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beauty school

Getting in the Habit of Weekend Beauty Rituals

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Saturdays and Sundays are usually a pretty good time for me to sit down and do nothing. During rare weekends when I have no plans, I’m all about parking myself on my usual spot on the couch to catch up on my reading while the television is tuned into some documentary about space or war — but, once in a while I get up to complete some beauty rituals that I may not have time for during the workweek. Here are some of the beauty-related shenanigans I get up to!

Washing Makeup Brushes

Now this is something I always try to make time for at least once a month. The simple act of cleaning your makeup brush will help keep bacteria buildup at bay, and clean brushes will help makeup settle on your face better too. You might even find the cleaning process to be therapeutic, like doing the laundry or dishes 😀

The only makeup brush that I use on a daily basis is a kabuki brush for swirling compact foundation onto my skin after applying moisturizer and sunscreen. There are some great products out there especially formulated to rid your brushes of the makeup, oil, and grime buildup, with one of my favorites being the Conditioning Brush Cleanser by Bobbi Brown. But when I don’t have that particular product on hand, clarifying hair shampoos will do the job just fine too. I’ve had great results with both Johnson’s Baby Shampoo and my beloved Kérastase Bain Oléo-Relax.

It basically comes down to technique, and here are the steps that have worked for me:

1. Run the brush under some lukewarm water until it is saturated completely soaked.

2. Squeeze a tiny amount of shampoo onto the brush.

3. Gently swirl the brush onto the palm of your hand until you work up a good lather. You might not get it into a lather the first time round, and that just means the clarifying agents are working overtime to get rid of the buildup on the bristles. You should be able to see the makeup residue from the brush start to collect on your palm.

4. Rinse the brush and gently squeeze the bristles to remove as much excess water as possible. Use a paper towel for better results.

5. Repeat step 3 until the brush is no longer oily or grimy, or until the water filtered through it runs clear. And you’re all done! It’s important to lay the brushes out flat to dry to keep water from seeping into the base.

Pampering Facials

For the past three weeks in a row, I’ve been getting my facials at the Kanebo branch in Mall Taman Anggrek’s Matahari department store. What I really like about the facial treatment from Kanebo is how I needn’t endure the pain of pinching and squeezing that results in a bright red face when I walk out the door. The treatment makes use of non-invasive tools and technology specially flown in from Japan to deliver the same results of as a traditional facial, with the exception of a totally pain-free experience. Even the water used for rinsing is not ordinary tap water, and the beds were flown in from Japan to the match up the standards established by Kanebo.

My facialist is a super patient lady named Nuning, who always greets me with a smile and answers all my questions about how to properly complete my Kanebo skin care regimen. In addition to her having the skill set to get my face aglow, she will happily keep me entertained through my treatment session if I’m feeling particularly chatty.

Depending on the type of treatment your skin needs, each facial session will cost you anywhere between IDR 200,000 – IDR 350,000. Be sure you get a thorough consultation with your facialist to help her understand your skin type and needs better.

White Hair Don’t Care

Last month, my hair was chemically treated to within an inch of its sad, sad life. The last time I bleached my hair was way back in college, during my fire engine-red hair phase (what girl has never had a red hair phase?) . This time around, my hair was bleached twice because I so very desperately wanted to quench my curiosity about having platinum-colored hair. I was very happy with the final result, but my curiosity was paid with tresses that were completely fried.

Responses to my hair: "You look like Narcissa Malfoy/Cruella DeVille/Ursula from The Little Mermaid."

Here are the products that worked in tandem for me to help restore the moisture to my tired tresses:

 

 

Kanebo Shidenkai Z Scalp Essence A

This is a hair tonic designed to help keep hair loss at bay while spurring growth of healthy hair. I have seen a noticeable difference since I first started using this product: it starts the moment I massage it into the scalp after shampooing, and I can actually feel it kick into action through a pleasant tingling sensation. My favored mode of application is by siphoning an amount of the tonic into a spray bottle and spritzing it onto the scalp after getting out of the shower. Bliss.

 

 

 

Senscience Moisturizing Mist

A leave-in conditioner with a super light formula that contains keratin and silk amino acids to help restore moisture and nourishment to hair. It also claims to protect from sun damage as well as heat damage that comes from frequent use of hairstyling tools. In addition to all the good it’s doing to my hair, it has a nice scent to boot!

 

 

And there you have it! This is the weekend routine I stick to before sitting back down on the couch for a marathon re-viewing of Band of Brothers or something. Is there a weekend ritual you religiously stick to?

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