{ the jaunty magpie }

The best gift we can give ourselves is so simple: time. It's repeated in magazines and self-help books, but we ignore the value of this unit of personal space that we always appreciate when we're on vacation, but so rarely gift it to ourselves in our everyday schedule. Being on vacation not long ago, I was reminded of this. Just being away from your own home, from its daily to-do's and errands, makes a world of difference, even if you're spending your time off doing mundane things like reading the paper or taking the time to watch the sun set.

So how do we make this mental health break happen at home? This Birdy is the first to admit that she's the last to sit idle, so there needs to be something to do, even if it's for personal time. And so one day, I gave myself the personal J'adore-worthy gift of a Mental Half-Day of Beauty. Just a half-day, not a whole one -- it gives just enough time to check the morning emails and messages to make sure nothing's pressing for the afternoon, it's best to do this on a Friday since most people are apt to take off early anyways, and it leaves you with the afternoon to not have the worry of work on your mind while you relax. At-home beauty treatments are nice because there are no appointments to make, and frankly, it's wallet-friendly. Not that spa treatments aren't worth it, just save it for when you're really in need of a deep-tissue massage treat. My half-day of pampering included root touch-ups, a detoxifying mask treatment and the always-necessary taming of the brows. Pluck-pluck-ouch! None of this is particularly full of glamour, but let's be honest -- it's all necessary upkeep. But you feel refreshed afterwards. Skin feels a little more balanced, pores a little smaller. Hair on the head looks less rooty and hair on the face looks a bit more manicured.

Little things, small indulgences, but all things that require time that we so rarely give ourselves. So why not spare a half day for the little things? The time spent waiting for hair dye to soak in, or a mask to fully set, is just enough time to page through a magazine that's been sitting unread for weeks. Or watch the latest episode of 30 Rock. It's the exact amount of time for you to be reminded how good of an idea it is.  

Jaunty Fine Print: drawings by Denise Sakaki