BeautyHabits: Your nighttime routine

According to Wikipedia habits are “automatic routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, without thinking. They are learned, not instinctive, human behaviors that occur automatically, without the explicit contemporaneous intention of the person.”

BeautyHabits are those routines that make looking good easier. Let’s face it, a lot of the things we do in the name of beauty are boring and repetitive. You need to make them into an integral part of your day, or they’ll never happen. After all, what’s the point of spending a lot of money on antiaging creams if you’re only going to use them for three days?

I believe that one of the most important habits you can develop is a consistent nighttime routine. What you do before bed makes all the difference in how you look in the morning.

I know it’s hard - most of us are absolutely exhausted by bedtime. You’ve done everything you needed to do for the day, and now all you want to do is crash. But no matter how tempted you are to go to sleep with your mascara on, STOP.

First of all? That’s just gross. But most importantly, you are just going to make your life more difficult the next day. Taking a few minutes to take care of yourself before bed will pay off big tomorrow.

The good news is that a beauty routine doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. I’m pretty lazy, but this is what I do every night without fail:

1. PREP: While I don’t go as far as Marcia Brady and count out 100 brush strokes (it’s bad for your hair!), I do take a minute to comb my hair to get rid of any tangles and brush it to distribute the natural oils from the scalp to the tips of the hair. I find it helps to keep away the greasies. I then pull my hair back and take a minute to inspect my nails and trim viagra ohne rezept them if needed. (I have small kids, so no manicures for me.) Then I moisturize as needed, paying special attention to my elbows and legs.

2. CLEANSE: Then it’s time to wash off all the makeup and the oil and sweat that’s accumulated on your face throughout the day. I use a mild cleanser to wash everything off - no separate eye make-up remover for me. What can I say? I’m lazy. I’ve been using Cetaphil or Noxzema for as long as I can remember. They’re cheap and do the job. Once my face is clean, I brush and floss.3. MOISTURIZE: This is the fun part. I’ve already told you what anti-aging treatments I like to use. I live in New England and the air is getting really dry, so I’ve switched to La Mer, mainly because it’s a very thick moisturizer. But of course, you should experiment and find what works for you. Since the air’s so dry here, I use some of the anti-aging cream on my hands too.

4. BEDTIME: Of course, getting enough sleep is the most effective thing you can do for your skin. Everybody looks terrible when they don’t get enough sleep, and the only cure for it is to go to bed. So get enough sleep, whatever it is for you, and get it on a consistent basis. Easier said than done, I know, but so important.

So tell us, what’s your nighttime beauty routine?