When it gets to the end of the day, all I want to do is curl up into a little ball and go to sleep. I don't want to be spending hours phaffing about with a complicated routine in the bathroom that will take hours so I like to keep a few little essentials with me by my bed to help speed up the process at night, but also in the mornings too.
I'm a pretty bad sleeper and tend to have a pretty rough time trying to drift off. For anyone else who finds this a problem, I would really recommend burning a scented candle as the soothing scents that they give off really do help to relax. Recently, I have been using a MUJI Oil Burner and Relaxing Essential Oils Set which I got for Christmas and is really affordable at around £5. The scents can be mixed together or burnt on their own and burn off to give a lovely scent in the air and help to make me feel a bit more heavy-lidded. For the mornings I have been loving burning Peppermint Oil like you can find in the baking section of the supermarket as has a really uplifting and energising smell to it which is really refreshing and helps to coax me out of bed, no mean feat.
I take care of my skin before I hop into bed but I still like to have a few little bits next to me for the mornings and last minute measures. I really like the L'Oreal Paris Micellar Water for a quick refresh in the morning and to remove unabsorbed skin products and any bits of make-up, like those bits of pesky mascara under the eyes, that somehow have a way of revealing themselves overnight. I also really like the B-liv Off with their Heads* serum which I dab onto areas where I tend to suffer from spots as a preventative measure. I find this has quite a shiny finish, which is why I like to apply it in bed and also why I like to cleanse my face first thing in the morning. However, it seems to work really well for me at both minimising what is already there, and preventing any more from popping up.
I always seem to have a nail polish next to me, at the moment it is the Models Own nail polish in Mushroom. Either for top ups over chips that I have noticed in the day, or for a fresh coat I love painting my nails in the evenings as I find that it is just one of those things that really relaxes me. I tend to finish off with plenty of lip balm to keep me moisturised and prevent cracking. A new obsession of mine is the N-Spa Strawberry Lip butter which has a really thick texture, much like the Nuxe Reve de Miel. This really helps to allow the moisture to really sink in over night, and it is still there when I wake up. For mornings, I really love this Mojito Lipbalm which I got for Christmas, as again the scent is a really great pick me up.
What's on your bedside table? Is there anything you think is missing from mine?