We love a bit of self-care and all this time at home has really given us an excuse to look after ourselves inside and out. Each week, we'll be asking the celeb lot to share their Sunday self-care routines, because taking care of yourself is more important than ever.
Niomi Smart is an OG YouTuber who is best known for being an advocate for health and wellness whilst living a plant-based and sustainable life. She talks bedtime rituals, breathing techniques and how to feel fully zen. We're all ears.
On her Sunday self-care routine
Niomi starts the day with breathing techniques which she swears by for really setting you up for the day. "You don’t need to do anything unusual, you literally just need to focus on your in breath and out breath," she tells heat, "just doing this for a few moments can change your whole mindset and physically and mentally calm you down."
Next is yoga which Niomi has ditched the usual YouTube video or class for a more intuitive practise. "It’s been really lovely learning what works for you and what feels good in your body. So I tend to do anything from 30 minutes to an hour of yoga."
"Then some gorgeous nourishing food!" she laughs, "Now it’s getting a bit colder a good bowl of porridge with loads of berries, a good dollop of almond butter on there, if I want it a bit chocolatey, I’ll stir in some cacao."
The YouTuber explains the importance of getting outside no matter the weather and how she could spend pretty much an entire Sunday exploring her new neighbourhood.
"I could actually spend my whole Sunday outdoors walking and just getting lost!" she laughs.
Niomi always dedicates five or ten minutes at the end of the day for her skincare routine. "That’s a non-negotiable. Always remove your make-up, take your time, really feel present when your doing your skincare and try not to rush."
Finally? Rounding off her Sunday by seeing some pals. "I’m such a sociable person, so I guess till this point I’ve been completely on my own and I’m definitely one of these people who needs to be surrounded by the brilliant women in my life."
On sleep
"I do have Headspace and that is brilliant if you struggle to fall asleep. They have Sleepcasts, which are like podcasts that help you sleep." she explains, "There’s one called Rainday Antiques and it’s basically just about a man who goes into an Antiques shop. It’s about 45 minutes long but after 10 minutes I’m gone!"
The YouTuber also swears by Neal's Yard Pillow Mist and Pukka's Night Time tea for the ultimate bedtime ritual.
On jade rollers
"I get so excited to use this, I don’t use this everyday, it’s very much a Sunday ritual. I light some candles (she's currently loving Neom's Bedtime Hero Scented Candle) and I apply my Multi V Elixir and I really take my time with it. It must looks so ridiculous to anyone on the outside, but it really releases any tension in the jaw and leaves your skin feeling so nourished and soft."
On keeping herself entertained
"I’m currently reading Inwards by Yung Pueblo, an absolutely gorgeous book. It’s a collection of poems about self-love and self-care, going inwards and self-awareness. You can pick it up and read a few pages that’s all you need. It’s such a beautiful book and I’d highly recommend."
She is also listening to pal Caggie Dunlop's podcast Saturn Returns.
"I've got really into astrology recently and this has blown my mind" she laughs, "Saturn Returns is basically, so women especially between the ages of 28 and 31 you go through some of the most drastic changes in your life. It's a lot to do with astrology and the position of Saturn, it's absolutely fascinating."
On her biggest skincare tip
"One thing my family have always told me, this is my mum, my grandma and even my great grandma, they always used to tell me, 'always be very gentle on your eye skin.' They said to me, 'if you stretch that eye skin it's never ever going back!' it's always stuck with me and I always repeat it in my head when I do my skincare!"
On burnout
Niomi admits how she's not immune to feeling burnout.
"I definitely get to stages where I think, 'okay, I definitely went too hard this week with booking things in the diary and trying to do things all at once'".
She explains how she then has to make a conscious effort to clear her diary and get some much needed rest.
"That next weekend I will just completely slow down and reconnect with myself. That's why the breath work in important, practising yoga..."
"One thing I personally find is that when you are burned out, this is when you least want to do those things. Your mind is just buzzing and going so fast and you think, 'I can't do yoga, the last thing I want to do is get on a mat and spend 30 minutes practising', but that's when you need to do it the most!"
On Smart Skin
Niomi explains how she was always obsessed with skincare but had been using far too many products at once.
"I was always trying different brands, like, ‘ooh that sounds interesting, that sounds great!’ and my skincare routine got completely out of hand! I never gave a product a chance to even work because I was constantly flipping between everything I could get my hands on”
So, two years ago she decided to start her own skincare brand which aligned to her personal values (vegan, sustainable, respecting the planet etc) and of course, that actually works.
"We’ve been working for two years on these formulas and I just couldn’t be prouder of where we’ve got to now. It really does tick all of those boxes."
The stand-out product? "The Golden Jelly cleanser," Niomi says, "I use it morning and night without fail!"
Shop Niomi Smart's favourite products for a self-care Sunday...
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Niomi Smart's self-care favourites...
1 of 11Inward by Yung Pueblo
"It's a collection of poems about self-love and self-care, going inwards and self-awareness. It's a beautiful book and I'd highly recommend."
2 of 11Golden Jelly Cleanser
"It really is like a Golden Jelly when you put it in your fingers. It's stunning. As you melt it into the skin it turns into a gorgeous oil which can be used to remove any make-up or dirt from the day. I use that every single morning and every single evening without fail."
3 of 11Bedtime Hero Scented Candle (3 Wick)
"It's so relaxing and I just have to have it on all day, it's got chamomile and cedarwood and I just find it incredibly calming."
4 of 11High Rise 7/8 Leggings
"I absolutely love Nimble Activewear and how it's sustainable. I use a lot of their stuff for yoga. Their leggings are super comfortable and not too tight. They don't dig in anywhere, they're just very relaxed and supportive at the same time."
5 of 11Multi V Elixir
"This one is actually gorgeous to use after the mask. The mask regenerates the skin and reveals that glowing complexion and the elixir locks all that goodness in! I actually use this every single night and you just wake up with gorgeous and glowing skin. "
6 of 11After Class Sweatshirt
""I wear a lot of Sweaty better for loungewear, their jumpers are SO cosy. "
7 of 11Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturising Lip Balm
"I always have 100% shea butter lip balms in my make-up bag, my lips can get so dry when the weather changes."
8 of 11Miracle Meta Mask
"The reason I'm completely in love with this mask, is when you smooth it on to your skin, you can actually feel it warming up. I'm all for feeling products working! It has glycolic acid which gently exfoliates, brightens and renews skin. This is perfect to use twice a week."
9 of 11Goodnight Pillow Mist, Neal's Yard Remedies Goodnight Pillow Mist, Neal's Yard Remedies Goodnight Pillow Mist, Neal's Yard Remedies Share on: Goodnight Pillow Mist
"I love a pillow spray, anything with lavender. I use this one by Neal's Yard Remedies every night."
10 of 11Pukka Organic Night Time (Pack of four)
"I have this every morning, 30 minutes before I go to bed. It's gorgeous."
£13.99
- Rrp: £16.74
11 of 11Super C Moisturiser
"It's really great at protecting against pollution, so perfect if you're living in a city or anywhere in the world, I think it's so important to just protect your skin as much as possible."
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Niomi Smart also admitted she would be lost without her close friends.
"I’m definitely one of these people who needs to be surrounded by the brilliant women in my life, so I’m lucky to have the most supportive ladies that are just so beautiful inside and out. They’ve been so incredibly supportive with my journey and my business, but it’s such a two-way road.
We lift each other up and empower each other, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything without them"
Hear hear.