When you spend your weeks balancing the demands of work with a busy social life and trying to somehow squeeze everything in, your Sundays are sacrosanct. It's often the only day of the week when you have no fixed plans, leaving you free to spend it doing exactly as you please.
Whether it's long, cosy lunches or a day of life admin and pampering, we all have our own therapeutic Sunday rituals. However you choose to spend yours, here's everything you need to make the most of it.
Energy boosting
There's nothing better than shaking off the cobwebs with a high-energy workout class or a morning run round the park with your favourite playlist blasting in your headphones. Then it's all about that healthy Sunday detox, from blending fresh juices packed with leafy greens to getting your self-care back on track.
1. The outfit: For fitness clothes that look just as good after-class, Ivy Park is the perfect mix of sweat-proof and stylish. Or, if you've got a little more cash to splash, yoga label No Ka'Oi offers what they like to call 'action couture' - imagine your treadmill is your catwalk.
2. The nail detox: Detoxing isn't just for your diet. While you're sipping that green juice from your S'well bottle, take the time to give your nails some TLC. After soaking off any old polish left over from Saturday night with a non-acetone remover, massage in Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab, a serum that hydrates and rejuvenates the nails. Leave it to soak in overnight, then simply add a clear strengthening formula like Miracle Cure for a shiny, natural finish.
3. The workout: Want a workout that wakes you up? Try Frame fitness where classes range from '80s Dance Aerobics (to a soundtrack of Madonna and Duran Duran), to Frame Rave which is 45 mins of non-stop cardio. Or if you want to work out from home, you could give virtual boxing a go (yes, really) with The Boxx Method.
4. The soundtrack: Whether you're listening to the latest episode from The Guilty Feminist podcast or the the new Taylor Swift album, make sure you've got your on-the-go sound system sorted with the help of B&O Play H2 headphones - they look as good as they sound.
Well-deserved chilling
Your easy Sunday starts with a long lie in and breakfast in bed. The afternoon is spent in front of a classic film or the latest Netflix hit while you pamper yourself with your favourite beauty products. It's the ultimate R&R.
1. The pampering: The chill Sunday is ALL about pampering. Start by popping on a moisturising sheet face mask like Charlotte Tilbury's Instant Magic Facial. Then, give yourself an at-home manicure. First, file your nails gently (and always in the same direction) to create the shape, before buffing the tops and sides lightly. Next, apply Sally Hansen's Colour Therapy Cuticle Oil to moisturise and condition cuticles. Push back gently with a cuticle stick. Then remove excess before applying two coats of your chosen Colour Therapy polish. Finish with Colour Therapy Top Coat to seal your colour and shine.
2. The lounge look: There's really no need to get out of your PJs if you don't want to, especially as they're now totally appropriate for daywear. If you can't quite stretch to Olivia von Halle, you can pick up some suitably decadent silk lounging pyjamas from Rosie for Autograph.
3. The must-read: Take a break from screen time with the hot (literally) new release from Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere. About the arrival of a mysterious mother-daughter duo to white picket suburbia, it's a bona-fide page-turner.
4. The scents: To set the mood, you need the perfect scent. Enter Tom Dixon's Eclectic London candle, which claims to capture "the smell of red brick and London parks with crocuses and nettles, and the salty smell of the Thames at Dagenham." You don't even need to step outside.
Bottomless brunching
From breakfasting over Bloody Marys and Eggs Benedict to classic Sunday roasts, you love to spend your day catching up with friends and family in cosy pubs and the hottest brunch spots, before walking it off with a leisurely afternoon stroll. There's no chance of Sunday dread setting in when you're surrounded by your favourite people.
1. The brunch spot: In the capital, Caravan is always a big draw for hangry Londoners, offering a gourmet rendering of everyone's favourite avocado on toast - with a sprinkling of aleppo chilli and eggs done your way on top. Alternatively, head to Flat Iron Square under the railway arches for your choice of restaurants and street food trucks.
2. The speed-prep: Need to be out the door in less than 20 minutes but still wearing last night's polish? Simply wipe off with moisturising nail polish remover before painting two coats of your favourite Sally Hansen Miracle Gel colour (we recommend going bold with a dark burgundy like Wine Stock). Add Miracle Gel top coat to activate the glossy gel-like finish and you're done.
3. The look: Chances are, if you're going to a popular spot, you'll have to queue (it's a sad fact of modern brunching life), so think layers. Throw a cosy faux-fur over jeans and a statement tee or jumper for a look that's the ultimate combo of cool and comfy.
4. The accessories: Grab your camera - a blogger favourite, the Olympus Pen E-PL7 is perfect for Instagramming your Eggs Benedict and for capturing the sights as you amble along on your post-brunch walk (read: look for dessert).
For the perfect finishing touch to your Sunday routine, use Sally Hansen nail care and colour #SelfMadeBeauty
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the cocker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
