The beauty of selfcare through at-home rituals

Here at MV, we firmly believe in the power of skincare reimagined as self-care. That's why we never talk about a skincare routine; instead, we encourage you to embrace the art of ritual when it comes to your skincare.

But of course, rituals are more than skin deep (see what we did there?). We believe that self-care can be simple, uncomplicated, daily rituals that help ground us and transform the seemingly simple moments of everyday life into something more.

Below are a few of our favourite self-care rituals and practices to transform your everyday.

Transforming your skincare routine into a skincare ritual

The psychological benefits of skincare rituals are well documented; from helping to foster mindfulness, to calming the nervous system, to reducing anxiety, studies have shown that skincare - and more importantly, the ways in which we apply our skincare such as facial massage - can have a powerful and positive effect on our mood, reduce anxiety, and constitute a genuine self-care practice.

We've long advocated for skincare rituals over skincare routines (you can find our skincare rituals here), and in the past we've also shared our thoughts on the psychology behind beauty rituals.

These rituals can look like breathing deeply and relaxing your shoulders during your application, taking in the aromtic experience, slowly and gently massaging your face without rushing and of course practicing mindful techniques during your skincare ritual to remain fully present throughout.

Speaking of practicing skincare rituals as a self-care practice, one of our most-loved holistic self-care pracices is a meditation ritual.

Meditation and breathwork

At its core, meditation is about learning to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgement and learning to accept and let go of whatever comes up during your practice.

Studies show that regular meditators experience a host of benefits, like improved autonomic nervous system functioning which regulates involuntary responses like blood pressure and digestion, as well as lower levels of cortisol, the hormone involves in the stress response.

But don't be alarmed by the idea of a meditation ritual; it doesn't have to be complicated.

In fact, studies have shown that even a simple 13 minute daily guided meditation is enough to reap the benefits of enhanced attention and memory.

Not sure where to start?

That's why our founder Sharon, a long-time advocate of the power of meditation, not only incorporates meditation into her legendary facials, but for the first time, has recorded four MV Guided Ritual Meditations for you to use at home.

Introducing, MV Guided Skin Rituals

These MV Guided Rituals, available for free on Spotify, double-down on our mission to bring ritual into the everyday, in a simple, accessible and uncomplicated way:

Morning Guided Ritual: Where Sharon talks you through a morning skin ritual at the bathroom sink. Take a moment to ground yourself before starting your day.

Evening Guided Ritual: Slip into your evening ritual. Perfect to unwind after a busy day. You deserve this.

Ocean Sleep Meditation: This is a special one, exclusively for sleep. Feel the waves wash over you, and surrender to the power of stillness while you explore and switch-off the thinking mind.

Mothers Meditation: A meditation for the mothers and nurturers. A time to turn inward and acknowledge all that you are, and all that you do.

Micro moments of mindfulness

Another meditation technique that we love is mindfulness, which involves paying attention to the present moment- whatever it is that you happen to be doing.

Like meditation, mindfulness is a skill that can be praticed over time and is linked to the benefits like reducing anxiety and helping with fatigue and stress.

Plenty of daily activities can be elevated into a mindful practice, and one of our favourites is mindful coffee and tea consumption.

We get it, it's easy to make or ingest your first (or second, or third!) coffee or tea whilst doing something else - hurriedly making breakfast, getting kids ready for school, working at your desk, sitting in a meeting. But making a cup of coffee or tea (like our Radiance Tea) and enjoying it mindfully is an underrated ritual that can ground you and allow you to slow down, even if only for a few minutes.