Morning Routines: My Perfect Morning

I am obsessed with people’s morning routines. I love knowing any tips or tricks that people have to really start their day off on the right foot. The morning routines is another series that I am hoping to continue on Girl Exclusive, in the hopes that you will pick up some tips to incorporate into your own perfect day routine. I thought I’d kick the series off with none other than my own morning routine.

Why Morning Routines?

I never used to consider myself as having a morning routine, until recently. Now that I’ve discovered what my “ideal” morning routine is I genuinely look forward to getting up, taking time for myself and really focusing on my needs. I’m going to start this off by saying that I am one of those annoying people that LOVE mornings. Yep I’m the irritating, peppy person who wakes up in the morning with a spring in their step and is raring to go. But I’ve found having a morning routine really does set me up well for they day. It immediately puts me into my happy place and gets my creative juices flowing. I literally feel like nothing can stop me and I can conquer the world. It reduces my stress levels, makes me feel more connected and I feel super organised.

Waking Up…

Waking up for me is never normally a struggle. USUALLY I’m up before my alarm (I know, annoying right?), but nonetheless I set it for between 5.30am and 6.00am. I’m definitely an early bird and enjoy waking up as the sun rises. I generally find I am far more productive in the morning, which is why I enjoy waking up that bit earlier. Next I move to the bathroom where the first thing I do is scrape my tongue (you can see more on tongue scraping in this post) and the I brush my teeth. Some mornings, if I have the time I will oil pull for 15 minutes, generally its just scraping and brushing. Next I hop into the shower to freshen up. I try to wash my hair every other day, simply because I’m lazy. I know it’s frowned upon, but I also like to wash my face in the shower because it saves time and my face is wet anyway. Once I’m done washing my hair, I turn the temperature right down for a nice cold shock. It really wakes you up and gets the circulation going as well as aiding lymphatic drainage.

Skincare…

After my shower I head into my office/ dressing room where I make a start on my rather lengthy skincare routine, and yes I do this EVERY day:

1. I start with toner on a cotton pad and wipe this all over my face and neck (opt for a witch hazel one as its way gentler on the skin and works well for oilier skin types)
2. Then I dab eye cream on
3. Followed by applying a drop of Salicyclic Acid to my cheeks, chin and forehead (this is great for blemish prone skin as it helps to exfoliate it)
4. Followed swiftly by Niacinamide + Zinc (reduces the appearance of blemishes and congestion)
5. I leave both to soak to and then apply my serum – I don’t have a specific one I use, I buy whatever I feel my skin needs
6. Once I have rubbed the serum in I do my first round of facial massage with a roller. I start at my neck and gently roll up and down by face in strokes of 5 (jaw, lower cheek, upper cheek, temple, chin, switch to the other side of the face, nose and forehead).
7. Then I apply my moisturiser – again I don’t have a particular brand I tend to buy one suitable for my skin type and that’s on offer, you really don’t need a fancy, expensive moisturiser. You’re far better investing in a good serum!
8. I then repeat my facial massage again.
9. Finally I apply a factor 30 sunscreen to my face and neck – particularly as I use BHA’s and they can make skin more susceptible to sunburn. Regardless of your age though the one thing I advice anyone is to wear sunscreen, it is the best anti-aging product money can buy!

Getting Ready…

After my skincare I’ll get dressed, head downstairs and feed my cats, then I’ll drink 500ml of water to rehydrate myself, or grab a hot water with a slice of lemon. Alongside this I take a chewable vitamin C because I have a weak immune system and I find this helps me prevent getting ill as often. Then I head back up light some candles, burn an incense stick and pop on a podcast. I find listening to podcasts really relaxing and whilst I’m doing my makeup it’s a great way to learn something new. My favourites are:

• Style Your Mind – by Cara Alwill Leyba
• Him & Her Podcast – by The Skinny Confidential
• The Angie Lee Show – by Angie Lee
• Highest Self Podcast – by Sahara Rose
• At Home With – by Lily Pebbles and Anna Newton

In terms of makeup I’m loving my quick simple routine at the moment, nothing fancy and it literally takes 10-15 minutes. Once my makeup’s done I then sort my hair out which is either blowdrying then straightening or blasting it with Batiste Dry Shampoo on the no wash days, which is great for added volume as well as eliminating greasy roots.

Meditation…

I love meditation but I find it a struggle to squeeze it in. On a perfect day I do it in the morning and the evening. In the mornings I feel like it helps me gain some peace and quiet as well as clarity before a possibly busy, stressful day. It’s also great for helping me switch off at night so I can get a restful nights sleep. I use the Calm app on my phone, cycling between the sessions on the 7 day programme.

Breakfast…

Ah, my favourite meal of the day. I literally cannot get through the day without breakfast. At the moment I flit between two options: A smoothie of some sort (normally Spirulina because it’s great for hormonal acne) or gluten free oats with coconut milk, cinnamon and a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips.

After that I’m heading out the door, ready to start my day! If I’ve had the time to do most, or even all of this, it sets my day off right and puts me in THE best mood. I cruise into work feeling like I could take on the world and in a much better frame of mind to deal with whatever the day throws at me.

Do you have a morning routine? Are there any tips you have for me that I should include in mine? I would love to know your thoughts on morning routine’s and whose you think I should feature next.

Photo Credit: Death To Stock

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