Erica Davies

Blogger and fashion stylist Erica Davies sticks to a no-nonsense Sunday night routine, in which baths most definitely do not feature…

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The Wind Down

Sunday night is full of anticipation, it’s that feeling that I need to get myself ready for the week ahead. Once I’ve got the kids’ school stuff ready I can start thinking about myself but I do have to be organised before I can properly start to relax. I like to make sure I’ve got an overview of what’s coming up that week: outfits, meetings, even whether I need to take stuff to the dry cleaners. I like to be as prepared as possible. Checking my diary is a big one for me, I have to have everything written down in both a paper diary and in my phone to help it go into my head properly.

8pm is usually the time when I can flop on the sofa. I relish the silence for about 10 minutes — just to decompress — and then my husband and I tend to turn the TV on. We’ll either watch a box set or we love Sunday night TV; we loved Howard’s End and Blue Planet. In terms of beauty, Sunday night is when I will do something a bit more involved like a hair mask or a face mask. It’s all about refreshing my skin and trying to stop it looking so tired all the time. I love candles, I’ve got loads in my living room but the scents change depending on my mood and the season, at the moment I’m into cosy, musky fragrances.

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The Routine

I’m pretty strict when it comes to my skin regime and am all about the double cleanse thanks to Caroline Hirons. The whole beauty world just fascinates me and luckily I’m now at a stage when I’m lucky enough to be sent lots of bits to try. I’m a beauty junkie but I’m not an expert – there’s a difference! I like a balm textured cleanser, Darphin’s Aromatic Cleansing Balm which I love because it’s thick and smells amazing. I’ll take my time over applying it, then once both cleansers are done I’ll use a vitamin C product, I’ve got into them lately. I love layering serums and moisturisers together. I like a good quality night cream that’s quite rich in texture, I need hydration and my skin just seems to absorb it. I still get quite hormonal with breakouts but I’ve become much more aware of my skin recently and how to look after it. I love a mask on a Sunday, I like anything purifying or anything with charcoal in it, basically because I like to feel like it’s doing some real extraction work. While the mask is on I’ll be pottering – putting clothes away, unloading the dishwasher, putting piles of stuff here and there. I love Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pads for a bit of exfoliation.

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When it comes to my body I exfoliate on a Sunday night and use it in the shower; it has to be functional because I haven’t got time to stand there loofahing. I don’t like baths, I get really claustrophobic and if I could do everything in the shower I would. In fact I’m thinking of taking the bath out of our en-suite, I only use it to drape clothes over. I love lemon scents when it comes to body washes, anything lemon or citrusy. Once I’m out of the shower I’ll moisturise head to toe and then pop my pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers on and go downstairs.

I usually wash my hair on a Sunday morning, only because it’s so thick and curly it takes a long time to dry. Product-wise I like anything that’s nourishing and hydrating. I’ll do a hair mask once a month — I love the Christophe Robin Shade Variation Care because it’s so good for bringing out blonde tones in my hair and I’m really into Bumble and bumble styling products. I love their Don’t Blow It (H)Air Styler and have recommended it so many times on Instagram to various people.

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Bedtime

I’m usually in bed by about 10pm. Once I’m in bed I will have a scroll through Instagram but I’m trying to read more, I have a huge stack of books by my bed. I’ve just had a two day break from social media and as a result have downloaded the Calm app, so I might listen to that. If not I might listen to a chill out playlist on Spotify with my earphones on. I’m a pretty good sleeper but if I wake up in the night it takes me hours to get back to sleep.

erica

Monday Morning

My daughter will always wake me up, usually around 6.45am, she’s my alarm clock. This time of year it’s hard to get up and out of bed, but once I am up I’ll jump in the shower, wash my face and apply my vitamin C serum and a moisturiser and I’m good to go. I feel positive on a Monday morning. I love it when I’ve dropped the kids off at school and I have the whole day ahead if me. I’ve started seeing a personal trainer on a Monday now too, so I look forward to that too.