I don’t spend the time taking care of myself like I used to. I admit I have let myself go. It’s not by choice. I’m just a busy person.
Years ago (pre-children) I would always take the time to pamper myself with long bubble baths, facial treatments, doing my hair and make up, even making sure to get dressed up and wear jewelry. These days I rarely put on make up, my hair is almost always in a ponytail, I can’t tell you the last time I took a bubble bath and my skin looks haggard and “old”.
I am trying to take more time out of each day for “me time”. It doesn’t matter if I read a book or magazine, sit outside and relax with my eyes closed, watch an old movie on TV or go out and take some photos around town. Taking even 5 minutes each day can do wonders. Ideally I like to try and take a half hour or more.
I need to get back into a beauty routine too. I have started to do things to take better care of my skin.
One of the things I dislike about the Winter (aside from shoveling out my car and driving in snow) is that the Winter can be brutal on your skin. My hands are in a perpetual state of dryness unless I slather them with lotion all day long.
One thing I have been doing to help moisturize and protect my hands is using a hot paraffin wax treatment using my Beauty Chic Paraffin Bath.
Some people think dipping your hand in hot wax is painful. It’s not! It’s actually very soothing. I have Carpal Tunnel and I find the heat is also nice on my hands and wrist.
The Beauty Chic Paraffin Bath is VERY easy to use. Simply plug it in, let the paraffin wax melt (the unit comes with wax and you can buy more if you want too), then dip your hands into the wax, slide your hand into the plastic glove and then slip the soft thermal mitt on top. Leave the wax on your hands for 15 minutes or more (I leave it on for 30-60 minutes depending on what I’m doing). Once you are done simply remove the thermal mitt, take off and toss out the liner and either peel the wax off and discard it or toss it back into the Paraffin Bath to remelt and use again. Some people thing it’s more sanitary to toss out the wax. Others think it’s fine to reuse it over and over again. The choice is yours. Since I am the only one that uses the Beauty Chic Paraffin Bath and I always make sure my hands are clean and try before using it, I think it’s OK to recycle the wax.
Even after just one use my hands feel a million times better. They are so much softer, smoother and they dryness is almost all gone.
I think the Paraffin Bath has two great benefits – relieving the dry skin and providing a nice, therapeutic experience for my hands. I don’t know which benefit I like best.
You can use the wax treatment on your feet and elbows, but I don’t know if I like the idea of sticking my feet into it. Putting the wax on the elbows could get messy.
The only downside is that it takes a long time for the wax to fully melt (45-60 minutes). What I do is plug it in and go do something else while I’m waiting, like have dinner, write a blog post, or clean one of the rooms. The wait is not so bad if you keep yourself busy. Otherwise just sitting and waiting for it to melt can seem like a very long time.
The Beauty Chic Paraffin Bath comes with 2 pounds of Paraffin wax, 2 soft pink thermal mitts and 30 plastic glove liners. It retails for around $39.99 and can be found at many retail locations.
Another nice product that I have from Beauty Chic is their Facial Sauna.
At first I was a bit “iffy” about trying this. I wanted to – I was just afraid it would hurt. After all, you are having hot steam go at your face. I know that steam is a great way to open pours, I was just afraid it might be uncomfortable or hurt. Thankfully I was wrong. Steaming your face is actually a pleasant experience and it leaves your face feeling so good that you don’t want to put make up on again.
The Beauty Chic Facial Sauna comes with two “cones”. One if for steaming your face and the other is geared more towards your nasal passages.
It seems like I am always stuffy. I wake up frequently with nasal headaches. I blame the Winter and the dry air.
With the nasal cone in place all you need to do is breath in the steamy mist. Not only does it help you to breath better I also find the experience to be very soothing and relaxing. It does wonders on my stuffy nose too. I breath so much better after I use it.
I have never used a facial sauna until now. I see that I have been missing out on an inexpensive beauty treatment.
The steamy mist helps to open up your pores allowing you to get a deep clean. The mist also helps to moisturize and soften your skin as well as make it feel really refreshed and clean. I’m not exaggerating when I saw I don’t want to put make up on my face afterwards. I love how super clean my face feels.
The steam can also help to reduce oiliness in your skin and tighten pores. It’s great for my teenagers who have plenty of acne breakouts. I think the steam helps to destroy the bacteria that causes the acne. I’m not 100% sure about that but I know my daughter’s skin looks a lot better. My teenage son refuses to try it because he thinks it’s too “girly”.
The Beauty Chic Facial Sauna also came with a packet of Cucumber Facial Mask. Oh!!!! That felt REALLY good! I need to see if I can buy more.
The Beauty Chic Facial Sauna comes with two cones (facial and nasal), the cucumber mask and a measuring cup (you need to add the right amount of water). It retails for around $24.99. It is also sold at many retail locations.
If you would like to learn more about these and other Beauty Chic products please visit the Ulta Beauty website.
I love both products and they are welcome addition to my beauty care. They would also make great gifts (ideal for Mother’s Day and Christmas).
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.
kelly willis says
wow nice thanks for sharing
saminder gumer says
love the paraffin bath and it is a reasonable price. will go check it out. thanks.
June M. says
Both of these look great. I could use the paraffin bath for both my hands and feet (I would definitely want 2 to keep them separtate, lol). And the steamer would be great for my sinuses. They tend to be very dry due to allergies. I will have to add these to my wishlist 🙂
Olivia Rubin says
It got some wonderful reviews on the Ulta website. I never do facials, or have spa treatments. I have used Biore nose strips. I like that it is at a reasonable price and is compact. The reviews gave different suggestions on how to,use it.
I have yet to be in an Ulta shop and was planning on visiting one this weekend..just got a coupon…I,will see if they have this in stock…
P.S. tell your son that clear skin is more masculine than acne, so get over the pink part of it and relax over it!
Cindy Brickley says
I have carpal tunnel also and would love to try this.
Tammy S says
I love dipping my hands in hot wax. It makes them feel so smooth. Mom’s doctor just recommended to her to start dipping her hands in hot wax daily for help with the arthritis in her hands. So there’s another good reason to do it. Thanks for sharing. now I know where I can find one for her.
Betty Baez says
oh wow ive never even heard of either the wax or steam for your face but i can imagine how soothing it would be….i dont wear make-up but i do like to put on lotion and notice that it does clog up my pours. Im surprised that they are both very affordable too!
Donna George says
I had my first hot wax pedicure a few months ago and it was awesome! It felt so relaxing on my feet.
Alpa says
I like the wax thing as its best way to stay clean. Love the beauty ideas and great article.