Self-care is something we can all use a little more of. And not the Instagram version of self-care that involves drinking wine in a bath filled to the brim with bubbles, but rather the specific activities that personally fill your cup. This year, many have turned to skincare as an outlet for self-care. Taking the time to layer on products and administer self-massage has allowed people to connect with themselves in a particularly hectic time.
Someone who uses skincare as a form of self-care is Alicia Keys. The singer-songwriter has taken her love of skincare to the next level through the creation of her own brand, Keys Soulcare, which is described as a line of products that go “beyond skincare to truly care for the whole self — body, mind, and spirit”.
“This [collection] is really about this conversation that we’re having about how we’re feeding ourselves, how we’re nurturing ourselves, how we’re taking time for ourselves,” Keys told Bustle. “We have this idea in our head that we are supposed to go until we can’t stand up anymore — we’re supposed to be drained completely. And then finally we’re like, ‘Something’s the matter.'”
While the full skincare collection is due to launch in early 2021, Keys has launched the first three products to give fans a taste of what’s to come. Forming a collection called “First Ritual”, these three products have been developed with board-certified dermatologist Dr Renée Snyder with the intention to “transform your everyday self-care routine into a soulcare ritual — a moment to re-ground, re-centre, and be present”.
This First Ritual includes a hydrating face cream that helps plump and hydrate your complexion, called the Skin Transformation Cream as well as the Sage + Oat Milk Candle and Obsidian Facial Roller, which is made from volcanic glass forged from quickly cooled lava.
As well as detailed instructions on how to use all three products and how they can positively add to your daily routine, each product comes with its own affirmation that you repeat to yourself when using the cream and roller or lighting the candle. For example, when layering on the Skin Transformation Cream, the affirmation is: “I welcome all circumstances as catalysts for change.”
Keys is passionate about taking time out for yourself and is an advocate of finding those activities that make you feel good and nourish your soul.
“I’d love to see the concept [of pushing ourselves to exhaustion] be rewritten,” Keys said. “Even just having those small, tiny moments where you can say, ‘I can’t wait until I take off my clothes off at night and I’ve washed my face and I’m gonna say my mantra and light my candle,’ and getting into the concept of how to do that for yourself, guilt-free.”
You can shop these products via the Keys Soulcare website with international shipping set to start in 2021.