For ethereal skincare goddess, May Lindstrom, the key to building a deep, sustainable sense of well-being is rooted in daily beauty rituals. Don’t have time for an at-home spa sesh nightly? No worries; according to May, nailing the beauty ritual thing has less to do with what we’re using, and everything to do with how.

We learned all about May’s indulgent yet adaptable self-care philosophy during our hands-on beauty event with her at The Detox Market last spring. Check this video to watch (or re-watch!) the full micro-panel with this utra glowy-pro; learn about role beauty rituals have played in building her cult-adored brand (as well as in building a crazy perfect complexion).

Whether you have a cozy five minutes before bed or a cumulative five minutes all month, meaningful beauty rituals starts with simple goals: pour intention into every moment, know your products, share the ones you love with people you love. Peek below for a breakdown of May’s best tips for starting and sustaining beauty rituals…

Make Every Moment Count

The first step isn’t a throw-away. Most people want to get the first step of their beauty ritual out of the way quickly — take off that make up, wash that face and get to the ‘fun’ part fast. Instead of going for the cheapest products to start, let every step be a beautiful part of your process.

Breathe as you apply. Like getting a whiff of your favorite meal before you dive in, taking a moment to enjoy the scent of a product is part of the experience. Take a deep breath in before applying anything to your face. This works as a grounding practice to bring you to the present moment.

Massage products in. Take time to massage products as you apply them. This helps increases blood circulation and encourages lymphatic drainage. (It also feels really nice and makes it want you to sit and enjoy your beauty ritual). All it takes is five extra seconds.

Be Aware + Intentional

Listen to your body. Just like listening to your cravings, we need to tune into what our skin is asking for — it won’t be the same every day. Some days it’s okay to have one step in your beauty ritual, other days you’ll need five. We have all the information we need to make that decision; all we need is to pay attention and respond.

Know what’s in your products. May’s background as a chef inspired her to be highly focused on sourcing the best ingredients and not altering them. She wants people to indulge in the healing potential of pure, natural ingredients. Knowing what works for your skin and seeking out products that use those ingredients empowers us to build a beauty routine that’s personal and effective.

Eliminate steps. Many people rinse and dry their between each step, but this can be stripping and cause the beauty ritual to take more time than it needs. May recommends going straight to the next step. With messier products, try using them in the shower to eliminate unnecessary steps.

Let it Be Beautiful

Accessorize. There’s joy in beauty, why not integrate it into every stage of your beauty rituals? If you’re whipping up a face mask, toss it into a beautiful handmade bowl, or portion it out with a tiny gold spoon. Maybe you need a soft luxurious washcloth, or simply products that come in beautiful bottles with ingredients that smell amazing.

Share your ritual. May set out to create a “catalyst for ritual” with her products, and she wants us to share. During the panel, she told us: find products you genuinely love and tell your girlfriends to go use it with them so you can use it together, or share your ritual with your mom and have that thing to bond over (like May did with hers).

Work With What You’ve Got

Don’t blame the clock. We love when May talked about the issue of time when it comes to building beauty rituals. It all comes down to making the most of whatever you’re afforded: “I might only have 30 seconds to spare; but those are going to be the best 30 seconds of my day. If I have five minutes, it’s going to be the best 5 minutes. If I have an hour each month, it’s going to be the best.”

Don’t fight your own body. Many products are designed to shut down our natural systems; May urges us to work with nourishing products that help enhance our body’s natural processes instead. Not sure what you need? Try things! If it works keep using it, and when it doesn’t work try something else. Repeat until you find a beauty ritual that you really, truly love.

Mix + match. Have a lineup of products that work for you, but don’t feel stuck using the same exact combo every day. Play with different products as your skin asks for them. Layer products, test out different ways of enjoying them, and let your beauty ritual be an intimate, creative outlet for self-care.

Explore more beauty rituals and skincare secrets from May Lindstrom here!