With wedding season in full swing we caught up with Susie Young, founder of award-winning, UK wedding planning and event styling company Knot & Pop. We asked Susie how she connects with her inner calm and manages her ‘me’ time when she’s not tied up with bunting, brides and bouquets.
The Wind Down
I tend to see my PT on a Sunday morning and we focus on building core strength. We always start the session with a Pro-Tone ball to ease out any tension in my shoulders and we do a lot of rolling to relieve muscle tension. I’ve actually made the Pro-Tone ball part of my daily routine as I really suffer from holding tension in my shoulders, and this gives such a good (yet painful) release. The rest of the day is about relaxing. I like to be in bed by 10pm on a Sunday so working back from there it’s all based around having a nice dinner and then an evening on the sofa with my husband, some red wine and a good Netflix series or film. We recently got a kitten, she’s the love of my life and so affectionate, so she’s normally stretched out on our laps. Scent is really important to me and I always have a scented-candle burning in the background to help instil a sense of calm. At the moment, it’s Diptyque Baies but I tend to mix it up, depending on the season. On a Sunday I generally feel quite relaxed and I’m especially content now we’ve got our little cat in our lives, she’s made such a big difference. I try to hang onto that weekend feeling rather than thinking too much about tomorrow. I haven’t suffered from the ‘Monday work dread’ in a while, so my main feeling on a Sunday evening is relaxation. I used to always write my weekly To Do list on a Sunday night but I’ve actually realised it was constantly setting me up to think about work, at a key and important part of the weekend. So that’s been scraped this year, and I plan to keep it up as I have noticed a mental shift. If I’m not doing a weekend consultation, or working at an event, I try to keep work at arm’s length and really protect my personal time. When it comes to my Sunday night beauty routine, it’s about being in the moment, the here and now, and I use the time to replenish and indulge.
The Routine
Skin is at the centre of my Sunday evening beauty routine, I have combination skin with some dry areas and so I gravitate towards products that claim to smooth, nourish and hydrate. Oh, and I’m a sucker for radiance. When choosing a product, I am swayed by texture and scent, but I also consider ingredients and claims. My ideal products are those that combine both, although I do regularly use some more results-driven products that don’t come with any frills. On a Sunday, my skincare starts with Votary Cleansing Oil – I adore this product, it has a beautiful fragrance that feels very spa like. When you remove it with a warm cloth, the scent intensifies, it’s totally heavenly and instantly relaxing. I then follow my first cleanse with Aurelia Miracle Cleanser – a luxuriously creamy cleanser that I remove with a muslin cloth to gently exfoliate.
I have never been a bath person – I just don’t find it relaxing at all. I’ve tried everything from candles and music to bubbles, but I just end up cold, and thinking of all the dead skin cells floating around me. I am much more of a speedy ‘sing in the shower’ person. I like to use citrusy based scents, such as Ren’s Neroli and Grapefruit Zest Body Wash. However, on the rare occasion that I have a bath, which is usually if I’ve had a hard gym session, I like to soak in magnesium bath salts to focus on relieving any muscle pain and stiff joints.
After showering or bathing, I’ll stay stationed in my bathroom where I have all my main products at my disposal and I’ll continue with the rest of my routine while listening to a Podcast. My friend finally got me into Podcasts so I’m a very, very late adopter. I’m immediately big fans of Adam Buxton, Grief Cast and the incredible Esther Perel with her couple counselling sessions that are so insightful, raw and revealing.
I like to take more time over my bodycare routine on a Sunday as the week is always a little rushed. Coconut Oil is my main go-to so I keep things simple, but I find that this is more of a full body weekend treatment as during the week I don’t always have time to lather my body and wait for it to absorb. As I get older my body is becoming significantly dryer so I’d like to use more body creams that are really hydrating.
I then head back downstairs at about 9.30pm and I’ll usually appear on the sofa with a face mask on. I love GlamGlow and my favourite from the range is the Supermud Clearing Treatment and sometimes I’ll multi-mask with Kiehl’s Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque on my T-Zone.
Bedtime
I like to be in bed by 10.30pm at the latest. It used to be 11pm or even midnight but I can’t handle that anymore. My pre-sleep routine is all about the lighting, I rarely use ceiling lights on bright, and come evening they are always on the lowest dim with lampshades on to make it really relaxing. We have mini Fermoie lampshades either side of our bed that I adore (and were a bit of a house warming treat to myself) so I make sure those are on and light a scented-candle. I like Diptyque Tuberuese in the bedroom. Before I get into bed that Pro-Tone ball comes out again. I usually sit in child’s pose for a while to stretch out my back, and mix in a couple of downward dogs and long lunges to open up the hips. Nothing more than 10 minutes though. I’ve tried mediation a few times and just can’t get into the right headspace for it. Time cuddling my cat is my meditation / mental well-being, and I always make sure to have plenty of cuddles with her on a Sunday. I don’t meditate but I’m trying to get back into reading at night, but I find my eyes are often too tired to be able to concentrate, which is down to too much screen time during the day. To help reignite reading I was gifted a Book Consultation/Subscription from my husband for Christmas with local Book Store Phlox (in Leyton). I’ve just had my Coffee Consultation where we discussed favourite genres, books, authors, films etc so I’m looking forward to seeing what Book I receive under their tailored recommendation. I take a daily vial of Cellnutrition Quinton Isotonic Ampoules. It (supposedly) contains all the minerals and trace elements your body needs. When it comes to skincare, I gently tap Dr Barbara Sturm Eye Cream onto my delicate undereye area. It’s good for tired eyes. I find that with all my screen time, my eyes are sometimes in desperate need of some TLC. Then I’ll follow with Drunk Elephant Lala Retro – a really nourishing moisturiser. If my skin is feeling dry, I’ll also add a couple of drops of Odacite MO + P into the Lala and I find this really helps. Lala isn’t fragranced and I feel like adding the really powerful drops adds scent and I love a really lovely scent, I love that full sensory thing. I also like to use a retinol treatment about four times a week, if I’m not using LaLa I’ll use Sunday Riley Luna Oil. As things aren’t so rushed on a Sunday, there’s time to allow this skincare to really absorb and soak in. I’m quite keen to tap and massage product into my skin, taking time to work it into and around the jaw line and neck area. I also love to lather on hand cream before I go to bed, I use Aesop Resurrection and then I’ll finish off with Drunk Elephant’s lip balm, Lippe. I need about eight hours’ sleep but thankfully I’m a constant and uninterrupted sleeper. Even when I’m stressed I don’t have interrupted sleep or struggle with actually getting to sleep.
Monday Morning
I wake up at 7am on a Monday morning, but the cat is usually crawling all over us at 6.30am, wanting to be fed. I never wake up feeling awake and immediately full of energy. I am not a morning person, and never have been. I definitely need food and a shower to wake me. I am so lucky, and spoilt, as I get breakfast in bed most days from my husband which tends to be porridge with berries, and a satsuma. I also take a morning Vitamin C tablet, and occasionally a tablespoon of Molasses Sugar with it rich in iron. It’s such a terrifying cliché but while I eat my breakfast I download my emails, post to Instagram (business related) and check out BBC news. In fact – not true, now the first thing I do is cuddles with our kitten. I jump in the shower and I always wash my hair in the morning when I shower but I’m very basic with hair. I literally blast with the hairdryer and go. I don’t, and never have, overly styled my hair. I sometimes apply a thickening spray and come summer I love a bit of sea salt spray to give that beachy look. During the working week I always apply Eve Lom moisturizer with Factor 50 (I think one of the few brands that has a Factor 50 within.
