Hello hello! It’s me again! Your lovely, summer Banter Blogger! I hope your summers have been treating you well. Summers can be relaxing, but they also can be super duper stressful if you’re working on research, in an internship, a job, etc. So, just because the academic year is not in swing, it doesn’t mean you can’t do some self care! My personal favorite form of self care is skin care. I LOVE skin care!
I tend to rub and pick my face when I’m thinking, stressed, or even just bored. I noticed this my first year at Bryn Mawr, so I decided to do a little bit of research about how I should be treating my skin, and I developed a little routine that I do once a week. I have a normal routine I do, but this extensive one I do once a week on a Sunday, and I call it “Self-Care Sunday.” It’s nice to relax, treat yourself a little, and unwind before the dreaded Monday dawns.
So, the following are my Self-Care Sunday must haves and dos!

• Play your favorite song. There is nothing better than jamming out to your favorite song and dancing like absolutely no one is watching.
• Drink water! This seems like a no-brainer, but this is something that is super duper important. Summers are hot and sticky, and you’ll be losing lots of fluid. Take care of yourself by drinking water. Your body and stress levels will thank you! If you’re like me and you hate the taste of water (I know, I know…), put some fruit or tablets into them to mask the taste! My personal favorite fruit infusion is lemon ^_^
• Wear a cooling eye mask. You’re losing water, right? So, that means your face is going to get puffy, including your undereyes. So, I recommend buying a cooling eye mask that you can put into the refrigerator, so when you wake up and you’re drinking coffee, you can wear it and forget it’s there while it does it’s magic. You’ll feel refreshed and wonderful.
• Do a face mask. Whether it is a clay mask or a sheet mask, treat your skin! The air pollutants, stress, tugging, makeup and sun are a lot for our skin to handle. It deserves a little bit of extra love and care!
• Stick to a normal skin care routine. We as people like routine, and so does our skin! Stick to a normal routine that benefits your skin, and do it on the Sunday! Taking care of your skin and taking the time for yourself can make the world of difference, in my opinion. Take the time to figure out what your skin likes, what it doesn’t like. Consult online blogs, your friends, an esthetician, but most importantly, listen to your skin!

Here is a little vlog with me doing all of the above on a Sunday to show you how it’s done: (https://www.youtube.com/embed/hV2F0hG-PPU)

This week’s music recommendation is “You, Again”, (Instrumental) by so soo bin. (All lowercase!) I hope this week (and this summer) brings you joy, bliss, and plenty of time to take the time for yourself.