Twixmas is the Time for Self-Care

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Aromatherapy Associates Support Nourishing Body Oil, bath, coconut, cream, evening primrose, exotic, eye, face, festive, geranium, kit, lotion, Lycon Lyco'Pedi Kit, macadamia, mask, Maskology Retinol and Vitamin C Professional Under Eye Mask, massage, New Year, pamper, pampering, pedicure, Relax, REN Clean Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil, retinol, scent, season, self-care, skin oil, Twixmas, UpCircle The Pamper Kit, vanilla, Vitamin C, ylang ylang

Photo by Taryn Elliott

Once the stress of Christmas Day is over, Twixmas, the relaxed period between Christmas and New Year, comes along to help recharge our batteries before we welcome in another year. Marked from the 27th until 30th December, Twixmas is the perfect time to give yourself a serious pampering so that the wear and tear of Christmas can be wiped away and you begin the New Year as your most radiant self. Here are five hero products for making Twixmas the most wonderful time of the year for your skin:

REN Clean Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil

When we think of self care and pampering, most of us automatically picture ourselves in the bath, and this oil from REN Clean Skincare is the perfect partner for that scene. REN Clean Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil is a bath oil for all skin types designed to calm the mind and soothe the skin. A few drops of this rich oil in your bath is enough to de-stress, leave the day behind and even soothes dry skin.

Maskology Retinol and Vitamin C Professional Under Eye Mask

If you’re still reeling from the strains of Christmas, there’s a good chance you’re lacking sleep and that almost always shows around the eyes, making it the perfect time to use this mask. The retinol formula will brighten dark circles, improve the appearance of pigmentation and smooth the skin’s texture. The serum infused hydrogel mask transforms the eye area in just 20 minutes. It’s rich in anti-ageing ingredients, the mask visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles, while rejuvenating and energising the area to maintain a youthful glow.

UpCircle The Pamper Kit

If you want to indulge in some pampering but also want the peace of mind of knowing that your products don’t have a negative impact on the planet then this Pamper Kit from UpCircle is the one for you. It contains seven samples of UpCircle’s best selling products; Cleansing Face Balm, Clarifying Face Mask, Face Toner, Eye Cream, Face Moisturiser, Organic Face Serum and Body Cream. They all contain ingredients which are vegan and cruelty free, and come from sustainable sources. 

Lycon Lyco’Pedi Kit

A pedicure is the perfect pampering treat, especially when you’ve been spending busy days on your feet, cooking, cleaning and doing all the other festive prep. This Lyco’Pedi Kit from Lycon gives you everything you need for the ultimate mini pampering experience in a convenient mini carry bag. It contains their Refreshing Soak, Massage Lotion, Sugar Scrub, Hydrating Mask and Smoothing Cream, allowing you to whip your feet into shape in no time at all. 

Aromatherapy Associates Support Nourishing Body Oil

Self-massage is a great way to make yourself feel more relaxed and relieve the stresses of the season, and this Nourishing Body Oil is the perfect conditioning and deeply penetrating dry skin oil for the job. Combining macadamia, coconut and evening primrose with the exotic scent of geranium, ylang ylang and vanilla, the blend both conditions the skin and uplifts the senses with aromatherapy. 

Buy a book for Christmas and show them you care

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365 words, A Word for Every Day of The Year, Adam Kay, Aled Jones, Andrew Ridgeley, Anne Glenconner, apron, bold, book, bottle of wine, but perfectly formed, camp, care, cash, celebrity, celebrity autobiography, chocolate, Christmas, Christmas classic, Christmas must-buy, cooking, cool, cutting, educate, empowering women, extravagant, faint hearted, festive season, film, first book, Fleabag: The Scriptures, fresh new pages, friend, George and Andrew, giving, glass of wine, go, gorgeous scented candle, great stocking filler, health, hearts, hospital success, ideas, illustrated, inspiration, inspire, intrigue, It’s Going to Hurt, Kate Young, knowing your worth, Lady Glenconner, Lady in Waiting, local bookshop, love, love it, lush, Me: Elton John Official Autobiography, mince pies, mouth-watering meals, music, pages, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, practical exercises, Princess Margaret, Raymond Briggs., read, relationships, royal life, seasonal, Secret Santa, self-care, Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, small, Small but mighty, smile, socks, Steven Poole, stunning, success, summer, The Little Library Year, The Nightshift Before Christmas, the person who has everything, The Snowman, tips, TV series, unwrap, Wham! fans, Wham! George & Me, worksheets, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené

You can buy them socks, chocolate or a bottle of wine, but there is something special about giving a book as a gift at Christmas.

Think fresh new pages, lots of ideas and inspiration as well as the chance for them to escape from life for just a little while.

We have some great books to share with you that should be stocked in your local bookshop and will make someone smile this Christmas when they unwrap it.

