While exercise is proven to reduce anxiety, certain beauty treatments might work in a similar way to alleviate waves of uneasiness. For one ELLE editor, a multi-step skincare regimen acts as a form of meditation. For another, putting on a face mask at the end of a stressful day makes her kitchen feel like a spa. On the beauty-as-relaxation spectrum, I often skew a bit Black Swan with dangerous tweezer tendencies, but there's also something cathartic about taking the time to put on a @makeupbymario-level face. Studies show that smile therapy can improve depression, and maybe creating the look of someone who has her shit together can help to quiet the anxiety that stands in the way. Here, five ELLE editors discuss the most calming products they know.
Fresh Umbrian Clay Mask
"Stress can make oil glands more active during the day, and I'm always embroiled in a battle with acne anyway, so when I come home from work, sometimes I'll rinse my face in warm
water (to open my pores so product will better penetrate) and smooth on Fresh's Umbrian Clay mask. I leave it on for way longer than the packaging proposes, maybe for like half an hour as I cook dinner. And I promise you my face feels far less irritated and smoother. It's also super fun to do a mask, it's a little spa moment at the end of a long day."
- Megan O'Neill, Beauty & Fitness Editor, ELLE
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate
"Obvious—but so good. I put the concentrate on right before bed and the scent makes me feel like I'm at a spa and like I'm doing something good to "take care of myself" while I'm staying up too late checking emails."
- Leah Chernikoff, Editorial Director, ELLE.com
Biologique Recherche
"I love my therapist. He's great and helps me through a lot. But there's nothing, and I mean nothing, as stress-relieving as my 20-minute session with my Biologique Recherche face mask regimen. Some may think it's extreme: Four nights a week I do an entire treatment prescribed by the famed Sofia at Aida Bicaj that involves a cleanser, toner, elixir, and mask that I have to mix (two creams mixed in my hand with baking soda), but there's something about the process and the medicinal scent that makes me feel like I'm doing something right in my life."
Ruthie Friedlander, Deputy Editor, ELLE.com
Tata Harper Aromatic Stress Treatment
"Whenever things get a little too much to handle I gravitate toward my mini vial of Tata Harper Aromatic Stress Treatment, which I dab on my wrists, behind my ears, and generally huff during stressful situations."
- Justine Harman, Senior Entertainment Editor, ELLE.com
May Lindstrom The Problem Solver Masque
"I have been hooked on May Lindstrom's The Problem Solver Masque for more than a year–and not just because the all-natural but powerful formula reboots my entire complexion, leaving it smooth, even, and poreless in a matter of minutes. The ritual of putting it on is also wonderful and just so relaxing: You mix the powder with a bit of water, which turns it into a foamy mousse that feels deliciously tingly and warm on your skin. It also SMELLS delicious, thanks to an array of exotic spices and raw cacao. It's like having a warm, ginger-cinnamon cookie on your face, and I always catch myself huffing the fumes."
- Victoria Hoff, Associate Editor, ELLE.com
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