How To Turn Your Skincare Routine Into A Self-Care Ritual With ESPA

One positive to come out of the global pandemic is the change in attitudes to self-care and taking better care of yourself. Worldwide Google searches for ‘self-care’ have climbed steadily over the last five years and self-care has become a £365 billion market. Over half of people who didn’t consider self-care a priority prior to the pandemic changed their thinking after the outbreak of Covid-19, and more than one in eight UK consumers now believes the country needs greater emphasis on self-care. We couldn’t agree more.

What is self-care?

Defined as "a multidimensional, multifaceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and enhance well-being”, self-care can take many forms and look different for every individual. Ultimately, it’s anything you do to take care of yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally; be that elaborate self-care days, a few minutes of me-time in the mornings, or short self-care evening rituals. Self-care should always feel like comfort, never a chore.

What are the benefits of a self-care routine?

When practised regularly, research has shown that self-care increases resilience, improves life expectancy, and makes us better able to cope with stress. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it can promote and maintain health, prevent disease, and help us cope with illness and disability. Self-care should be an integral part of everyday life, with wide-reaching benefits that include reduced anxiety, increased productivity, higher self-esteem, and an improved immune system.

Why skincare is self-care

Taking time out to take care of your skin provides a multitude of mental, physical, and health benefits. The simple act of looking after yourself by cultivating a self-care skincare routine improves feelings of self-worth and gives you the opportunity to take time out from the stressors of life by devoting all your attention to yourself. Once established, a skin-care routine becomes ritualistic and rhythmic, which is calming, soothing, and meditative in manner. Essentially, nurturing your skin feels good!

How to cultivate a self-care skincare routine

A curated skincare routine doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time. Focus on the basics, commit to a daily routine, be mindful in your actions, and pick proven products that feel luxurious, deliver an uplifting beauty boost, and calm the mind.

Why you should use ESPA for your daily self-care routine

Synonymous with self-care skincare rituals, ESPA has a holistic philosophy, creating products for beautiful skin and total mind and body wellbeing. Focused on delivering the most effective natural skincare, ESPA’s formulations contain unique combinations of plant extracts, marine actives, and essential oils. Helping you look and feel your best every day, ESPA’s products have luxurious textures, mood-enhancing aromatics, and formulations that protect the long-term health of your skin.

The best ESPA products for your daily self-care skincare ritual

1. ESPA Yuzu & Ginger Cleansing Sorbet

Start and finish your self-care day by melting away impurities and make-up with ESPA Yuzu & Ginger Cleansing Sorbet. The balm to oil cleanser is formulated with uplifting Almond, Pomegranate, and Seabuckthorn oils, invigorating Ginger, a deeply purifying Mango-derived cleansing agent, and luxurious Yuzo oil. Enriched with ESPA’s nourishing Vital Nutrients Omega + Essential Vitamins Complex, the sumptuous cleanser leaves skin looking radiant and feeling super clean, comfortable, replenished, and refreshed.

2. ESPA Hydrating Floral Spa-Fresh Tonic

Step two in your daily self-care routine should be ESPA Hydrating Floral Spa-Fresh Tonic; an aromatic toner designed to refresh and comfort both the skin and the mind. Delicately fragranced with Rose Geranium, the hydrating toner is enriched with Flower Waters and essential oils to comfort the skin, along with Neroli and Rose Damascene to hydrate. The result is beautifully soft, supple skin and a soothed sense of wellbeing.

3. ESPA Optimal Skin Pro-Serum

After cleansing and toning, indulge your senses by warming a few drops of ESPA Optimal Skin Pro-Serum in your palms and cupping your hands to inhale the aroma, before smoothing the sensuous serum over your skin. A blissful experience! The intensely nourishing serum replenishes, revitalises, and strengthens the skin barrier, revealing radiant, healthy-looking skin. Nutrient-rich, the serum contains antioxidant-rich Turmeric to even skin tone, along with a blend of Sea Fennel, Balloon Vine, and Blackcurrant Seed Oil to soothe and nourish.

4. ESPA 24-Hour Replenishing Moisturiser

The fourth step in your self-care skincare regime is to treat your skin to the richly hydrating ESPA 24-Hour Replenishing Moisturiser. Skin is left feeling soft and replenished thanks to a blend of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Neroli. Enriched with Vitamin E to protect the skin barrier, the indulgent cream also contains Jojoba and Evening Primrose to deeply moisturise for a silky-smooth complexion.

5. ESPA Tri-Active Lift & Firm Eye Moisturiser

Don’t forget to include the eyes in your daily self-care routine. Experience the joy of more youthful-looking eyes with ESPA Tri-Active Lift & Firm Eye Moisturiser, a sensorial eye cream that reduces fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness, and eye bags. The intensely rich moisturiser also brightens, firms, plumps, and increases elasticity. Formulated with a synergistic mix of potent naturals, the rejuvenating cream features powerful plant actives, hydration-maximising marine actives, and inspiriting aromatherapy oils.

6. ESPA Overnight Hydration Therapy

For self-care evening skincare, finish off with the ultimate pampering ritual; ESPA Overnight Hydration Therapy. With a pure blend that includes Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, and Lavandin essential oils, plus encapsulated Lavender, the soothing treatment mask calms a busy mind and promotes restful sleep. On waking, the skin looks radiant and replenished, thanks to the intensive mask’s formula that includes Hyaluronic Acid and Konjac Root to hydrate and smooth, Vitamin C to boost radiance, and Chicory Root Extract to reinforce the skin barrier.