The Nightshift Before Christmas, Adam Kay
This Is Going to Hurt was Adam’s first book and his bold, poignant look at life inside a hospital was a massive success. His small, but perfectly formed follow-up, The Nightshift Before Christmas is a great stocking filler and while not for the faint hearted, it’s worth a read.

Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
This stunning illustrated book is all about empowering women and with practical exercises, worksheets, and easy to follow tips for success, it’s a Christmas must-buy. It gives readers all they need to get ahead in relationships, looks at how to start a successful side hustle, knowing your worth at work comes into play as well as info on cash, self-care, and good health. Sound good, no?

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography
You might have seen the film, but we think the book is even better. This celebrity autobiography is cool, cutting, camp, extravagant and packed with disco-dancing, football club buying stories intended to make the reader laugh and cry. Go on, they will love it and might let you borrow it too.

The Little Library Year, Kate Young
Food and books, what’s not to like? This gorgeous book takes recipes onto a whole new level as Kate shares seasonal, mouth-watering meals and treats that will make the reader want to put on an apron on and start cooking right away. Oh, and summer might seem a long time away, but she knows how to pack a picnic basket!

Fleabag: The Scriptures, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
If they loved the TV series, they will love this book. We couldn’t put it down and they won’t be able to either. Perfect for reading with a glass of wine, with a gorgeous scented candle burning, so you might want to buy those too?

A Word for Every Day of The Year, Steven Poole
Small but mighty – this is the book for the person who has everything. As the name suggests, inside the cover are 365 words to educate, intrigue and inspire. We will warn you, if you start to read, you won’t want to stop until the end so maybe buy two copies and keep one for yourself.

The Snowman, Raymond Briggs
We can’t leave the kids out, so why not introduce them to this Christmas classic? Yes, you can watch the film on TV and sing along with Aled Jones, but turning the pages of The Snowman is as much a part of the festive season as Secret Santa and mince pies. Go up in your mum’s loft and you never know, you might find an original gathering dust.

Lady in Waiting, Anne Glenconner
Glitz, glamour and drama, no we aren’t talking about the office party but this beauty of a book! Lady Glenconner was Princess Margaret’s lifelong friend and this is a lush, compelling read all about them and a real look at royal life. The rich and posh – it’s all here on these pages to read and we think it’s worth doing exactly that.

Wham! George & Me, Andrew Ridgeley
Before we go, go – sorry, not sorry! This is an emotional read and Wham! fans may well need to get their tissues ready when they dive into this belter of a book. George and Andrew might have met in 1975, but their music lives on in our hearts today, thank goodness.

Got a book you love, let us know, we are ready and waiting to hear from you.

Team Pure Beauty

Self Care – How To Start Loving Yourself

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anxiety, bath, care, company, confidence, decleor, depressed, depression, dermalogica, Elemis, exercise, friends, hair, isolation, love, low, mood, nails, sad, sadness, seasonal affective disorder, self-care, self-esteem, shower, treat, walk, wash, washing, yourself

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There’s a very real correlation between mental health issues and not really looking after yourself properly. A lack of self-esteem, depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can all leave us feeling totally unwilling to spend any time on ourselves, and this can feed into a very self-destructive cycle. We know how difficult it can be to force yourself to love who you are, but doing little things to care for yourself each day can really help your mood to take an upswing.

Wash Regularly

One of the first things that falls by the wayside when people are depressed is regular washing, choosing instead to languish in your comfy clothes and not take care of the most basic of functions. The problem is, the less clean you are often the more depressed you feel and the more depressed you feel, the harder it is to get yourself sorted. It may take all of your strength to do it, but giving yourself a nice bath or shower can really help to set you on the path to feeling better.

Look At Yourself Through Someone Else’s Eyes

If you’ve got issues with low self esteem, it can be really difficult to have a subjective opinion of yourself, because you’re internally programmed to just hate what you see. Try to look in the mirror each day and refuse to listen to the internal voice which cuts you down, but instead try to look at yourself through someone elses eyes. Training your brain to think differently, in the style of “someone else might think I have nice eyes” “someone else would probably love my thick hair” can really bolster your confidence.

Take Time For Yourself

When you’re feeling down, there’s a tendency to feel like shutting yourself away and doing very little, but getting out and about and doing something for yourself can create a real upswing for you mood. Take yourself for a walk, go and have a coffee, get your nails or hair done – it’s all minor stuff to most people but it will feel like you’ve conquered Everest if you do it, and you’ll have the added bonus of having nice hair or nails in the bargain.

Accept Help

If you’re lucky enough to have people around you who want to help, LET THEM! It can be very easy to isolate oneself and shrink away from offers of help from other people when we’re feeling low, but allowing people in can lift a weight from your shoulders, which in turn can help lift your mood. They say that “misery loves company”, but sometimes misery can go a long way to being cured with just a little bit of company.