060. Spring Pamper Routine ft. Botnia, Disney+
Step by step skincare pampering and why I’m signing up for Disney+
Hi, I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow beauty and slow living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
One day of every weekend, I treat myself to a weekly pamper routine. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve most likely seen these routines before. The steps of the routine don’t usually change, but the products do! The ones I’ll talk through today were the skincare I’d been using throughout Spring. There was also a facial oil and balm, but I can’t talk about those yet. However, trust me, as soon as they’re released, you’ll be hearing about them! Let’s start with the item I want to highlight today.
1 : C L E A N S E
Botnia Renewing Face Wash ($37, 7.1floz | 210ml)
I have to admit, I did not realize how large this bottle was until it arrived. But it’s a great thing because you get so much for $37! I’ve been dreaming about this face wash since my facial with Rebecca of Uncommon Yarrow back in January. Then I purchased it back in April and have been using it ever since.
Botnia has two versions of these cleansers: the Daily Face Wash, which I believe was the original, and then they came out with the Renewing Face Wash. I chose to go with Renewing because, aside from the excellent cleansing ability, it is also packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to help skin age gracefully. And speaking of ingredients, did you know there are only 11? (One is the “essential oil blend,” so technically, it will be at least two, but still!)
I have to admit, I love foaming cleansers. It just makes washing your face fun! However, as someone with dehydrated skin, it’s tough to find one that works, and I hadn’t until this one. The cleanser is housed in a plastic bottle with a pump. I use anywhere from 1–3 pumps, depending on which step I’m using this face wash for. 3 pumps provide a delightfully fluffy dollop of face wash.
This is a hardworking cleanser! I am amazed that it removes makeup and mineral sunscreen on its own! Those of us who use mineral sunscreen from the green beauty world know it can be tough to remove without an oil cleanser. This removes it with no problem and does the same with makeup. The one thing it has a more challenging time removing is heavy eye makeup, and that’s because if it gets in your eyes, it’s going to sting. Instead, I’ll go in with an oil cleanser or balm first to remove the eye makeup. Then follow with this cleanser for the rest of my face.
The scent is so bright and fresh, thanks to the green tea and essential oil blend. I thoroughly enjoyed using it during the Spring and think it will make an equally excellent cleanser for Summer. It’s great to use on bare-face days and would make a great second cleanse. And did I mention they sell refills in aluminum bottles? Just purchase the full-size with a pump once and easily refill and recycle the rest!
Note: If you tend to have dry or dehydrated skin like me, it is possible to go overboard with this cleanser. Less is more. If I overdo it with the number of pumps I’m using, my skin will feel tight and slightly dry afterward. But when using the right amount, my skin is left plump, cleansed, and feeling fresh!
2 : M A S K
After cleansing, it’s mask time. One of my favorites throughout Spring, when I wasn’t using the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask, is the Naturallogic UNMASK. It remains hydrating and nourishing while gently detoxifying. It also stays in place so you can move around without worrying about it slipping and dripping onto the floor. And suppose I have a few active breakouts at the moment. In that case, I go over those spots with my trusty pAra botanica Nenekti Purifying Mask. The higher concentration of clay in the formula really helps to draw out impurities. It always instantly reduces redness or quickens the healing process bringing them to a head. With the UNMASK as a base, the Nenekti powder has something to cling onto too. After 20–30minutes, I use a warm washcloth to remove both.
3 : M I S T
Then I generously mist my face with the LESSE Regeneration Mist. While my skin is still moist, I’ll go in with a custom emulsion.
4 : S E R U M + O I L
During the Spring, my go-to was three drops of the Heart of Gold Pastoralia Spring Sequence mixed with three drops of that secret facial oil.
5 : B A L M
Then I went in with a light, pea-sized layer of the secret facial balm.
6 : E Y E S
For the under eyes, I’ll go in with the Gather Perfume Spring Ephemeral Beautif-EYE Balm, one of my favorite eye balms, period. I use it every evening, and it is deeply moisturizing and makes my lashes grow like crazy. If you’re interested in this, I highly suggest grabbing one now. Ananda (founder, creator) is discontinuing her skincare line (to my despair!). There’s a chance she’ll bring back some items here and there, but there’s no guarantee on which items.
7 : L I P S
Then I’ll swipe a generous layer of the evanhealy Blue Cactus Cooling Balm over the lips. I don’t talk about this item enough. I use it all the time because it’s multipurpose. If my skin is flaring up with redness, I’ll swipe a layer of this on. If I have a dry patch, I’ll swipe this over it. The gentle cooling sensation also makes it a joy to use as an eye balm to help wake up and soothe tired eyes. It’s also one of my favorite lip balms! It plumps and smooths my lips instantly and keeps them hydrated for quite a while. This is why I always use it in the morning before applying lip products!
8 : G U A S H A
The pièce de résistance is a relaxing gua sha routine with the Lanshin Pro Tool. Nothing relaxes me more than facial gua sha.* Mostly because it also includes my neck and shoulders, where a lot of my tension settles.
*If you’re new, I have an entire YouTube review and demo of my facial gua sha and massage routine with Lanshin tools.
And that concludes my Spring weekly pamper routine! I would say the entire thing takes maybe an hour and a half, depending on how long I leave the mask on. In the long run, an hour and a half of self-care is perhaps too little per week now that I think about it!
The Tender Forms household subscribes to many streaming services: HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Apple TV+. When Disney+ came out, I didn’t see any reason to subscribe. Many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films were available on other services or owned by us. And though ‘WandaVision’ caught my eye, it was the only series to do so. Still, it didn’t feel like enough to bite the bullet. Until ‘Loki.’
Loki is one of my favorite characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s relentless, humorous, endearing, charming, God of Mischief, yet a softie on the inside. At the time of writing this, I’ve watched the Series Premiere, and…it left me wanting. As with most pilots, this one has a lot of world-building. We’re learning about where we are, who’s who, what’s what, etc. But there are only six episodes this season, so I was hoping for more in this first episode.
Since new episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays, I will be subscribing to Disney+ for the next two months. In that timeframe, I hope to watch the following:
Rewatch all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. *The total is 23 films, yet ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and the ‘Spider-Man’s are not available because they’re owned by Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures, which is annoying, to say the least. At least do a licensing deal, Disney+!
‘WandaVision’ Season 1 (9 episodes)
‘The Mandalorian’ Season 1 and 2 (16 episodes total)
‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ Season 1 (10 episodes)
All my favorite Disney Classics including but not limited to, and in no particular order: ‘Robin Hood,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Aladdin,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Beauty and The Beast,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ‘Hercules,’ ‘The Great Mouse Detective,’ ‘The Little Mermaid,’ ‘The Emperor’s New Groove,’ ‘Toy Story 4’ (the only Toy Story I’ve yet to see)…
And some of the Live-Action adaptations: ‘Beauty and The Beast,’ ‘The Jungle Book’ (haven’t seen), ‘Aladdin’ (haven’t seen)… *I’m surprised the 2015 live-action ‘Cinderella’ isn’t available. Unlike the Hulk and Spider-Man, Walt Disney Pictures produced it, so not sure what’s happening there. Also, the app’s UX/UI is terrible, making finding and discovering content difficult.
I would have loved to watch ‘Black Widow,’ but no way am I paying just shy of $30 to rent it. I’ll just wait until it appears elsewhere or comes to Disney+ regular subscriptions at “a later date.”
Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear about your pamper routine! What items do you use? Do the steps vary? And if you have Disney+, have you enjoyed it? Remember, you can always leave a comment or reply directly to this email to chat one on one.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!