My Evening Wind-Down Ritual: Simple Ways I Slow Down After a Busy Day

By the time evening rolls around in our house, the kitchen usually looks like it’s hosted some sort of vegetable tornado. There are recipe notes scattered across the counter, a sink full of pans I was convinced I’d wash “as I go”, and at least one rogue chickpea on the floor that somehow survives every sweep. That’s usually my sign that the workday is done.

Most days are full-on – cooking, filming, photographing recipes, answering emails, and trying to remember where I left my phone (often somewhere glamorous, like beside the oat milk in the fridge). I love the creativity that comes with running Rebel Recipes, but by the end of the day I really treasure that moment when everything starts to soften and the pace changes.

If it’s a family evening, my favourite way to wind down is very simple: dinner finished, kitchen tidied just enough to ignore until morning, then collapsing onto the sofa with my family for Netflix. There’s always the familiar ritual of everyone spending longer choosing what to watch than actually watching it – and somehow we still end up rewatching something we’ve all already seen.

But when I get an evening to myself, which feels like a rare luxury these days, my routine becomes a little different.

If I can, I love heading to the gym in the early evening. Not in an intense “smash a workout” kind of way – more as a reset after spending hours in the kitchen or sitting editing content. Moving my body helps me mentally draw a line under the working day and gives me a little pocket of time that feels entirely my own.

Then comes my favourite part: the bath.

I am completely obsessed with baths. Honestly, if I could justify having one every evening, I probably would. There is nothing better to me than a long, hot bath after a busy day – candles lit, water far hotter than it probably should be, and a blissful half hour where nobody is asking me where anything is.

That’s become the real moment where I switch off.

Lately, I’ve been making that time feel even more restorative by turning it into a proper little ritual, rather than rushing through it. Recently I’ve been using Besque’s Magic Body Oil and Divine9 Facial Serum as part of that evening routine, and they’ve become such a lovely addition to those quieter moments.

The Magic Body Oil is the kind of product that feels especially luxurious after a bath. I apply it while my skin is still warm, and it absorbs beautifully without feeling heavy or greasy. It leaves my skin feeling soft, nourished and deeply cared for – and there’s something about that small act of slowing down to massage in body oil that makes the whole evening feel calmer. I also love that Besque offers an unscented version of the Magic Body Oil too, which is a lovely option if you prefer fragrance-free skincare.

Before bed, I use the Divine9 Facial Serum as the final step in my skincare routine. It feels silky and lightweight on the skin, and I love how hydrating and replenishing it feels overnight – especially after long days spent cooking in warm kitchens, under studio lights, or rushing between tasks.

What I’ve realised over time is that nourishment isn’t only about food – although that’s naturally central to my world – it’s also about the little ways we care for ourselves every day. A warm meal, a quiet cup of tea, a good bath, putting your phone away earlier, taking five minutes for skincare… those small rituals can completely change how an evening feels.

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My wind-down routine isn’t elaborate, and that’s exactly why it works.

Some evenings that means family Netflix nights under blankets on the sofa.
Some evenings it’s gym, bath, skincare and an early night.
And sometimes it’s just me hiding in the bathroom for an unnecessarily long soak, pretending I can’t hear anyone calling my name.

Honestly, those are often the best evenings of all.