The five-step, at-home, bank holiday Monday facial

Happy bank holiday Monday! It’s been so long since we had a bank holiday. I see that hard work you’ve been putting in. You deserve a rest. You deserve some self-care. And you definitely deserve to take half an hour to yourself to treat your skin.

Maybe you spent the long weekend doing lots of productive things and activities and need a good cleaning. Maybe you spent the weekend doing things you didn’t really want to do and want a moment for yourself. Maybe you spent it eating Chinese and bingeing a Netflix documentary series and need a bit cleansing. I’m imagining that future me is going to want something clarifying, hydrating and nourishing after what I know ahead of time will be a hardcore weekend. Let’s hope you have some version of these products in your possession.

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, €16

STEP ONE – Cleanse, of course

Go in first with your favourite cleanser. Something creamy, balmy, milky or non-irritating, but definitely soothing. Elle Fanning would play this cleanser in a movie. For me, that’s Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, €16. Take it off with a hot cloth so you feel like Gwyneth Paltrow.

Kinvara Elemental Exfoliating Powder, €34.95

STEP TWO – Gentle exfoliation

Give your face a soft polish and slough off that dead skin for a smooth, glowing surface. Nothing gritty, harsh or with microbeads. I like Kinvara’s Elemental Exfoliating Powder, €34.95, because Kinvara are the first Irish skincare brand to be recognised for their outright ban on microbeads, and it’s enriched with beneficial vitamins and marine minerals. It leaves my skin rosy, marble-smooth and glowing. Dermalogica’s Daily Superfoliant, €70.50, is another fantastic powder exfoliant that fights environmental triggers that cause skin ageing and purifies the skin, absorbing environmental toxins from pores.

Herbivore Blue Clay Detoxifying Treatment, €19.50, available at Space NK

STEP THREE – Clarifying Mask

Next step is to detoxify the skin with something clarifying. Herbivore Blue Clay Detoxifying Treatment reduces your spots while detoxifying your skin, penetrating the pores and drawing out any gunk with clay and reducing redness and puffiness with anti-inflammatory rose geranium essential oil. Dry, oily or normal skinned – everyone can use this. Mix it up with water until it’s paste-y, and wash off for skin that feels squeaky clean.

Seoulista Beauty Advanced Clinic Formulation Diamond Radiance, €14.95, available at Arnotts and Harvey Nichols

STEP FOUR – Sheet Mask

Self-care is a sheet mask on a bank holiday. Following on from the success of their Instant Facials, Seoulista has launched the Advanced Clinic Formulation range with Diamond Radiance Instant Facial and Gold Glow Instant Facial, created by dermatologists. In every mask you’ll find 30ml of a powerful blend of active and botanical ingredients including niacinamide (vitamin B3) for uneven skin tone, fine lines, dullness and a weakened skin’s surface, adenosine for proven anti-wrinkle benefits and Vitamin C for addressing dark spots, uneven skin tone, wrinkles, loss of firmness and dullness. Glow up with the Diamond Radiance Instant Facial – which has avocado oil for skin plumping, rose hip oil to decrease environmental damage and coconut to fight acne – and get your skin tone truly polished for a glowing complexion.

STEP FIVE – Face Oil

At this point, you should see the glow of our skin from space. For the grand finale, let’s finish with something soothing. Urban Veda work with mostly botanic ingredients for different skin types. Apply a few drops of this on the fingertips, rub them together to warm it up and press it into the face. Massage it in and breathe in the soothing scent of sandalwood while the oil works to calm aggravation in the skin, reduce redness, deliver hydration and nourish sensitive skin.

Featured image: @herbivorebotanicals

For more beauty features, check out the July/August issue of IMAGE Magazine, on shelves nationwide now.