Get Glowing Skin This Weekend In 7 Steps

Instead of spending your weekend luxuriating in bed while watching Netflix, try multitasking to improve your complexion whilst binging on your favorite guilty pleasure shows. Treating your skin better is an ongoing process, as anyone with skin woes can attest, but making several small tweaks can bring you within reach of a better complexion over the next three days.

Come Saturday morning, one's impulse is often to let go of their weekday regimen from an early morning wakeup call to adhering to their diet or removing makeup before bed. However, Friday evening doesn't signify a wormhole in the time space continuum which transports you to Monday morning, fresh-faced and radiant despite subsisting on no sleep, trans-fat-laden-foots, and day-old makeup over the weekend. You can still luxuriate in a host of extravagances on Saturday and Sunday, as long as you balance them with more mindful behavior.

If you're planning to devour two trays of Laduree macarons, for example, counteract the sugar with a lean protein-packed salad with olive oil drizzled over the top. And when it comes to sleep, simply don't succumb to the siren call of staying up all night, every night. Here are seven simple ways to treat your skin better this weekend.

1. Give Yourself An At-Home, 10-Minute Facial

REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, $48, Sephora

You may be under the impression that a facial is an expensive, in-office treatment which requires at least an hour of your precious leisure time. However, you only need ten to fifteen minutes this weekend for an abbreviated, at-home treatment which will leave you refreshed and radiant for the week ahead. First, prep your face by removing makeup with wipes or a gentle liquid formula. Next, cleanse your face with a massaging motion to remove trapped dirt, relieve stress, and potentially improve the tone and circulation of your skin. Next, use a gentle exfoliant to rid skin of dead skin cells, which tend to be more prominent in dry winter weather.

After your face has been washed and rid of flakes, slather on a one-minute mask like REN's Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial which multitasks to hydrate, clarify, and improve the tone of your skin. Follow with a moisturizer which caters to your skin's current condition, and prepare to be pleasantly stupefied by your skin's newfound health.

2. Get Adequate Sleep

Sleep is not only essential for optimal functionality and happiness; it also contributes to how you look on a daily basis and how you age. You may not need a full eight hours, but three is a laughable amount for anyone who wishes to function normally. Frequent sleep-skimping ages your skin, so this weekend try to optimize your snoozing hours by keeping devices tucked away and distractions at a minimum. Not only will you feel revitalized, your skin will reap the rewards.

3. Hydrate Instead Of Dehydrating

Take the Ice Bucket Challenge 2.0 this weekend, and fill your cup with fresh water instead of another shot. Though imbibing is a celebration of the end of the work week and several blissful days of relaxation, your body doesn't simply relinquish its need for water when the clock strikes 5 pm on Friday.

Though drinking water won't necessarily keep your skin eternally young, sipping a hydrating drink will keep your skin from appearing haggard and dry. Try sipping a glass of water between each alcoholic drink you consume, and you'll stave off the dreaded Saturday morning hangover face.

4. Raid Your Pantry To Solve Skin Woes

The cure to your winter skin woes may be closer at hand than you think, if you only take the time to raid your pantry this weekend. Ingredients such as coconut oil, honey, and oatmeal are skin-saving foods which are likely already hiding in your kitchen. Whether you use one to conjure up a mask or as a treatment for a blemish, this weekend is the ideal time to experiment with natural skincare.

5. Dry Brush Or Exfoliate

Aromatherapy Associates Dry Brush, $34, Amazon

You may be diligent about exfoliating your face, but what about the lengths of skin you keep cozily blanketed during the winter? Dry-brushing or exfoliating with a gritty scrub will loosen and dispose of dead skin cells, increase circulation throughout your body, and leave your skin better equipped to absorb the rich creams you utilize to keep it hydrated. As an added bonus, a body brush is won't impact your financial stability or run out in a month like a designer body cream.

6. Indulge In Healthy Fats

Eating french fries unfortunately won't bestow a beautiful glow to your skin, but indulging in foods with healthy fats will pep up a winter-dulled complexion. Skin nutrition is more heavily influenced by what you intake than the quick fix serums, creams, and potions you slather on to counteract flaws. Delighting in a meal or two full of avocado, salmon, almonds, or olive oil will do more for your skin than an hour long facial, thanks to omega-3 fatty acids and monosaturated fats, plus a healthy helping of antioxidants to keep your skin youthful.

7. Remove Your Makeup

I plead guilty to having left traces of makeup on my face overnight after exhaustedly falling into bed on a Friday night, but not once did I wake up and find myself free from regret regarding my decision. Makeup is meant to provide cosmetic enhancement, not treatment for your skin in most cases, and leaving it to dirty your face for eight hours won't provide any benefits. Remove your makeup before bed, even if you simply swipe a cleansing wipe across your skin before dozing.

Images: REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, Sephora; Aromatherapy Associates Polishing Body Brush, Amazon