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For me self-care and skin-care go hand in hand but it’s something I know little about. As winter sets in, I find myself with permanently chapped lips and the reduced hours of sunlight are never ideal when trying to stay upbeat and motivated. Roseanna Arroyo is a massage therapist, beautician, runs the ‘Like Her’ podcast and is studying Marketing at University, if you haven’t yet, checkout her Podcast as it is perfect for learning about a range of work and lifestyle practices from intelligent and interesting women.
Roz, where is home for you?
This is so hard! I grew up in Bristol and moved to Bath when I was 14 so both are very homely to me - my parents still live in Bath so their house is home to me but not Bath itself - I feel more at home in Bristol. BUT to be honest I feel the most at home in a place called Bermeo- it’s a very small town on the coast of northern Spain where my family are from and I feel most myself there. So I guess home is wherever I feel myself.
And what is your typical day?
Uni, working, rowing, Instagram, coffee, multitasking lol.
I am so busy all of the time that I have to be really organised and structured but as soon as I have a free day I do whatever I want, I think that’s really important.
Self-care is a bit of a hype-phrase at the moment – it’s definitely something that I find important and yet there are so many things that can be seen as ‘self-care’. What does it mean to you?
I think self-care gets a bit of bad press but it’s one of the trendy buzzwords that I actually really like! For me, self-care is being mindful of anything that affects your mental and physical wellbeing and doing what you can to affect those things in a positive way. A lot of people ridicule self-care rituals (and I get that a lot of brands are jumping on the bandwagon to sell stuff) but for me, it’s what the product or ritual represents. So yeah, a face mask isn’t going to write my uni essay but taking 10 minutes out of my day will encourage mindfulness and relaxation which will aid my essay writing.
And how does your skin-care coincide with this?
I think skin-care is a massive part of self- care. I personally think if you can’t take 5 minutes to wash your face then what other, more important things can you not allow time for? For me, doing a nice skincare routine with different steps, helps me relax and be present at the end of the day and I think it’s these things that help form habits in other areas of your life too.
For anyone wanting to know how to look after their skin better, do you have any tips/ go to brands?
Drink water! So boring but there’s a reason supermodels say it, it works! Also, self-facial massages using a nice face oil. I’ve been using a lush one by Botany Blend, which smells amazing. The massage helps fresh blood feed your skin cells as well as smoothing any tension & draining any fluid that can cause puffiness. It’s also a nice self-care ritual. 😊
My tip would be to start simple: get the basics like cleansing down then move on to more advanced products. Caudalie is a great brand for skincare novices because their products are so effective, when you see amazing results from something as simple as a face ash you’ll be more motivated to look after your skin.
Anything that we should try our best to avoid?
Facewipes! They’re bad for the environment and dry your skin out. Also any products with alcohol in, as it dries your skin out. You’d be surprised at how many high-end brands use alcohol.
Something that I am still trying to perfect is what make-up/skin care I take with me when travelling, what things do you always travel with?
Factor 50 sunscreen for the face! I use La Roche-Posay for oily skin, it’s a tinted one too which I use instead of foundation in the summer and I love it because it doesn’t irritate my eyes. I always decant my normal products into plastic bottles so I don’t go without. If I’m flying I ALWAYS do a sheet mask on the plane. I tend to go makeup free when I’m away so most of the products I take are ones to control my hair!
Currently you are running a brilliant podcast ‘Like Her’, studying at University and working as a beauty therapist, how do you find time for yourself and what is a way for you to unwind?
It’s funny because although it takes up a lot of time, the podcast is my way of doing something for myself. But it is really stressful and overwhelming having so much on. Rowing has helped me unwind, it’s so physically challenging that it clears my head. I also have a hot bath every night and love zoning out to bad reality tv. If I have a day off I won’t set an alarm and if I don’t need to be anywhere I’ll stay at home doing nothing. There’s a lot to be said for doing nothing!
And finally a few quick fire questions as I am always looking for suggestions:
Favourite book at the moment?
My dream book! Logging my dreams has really helped my memory and being mindful 😊
What music can you not stop listening to right now?
Rosalia, Tirzah & I’m having a Burial resurgence.
You’re heading out for dinner, where do you go?
Poco, Bristol
Next holiday/mini break, what are you thinking?
I’m actually going to Budapest in February but I really want to go to Lisbon!
