I enjoy it! If I'm not enjoying it, I wont want to do it.

I think one of my issues is time management. I always plan to workout but some days time just gets away from me. I also struggle with insomnia and severe fatigue on some days and this is a work in progress.

Today's workout

Here is what I have accomplished for the last 8 days (Day 1-8):

1. Yoga- Seane Corn Detox Flow Yoga (65 min purify workout)
2. Fail- migraine kept me down an out
3. Tony Little's Easy Shaper workout
4. Yoga- Trudie Styler's Weight Loss Yoga (18 +24 min workout)
5. Fail- too tired
6. Yoga- Trudie Styler's Weight Loss (24 min)
7. Yoga- YouTube video (15 min)
8. Yoga- Seane Corn Detox Yoga Flow (65 min purify workout)

Weigh in:

• Starting weight: 145 lbs
• Today's weight: 143.5 lbs

I weighed myself at the same time of day- in the morning before breakfast. I didn't lose a lot of weight, but I am happy that I lost something. With such a small difference in weight it could even be a difference in water weight. Although, I did eat a TON of salty popcorn last night (fail) so I would think that I would retain water. I do feel that I am slowly gaining muscle as I can see some toning going on in my legs. *gets excited

It seems like I really was drawn to yoga this week and a little bit of weights and toning exercises. I think I have steered clear from the cardio partially due to a bad knee. Although, since I have started this challenge my knee seems to be getting a little bit better. The yoga DVD's that I have been doing have mostly been the weight loss kind where you use your body own body weight as resistance and I definitely feel it in my muscles the next day.

Yoga has served me well for weight loss in the past. I had a large weight gain (for me) at one point in my life and I worked out hardcore to Turbo Jam every single day only to gain weight after a month of this. And, it wasn't muscle gain as my clothes became even tighter and my scale showed a higher percentage of body fat. So, I dropped that like a hot potato and I started doing 20 minutes of yoga a day using Sarah Ivanhoe's Yoga Body Makeover Series and suddenly the pounds started melting off! I guess that's what my body wanted and needed. Hey, whatever works right!?

I am excited to continue with this challenge and looking forward to the next week of workouts. That's what's great about allowing yourself to do what you want when you want, you don't end up dreading it!

Let me know what tips you have for staying in shape or keeping on track. Or if you want to join this challenge at any point it's never too late! ;)

Xo Amy