My evening routine

Recently, I’ve switched up my evening routine. The main reason was, because I had been wanting to get less blue light before going to bed, but I didn’t have something to replace my Netflix/writing with. But now I do, so here we go!

What’s the time?

My evening routine usually starts around 8 PM. After this time, I refuse to do any more work (unless when I have strict deadlines). Since I have a lot of extra committees next to my job, this is important, because tasks will never be ‘done’. When I have to go to the office, I have to go to bed around 10 PM, so preparing for that 2 hours in advance is also pretty relaxed.

It also matches pretty well with the fact that I don’t drink green tea anymore after 6 PM and no white tea after 8, due to the theine in them. This is similar to caffeine, which will prevent you from falling asleep. After 8 PM, I will switch over to rooibos tea or chamomile.

Switching off

Since I don’t work after 8 PM, this is also the time for me to switch off my laptop. My phone has a blue light filter, so this doesn’t matter as much. However, I do try not to touch it too much (except for scheduling my alarm clocks). Instead, I will generally go play with my hamster, who is becoming active around this time. In addition, I freshen up his water and give him some fresh foods. This way, he won’t be as annoyed with me at this time. I also water the plants. Since I am usually in a hurry in the morning and way too hungry before dinner to do anything except cook, I have more time after dinner. If I’m not too tired, I’ll also read a book. I also fill in some schedules in my Bullet Journal, like what I’ve eaten or how my mood was. However, on stressful days, I’ll just lay in my bath for over an hour with a mask on.

Planning ahead

Right before going to change, I will generally also prepare for the next day. This means setting my alarm clocks (yes, I have several…), preparing breakfast (see my overnight oats!) and getting an outfit ready for the next day. I am one of those nighttime people, so my outfit ideas will be much more creative and fun if I choose them in the evening. In the morning, I am way more likely to just grab my cosiest sweater and basic black pants.

Shower and skincare

Due to my low blood pressure, I have to shower in the evening instead of in the morning. This is actually perfect, since I can wash my face along with the rest of my body. The water from the shower is often too hot for the face. To prevent damage, I usually fold my hands into a bowl. I let the water cool off in my hands first, instead of holding my face straight under the jets.

Skincare

If I have make-up on, I’ll remove it before the shower. I generally use the Yes to cucumbers micellar water or the Vitamin E cream cleanser from The Body Shop. Twice a week, I use the Seaweed face scrub or the Drops of Youth peeling (both from The Body Shop) to get rid of the dead skin cells. Other days, I use the Himalayan Charcoal face wash from The Body Shop or the ‘Best Face Forward Daily Foaming cleanser’ from Formula 10.0.6. to wash my face. And if you are thinking ‘that’s a lot of Body Shop’, you’re right! I used to work at one of their stores and fell in love with a lot of products. Many are of great quality, cruelty-free and not too expensive. I am not an affiliate of them, just a fan!

Out of the shower, I will put on my Seaweed toner (you probably can guess the brand now). This is followed by the Drops of Youth sleeping mask. In the winter, I also like to use an extra oil/serum, but I honestly haven’t found one to recommend to you guys!

The hair

I’ll do another post about the rest of my skin- and haircare routines soon. The short version is that I towel-dry my hair quickly, leave it to dry in the air whilst going through my skincare routine. Then, I go to bed with semi-dry hair. Since I have straight hair, I don’t get a lot of nots or weird bumps. Therefore, I usually look quite alright when I wake up. I wash my hair once every four days.

Bedtime

After all of this, I brush my teeth and I crawl into bed. I put out the lights and check my alarms. When I am finding it hard to sleep, I will also put on some relaxing music. You can read more on my evening routine when I can’t sleep here.

As you can see, I love a quiet, relaxed evening, although I usually still get quite a lot done. What is your evening routine? Please let me know in the comments below!

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Lots of love,

Lisa

Ps. I have put a couple of affiliate links in this article. This means that I earn a small commission if you buy something. This way, I can keep this blog going. However, if you don’t want to buy from my link, don’t feel pressured to do so!