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Home Alone, But Never Boring: My Nightly Beauty Rituals in December

December is busy in a very specific way. This nightly beauty routine is the one constant I protect, even when everything else ramps up. End-of-year deadlines stack up, invitations overlap, work kicks into a whole other gear, and suddenly every night feels spoken for. I go out, I work late, I say yes - which is exactly why being home, on my own terms, feels like a luxury rather than a default.

By the time I get home, I don’t want silence. I want movement. Familiar chaos. Hello, ADHD. I want a clean face, no bra, a glass poured, emails half-checked, and Bravo on loud enough that I can hear women yelling while I move around the apartment. Candles lit because – why not? It’s not about switching off – it’s about switching gears.

Especially now, with a kitten called Blueberry Muffin supervising proceedings and a month full of obligations already behind me. These nights aren’t about pretending I don’t love things. They’re about ritual, routine, and using products properly -many I’ve relied on for years, some newer, all genuinely part of my life.

I won’t lie: I love products. I love experiencing the scents, textures, and most of all… the packaging. I am a marketer’s dream.

Beauty Shelf Gif

The Arrival Ritual: How the Night Actually Starts

I don’t rip my makeup off the second I walk through the door. I like a buffer.

I wind down first. Shoes off. Bag hung. My new Steven Khalil x Black Blaze candle lit. A glass of wine poured – one of my longest friends has a vineyard in Victoria’s King Valley Wine Region, founded and run by women – and my varietal of choice, the Symphonia Arneis 2022. I check emails and messages while setting up my watchlist.

This is the decompression window – the slow shift from public-facing to private.

steven khalil and black blaze candle
glass of wine symphonia wines and shadow

Only then do I cleanse.

I double cleanse every night. Always have. I’ve tried all the oil cleansers, and the holy grail is the MECCA Cosmetica Nourishing Cleansing Oil. I work it into dry skin (pro tip from the very talented James Vivian: cleanse for at least 60 seconds) before removing it with a Retreatment Botanics muslin cloth soaked in water that’s slightly warmer than warm.

Followed by the Rejuvaus Deep Exfoliating AHA Cleanser. I am the least active person you will meet, but this cleanser walked so everything else could run. It includes 15 intelligent acids -including lactic, malic, citric and tartaric acids – plus activated charcoal, prebiotics and a lipid complex. It’s lightweight and leaves my skin feeling clean and nourished, never dry or squeaky.

About ten years ago, I was seeing an incredible facialist who introduced me to Sesderma, a Spanish skincare brand that genuinely changed my life. After my hysterectomy at 30 (cervical cancer survivor over here), my skin went into chaos thanks to no natural hormones and the introduction of multiple medications, including HRT. The Azelac Lotion Spray is a staple in my beauty cupboard and always will be. A few squirts onto a cotton pad and gentle swipes across the face soothe the skin, diminish redness, and help regulate sebum. If you have folliculitis, this is the product.

I finish with Jurlique Calendula Toner, pressed in with my hands. It’s grounding, uncomplicated, and exactly what my skin wants at the end of a long day. If I want extra hydration, I’ll dot the Calendula Cream onto my cheeks, chin, nose and forehead, then gently massage it in.

This is where the night actually begins.

Mecca Cleansing Oil
deep exfoliating bubbles
Muslin Cloth
sesderma azelac spray on body
Jurlique Calendula Toner
jurliuque calendula cream

Treatment Skin

I use a lot of skincare, and I enjoy it. What I don’t do is dramatise my skin.

December is hot. There’s sunscreen (and please, please reapply throughout the day), makeup, long days and late nights. When my skin feels as exhausted as my mind, I reach for the COSMEDIX Rescue Intense Hydrating Mask -rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. Cherry Bark Extract helps calm the skin and reduce the appearance of redness. Bliss.

Every single night, I use my Dr Dennis Gross LED mask. No ceremony, no commentary. It fits into real life, usually worn while watching Bravo and still answering messages. Consistency is key. And yes, if you use a straw, you can still sip your wine… or water.

Also on rotation, depending on the day:

gold skincare la prairie jurlique dr dennis gross led mask

Comfort Is Not a Cop-Out

I’ve moisturised my body after the shower for as long as I can remember – long before it was framed as anything aspirational.

In the shower, I use RATIONALE Body Cleanse. I don’t usually lean towards citrus scents, but their signature sweet orange is fresh and bright. From there, body care becomes layered – both in texture and scent.

Glossier Body Hero is non-negotiable. I’ve gone through more bottles than I can count, which tells you everything you need to know. It absorbs beautifully, leaves skin genuinely soft, and smells familiar without being boring.

I also use the new RATIONALE Illuminating Body Crème, and every Thursday night, without fail, I marinate. I rotate my tan between Sontse Golden Hour Self Tan Mousse and Eleffect The Tint in Medium.

Skin is the body’s largest organ. Treating it properly isn’t indulgent – it’s logical.

rationale body wash and woman in bath
glossier body hero lotion
rationale body lotion on model
women with sontse fake tan
eleffect tan tghe tint
cosmedix mask

Small Acts of Future Kindness

Routine is what makes my life easier. The more intentional I am at night, the less friction there is the next day.

Hair is part of that. I use L’Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Series and once my hair is towel dried, I add a small dollop of the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate depending on how stressed my hair feels. Before stepping outside, KMS Hair Anti-Humidity Seal Spray is essential in summer.

I brush with a Wet Brush -I’ve used them for years -and let my hair air-dry whenever I can.

My bathroom setup is functional and intentional (and my favourite room in the apartment): the Rae Morris Brush Set displayed on The Rae Plate, my Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 always charged, and HiSmile toothpaste in rotation. I’m a sucker for the Barbie Pink Bubblegum, with Grant’s Australia Whitening +HA when I feel like switching it up.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about systems that work.

rae morris makeup brushes
loreal shampoo
sabrina carpenter with redken product
kms antgi humidity seal
WET HEAIR
phillips toothbrush
barbie toothpaste

Why These Nights Matter

I like luxury. I like products. I explore beauty for a living – and I use it properly.

These nights aren’t about resetting anything or performing calmly. I’m still checking my laptop, still moving around, still engaged. The difference is that I’m doing it surrounded by things I genuinely enjoy.

So light the special candle. Lather in the good body wash. Pop on a BonPatch Wearable Sleep Patch. Whether you’re a one-step Wonder Woman or an “I don’t have enough space for all my products” girly – enjoy your beauty routine.

This is ritual, not restraint. Luxury, used.
And that’s the point.

Written by Jayde Balderston

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