At Home Spa Pampering: How I Cram Hours of Pampering into 90 Minutes or Less

Sample Provided For Review, I Bought This

After my recent vacation (Disney World with a 2 year old), I fully admit that I needed a little peace and relaxation. It was fun but... super exhausting! Unfortunately, I didn't have the time (or money) to head to a spa for the full treatment for a day. I did have a few hours at home alone, thanks to a day I didn't have to work and my toddler at "school". So, I took advantage and crammed as much pampering into a 90 minute period as I could! I don't remember exactly what order I did everything in, but here's the kind of multi-tasking I usually do to fill a roughly 90 minute pampering session.

I'm not really one of those girls that likes to lounge around in the tub. I'm busy and have a lot of things to do (and multitask) and they aren't really easily done in the tub. I'm usually doing one thing while another works away, like scrubbing down while a hair mask is soaking, etc.

Things I usually do:

Hair
I have some eczema or atopic derm near my ear, and a small amount of Head and Shoulders Advanced once a week is all I need to keep it at bay in the fall and spring. Something with zinc just keeps my skin happy. I also really love the Green Apple Head and Shoulders, but I just ran out last week, so I'm back to the blue bottle. I'm going to repurchase in the Green Apple after this one runs out, I love the smell of the green apple.

While the H&S is on those little areas, I wash the rest of my hair. Lately I'm really loving the L'Oreal Advanced Hair Care line! I've been using the Total Repair 5 line, and you can see the Shampoo & Conditioner here. The collection is very hydrating and seems to be really improving the condition of my damaged hair with each use. I also have the mask (which I recently repurchased, you can see it on my Instagram), it's hiding under the DermOrganic Hair Masque. So, I wash my hair with the L'Oreal, then I'm masking with the L'Oreal, and then I actually did a second mask with the DermOrganic (I was super pampering!). My hair loved this and was super soft and silky, but not at all weighed down. It still had a lot of volume.

Face
I washed my face with my First Aid Beauty Cleanser, using my Clarisonic.

Body
Obviously, in the shower you need to get yourself clean. When pampering I like to use a really yummy scented body wash, and my favorites are the Aromatic Blends from Kiehl's. They smell ah-mazing and have a nice lather. They don't overdry my skin, but aren't crazy hydrating like my usual Olay, so I don't use them a lot in the winter. I used my Beautisol Exfoliating Mitt with the body wash, so I was super soft and glowy after my shower.

I'm usually afraid to not use my typical Cetaphil cream, when I'm not super hydrated my eczema likes to flare. For about the last week or so I've been using the new Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion, and it seems to be working really well! It's a slightly lighter lotion, and I love that I can just use a pump instead of having to open a tub and smear very thick cream everywhere. (That pump really is so much easier!) It has a very light scent, sinks in to my skin pretty quickly and the lotion does keep me well moisturized for a long time. I'll definitely be using this throughout the summer!

Finally, under all of those products you'll see my Solevation Shower Mat, which I'm totally in love with. I stand on it while shampooing and washing, just twisting and turning. The end result is pretty feet!

Once I'm finally out of the shower, I like to spend some time masking/doing my nails. First I should point out that the Rembrandt strips are there because I actually start those before I get in the shower (this is the Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening System).

Next I start masking!
Kiehl's Rare Earth Mud Mask: This mask still doesn't have its own page, but it is amazing. I use it right after getting out of the shower so it can pull as much junk out of my pores as possible. It gets the job done but is very gentle, which I love!

First Aid Beauty Instant Oatmeal Mask: After masking I like to do a soothing/hydrating mask. If it makes me smell like a cookie, so much better!

Next it is time for nails. You can read more about my preferences in my 8 Pedicure Essentials post from last week, but I use a lot of the same products for my manicure. I have the Nails Inc Kensington top coat here, which dries things in about 45 seconds (though it seems to take more like 4-5 minutes for really dry enough to do stuff). I also have a hand scrub and cream from Julep, which I've really loved. They sent them to me in a free Maven box, which I've found is a great way to find new products. That hand cream is amazing!

Also, I use the 30 second cuticle remover from Sally Hansen, which I've probably bought about 30 times over the years (no joke). I'm loving the CoverGirl nail polishes, they last for a looooong time. This one reminds me of my Chanel Particuliere, but with much better wear. I swear I buy a new bottle every time I go to the grocery store.

Finally, if I'd had time, I would have probably tried to include these items as well!

The Clairol Natural Instincts Clear Shine treatment: Since going dark my hair is definitely not as shiny. I'm about to get my hair done again so I'll have my hair dresser do something, but otherwise this is already sitting in my cart on Drugstore.com!

Beautisol Self Tanner: This doesn't turn my skin orange and it doesn't smell! I don't really have time for the "full" treatment, but my plan is to get a bottle to mix in to my lotion and just use it every day. According to Beautisol's Founder, Sinead, this should work really well!

SpaSonic: Like a Clarisonic, but not. It has a head that is big enough for your body! They sent me one to test, but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet. I won't let it in my bathroom until I do, but it's in my office, taunting me.