Our week-by-week guide to looking and feeling your absolute best in time for Christmas
When we’re feeling good we can conquer the world. Whether we’re facing a mountain of sprouts to peel or a shopping list that would make elves weep, anything feels possible. It’s why looking after mind and body, especially during the festive season, is essential. Simply adding in small gestures of self-kindness can do wonders for stress levels, not to mention your skin. And if the last couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that while life is unpredictable, it’s how we respond to it that counts. Now, more than ever, is the time to employ a little self-care.
We’re hoping that this Christmas turns out to be the Bing Crosby idyll of matching knits and beatific faces around the fireside that we’ve all been craving, but whatever happens we’re with you every step of the way thanks to our countdown to the big day. We invite you to indulge in a host of restorative rituals to pamper body and mind. Expect expertise from the pros in the know, kicking off with advice to help you build a new night-time routine that will improve your sleep as well as your complexion. Then follow our guide to facial massage with tips from leading facialist Anastasia Achilleos, before delving into ways to finesse your skincare regime before 25 December.
Further along our countdown, Aveda’s Michael Lendon teaches us how to give ourselves a soothing head massage, while meditation teacher Aly Hazeltree shows us how to tap into this ancient practice to counteract any potential Yuletide stress. And with just one day to go, we’ll enlist facialist to the stars, Abigail James, to guide us through how to indulge your complexion before any big event.
So much more than just prettification, this pampering plan is as much about bolstering the psyche as the skin.
Check in every week to catch the next ritual chock-full of practical tips and must-have products to soothe, smooth and revitalise, so you look and feel great throughout the festive season and beyond.
It’s never too early to start your new night-time beauty regime for the run-up to Christmas. In fact, in terms of getting mind and body ready for the big day, you could say it’s perfect timing…
“It’s not just our skin that needs time to prepare for a big event – it’s important to take care of our wellbeing too”
Get ahead (pardon the pun) of any latent pre-Christmas anxiety with a self-care technique that might not have been on your radar till now.
“As a free technique that can be deployed at any time, DIY head massage is a brilliant addition to your anti-anxiety arsenal”