7 Beauty Rituals to Perform on Sunday Night

In a life filled with spin class, work, dinner with friends, and generally rushing from one thing to the next, it's important to schedule in some relaxation and a little meditation. It doesn't have to come in the form Buddhists practice; sometimes any kind of dedicated practice can act as meditation. Case in point: slowly, gently, caring for your face. An hour plus.

And there's no better time for it than Sunday: the latter portion of the weekend, the first part of which is presumably spent dancing away the previous week’s stress. While wonderfully cathartic, all that tequila-facilitated dancing does a number on the skin. Look in the mirror and tell me, are you seeing dark circles? Dry, dull skin and a certain shade of pale only gallons of coconut water can remedy?

Take the evening all to yourself and dedicate it to detoxifying. Here's what I recommend:

1. First, plug in the speakers and turn on your favorite music, or maybe a movie you already know by heart. Loud enough that you can hear it from the bathroom. Dim the lights so the bathroom mirror is ultra-flattering and calming. Light a favorite candle, and do a little yoga breathing.

2. Line up everything you need, like a clean towel, a face wash, exfoliating scrub, revitalizing mask, serum, eye treatments, moisturizer, lip balm, the whole works.

3. All of this feels even better if you're wearing spa socks (thank you, Bliss.) If you don't have a pair, they are seriously worth the investment. Your toes will be so soft. So. Soft. Regular clean gym socks over majorly lotioned-up feet will do, too.

4. Go through the line-up of products, but really take your time with each step. Give yourself a face massage and be kind to your skin. We're here to undo what the week has done.

5. When the at-home facial is nearing the end, don't be afraid to really pack on the moisturizers, eye cream too! Layer on something impenetrable from pollution and dust in the air. Protect your skin while you sleep, and when you wake up on Monday, all you have to do is splash it off with water, zero scrubbing required. It's a time and skin saver.

6. Climbing into bed after a night like this is the perfect time to reach for the cuticle oil.

7. All that work probably won't feel like work. It'll be relaxing and meditative, and will have you glowing come sunrise.

As if you needed another reason to pamper yourself.

Images: maroke/Fotolia, lukesw/Fotolia