Pamper Evening- University Style

Sometimes a pamper evening is all you need. Being at university means a pamper evening is impossible, right? Wrong! It's true that most students only have access to a shower, this can make a pamper evening feel pretty lame because you haven't got a nice toasty bath to soak into. Showers in halls are sometimes shared between a group of people; other students (like me) are lucky enough to have an en suit. Whatever accommodation you're in it is still possible to take  an hour away from the chaos of a student life and treat yourself to a pamper evening. 

Pink Tea Lights - Asda

To start the evening, I light three little tea light candles and place them on my soap dish. In my bathroom the light is very harsh and it's what I am used to when I shower daily, so the candles create a completely different atmosphere.  I think this step is very important for that pamper evening feel.

No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser- Boots 

The next thing I do is cover my face with No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser. This bad boy helps quickly sweep away all of my make-up and gives my skin a good old clear out. I usually buy this from boots when I get a '£5 off No7 skincare' voucher so it actually only cost £5 and for a Hot Cloth Cleanser that's pretty good! Anyway, after I've smothered this all over my face I hop in the shower. The most amazing feeling is when I drench my muslin cloth with hot water and press it onto my face. It sounds crazy but it's like I can feel my skin open up and all of the make up just pours out! 

Lee Stafford Hair Treatment- Boots

After all of my make up is off I shampoo. At the moment I am alternating between purple shampoo for my ombrѐ  hair and Tresemmѐ. Today I have used Tresemmѐ and just a note to all you girls out there, I still have a couple of uses out this bottle and I have had it since september! Tresemmѐ size bottles will last you forever at university! After I have washed that off I apply some Lee Stafford Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length. This part is optional, but if you're like me and need some serious hair fertilisation then this is the thang for you! This treatment needs to be left to soak in for 5 minutes. 

Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub- Boots (I got this from a set in the New Year sales)

Snow Fairy- Lush (Only available around Christmas)

In this time, I ex foliate with Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub and wash down with some snow fairy body wash. A new step I have introduced to my routine is the use of a face brush. My friend Lauren gave my her old face brush so I thought I'd include that (you might think that is gross but hand me downs are the best thing ever at uni). I put some Simple Face Wash onto the back on my hand, dipped the brush in and started swirling it into my face until it was all covered. Surprisingly I  really really like this whole face brush thing, it's left my face feeling very soft and it does feel much much cleaner.

Face Brush- My friend Lauren, I think she got it from Ebay

After everything is washed off you're ready for the deep condition. Hair at university goes through A LOT. Constant hair spraying, dry shampoo, back combing and it might even have a bit of alcohol left in there from a few nights ago (you never know). So for this step I use TIGI S Factor Serious Conditioner, you can use any sort of conditioner, though I like this as it's more intense. Pop the conditioner all over your hair and scalp, make sure you get a good head massage going when you do this. If you do use the Serious Condition then you'll start to feel a little cold tingly feeling on your scalp, it's very refreshing. 

S Factor Serious Conditioner- Cheap Smells

I have a comb for the shower, I got two of these from Ebay for £1.98- free postage. These are fantastic because they're pink and they also have hooks so they're very shower handy! I like to brush through my hair when it is cover in conditioner, it makes it more manageable afterwards. I would really recommend these to anyone, they're so useful and really do cut out brushing time when you're out of the shower! 

Shower Comb- Ebay (Two Pack)

I got this idea from Zoe of Zoella but it is so fantastical I think every girl needs to do this. Leave all of the conditioner on your hair and turn the shower off. Then use a turbie towel (or a regular towel) and wrap it around your hair. By doing this your scalp and hair has time to drink up all of the goodness from your conditioner. This is the stage where I like to put a face mask on. Usually I would use my Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox mask (which you can read a review for here) but today I have used the MONU Warming Aromatic face mask from my March Glossy Box, just to change it up. However, you can use any old face mask you may have hanging around. 

Sanctuary Spa Face Mask- Boots

At this point: I'm wrapped in a towel, my hair is cradled in a turbie smothered in conditioner and I have a face mask on. It's definitely time to relax. So I put the kettle on, whack out my Cath Kidston mug and a sachet of hot chocolate. Tonight, I've opted for Options White Hot Chocolate. I find Hot Drinks at night very soothing and they always prepare me for bed. If you have a communal shower in your halls then leaving the shower at this stage may not be the best of ideas! But I guess you could take it a book in with you to relax with. I don't have a set time that I leave my conditioner in and my mask on for, I just wait until I've drank all of my drink. I find if you clock watch you can't really relax. Once I feel ready to get back in. Once in, thoroughly rinse everything off and then the whole shower thing is finished with. 

Options Hot Chocolate- Asda

Mug- Cath Kidston

When having a pamper evening it is always important to moisturise. Usually students find it hard to find time to do this. A pamper evening is the most perfect time to do so. I  use Sanctuary Spa Body Butter as it is fairly intense and dries rapidly. Whilst this is drying I move onto my face. I use No7 Cleansing Water, a cheap eye gel from Boots and I have swapped my night cream for the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (only because I got a free mini sample of it). When you're a student it's great to get your hands on as many freebies as you can. Have fun, experiment with them and develop a preference for products. It's the best policy to have when you're young and need to keep control of spends! If you haven't got any samples, ensure you always have something at night to put on your face, even a drug store face moisturiser will make a noticeable difference.

No7 Cleansing Water, Eye Gel, Sanctuary Spa Body Butter- Boots

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Serum Sample- Estee Lauder

 I understand that this isn't very budget friendly but I have done budget pampering and sometimes the products do not work for me. Most of my things I have used tonight I have had as a gift or decided to treat myself to. Remember if you love a good old pamper but don't like to pay the price it's always a great idea to note the products you want to your friends/family so they can buy them as a present for Christmas/Birthday. A pamper evening allows you to have that time out from the antics of life. I guarantee it will make you feel 100% more relaxed. Anyway, that's a wrap for my pamper evening post. If you have any questions on the products I use please feel free to post or contact me. 

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