Why Your Beauty Appointment Doesn't Have to Be for a Special Occasion

When do you usually book a beauty appointment?

Perhaps it's before a holiday, a wedding, a birthday or a night out or maybe it's when Christmas is approaching or you have got an important event coming up.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but I've been thinking lately about how often we treat beauty appointments as something we need to have a reason for.

As though we need somewhere to go, someone to see or something special happening before we are allowed to book one but what if you didn't need a reason?

You don't have to be going anywhere

You don't need a party coming up to have your nails done.

You don't need a holiday booked to have a facial.

You don't need a special occasion to have your feet looked after.

And you certainly don't need to be completely exhausted before you book a massage.

Sometimes you can simply fancy feeling nice.

I actually think that's one of the nicest reasons of all.

There is something lovely about leaving an appointment knowing that you haven't done it for anyone else. You haven't been getting ready for a particular event or trying to look a certain way.

You've just done something because it made you feel good.

Beauty maintenance can be part of everyday life

We often think about beauty in terms of the finished result - beautiful nails glowing skin, soft feet, lovely lashes, but regular treatments can also be about maintenance and looking after yourself along the way.

Instead of waiting until your nails have become completely neglected, you can give them a little attention regularly.

Instead of waiting until your skin feels uncomfortable or completely dull, you can keep an eye on what it needs as the seasons change.

Instead of waiting until your shoulders are screaming at you, perhaps you can give them some attention before they get to that point.

It doesn't have to be about constantly doing more. It's about finding a routine that works for you.

And then there's the time itself

This is probably the part I love most about a beauty appointment. Yes, you get the treatment but you also get the time.

When you come into my beauty room, you get to step away from whatever is happening outside that door for a little while.

You might spend your appointment chatting away and catching up with me. You might tell me all about your week, have a laugh and leave feeling like you've had a good natter as well as a treatment, or you might barely say a word because you are tired and just want to close your eyes. Both are perfectly fine.

Sometimes we don't realise how much we need that uninterrupted time until we actually have it.

Making it part of your routine

September seems like a particularly good time to think about this.

After the summer holidays, the heatwave and all the juggling that comes with having children at home, holidays and disrupted routines, life starts settling down again.

It can be tempting to immediately fill that extra space with more jobs, more cleaning, more work, more organising, more things for everyone else, but perhaps this time you could put yourself somewhere in that routine too.

It doesn't have to mean booking a treatment every few weeks if that's not right for you. Your beauty routine should fit your life, your budget and what you actually enjoy.

If having a regular manicure makes you feel more put together, if a facial gives your skin the attention it needs, or if an hour of massage gives you the chance to properly switch off, there's nothing wrong with making space for those things.

They don't have to be rewards, they don't have to be earned and they don't have to be saved for a special occasion.

You can simply do something because you want to

I think sometimes we spend so much time looking after everything and everyone else that we forget we're allowed to do things just because they make us feel good.

So the next time you look at your diary and think, “I'll book when I've got something coming up,” perhaps ask yourself a different question.

“Do I actually need a reason?”

You don't, it is enough to want a little time for yourself, to feel looked after and to walk back through your front door feeling a little more like you and if that happens to include pretty nails, happier skin, softer feet or relaxed shoulders along the way thev even better.