Beauty during quarantine?
There are two schools of thought.
On the one hand, who cares? It doesn’t look like you’ll be seeing anyone anytime soon. On the flip side, maybe it’s essential for the soul. It helps us feel a certain kind of "human." In the name of beauty guides, here's a round-up of do’s and don’ts while you're stuck at home: what to consider indulging in and what you should probably leave behind — for now.
when you find out your daily lifestyle is actually called "quarantine" pic.twitter.com/oPEFak09Ob
— Charlie 🐱 (@charlieamber94) March 16, 2020
Do: Try a new skill
Never quite mastered the art of contouring or the elusive cat-eye? Feel like trying out the new rainbow eye shadow trend à la James Charles? Somehow made it through middle school without ever learning to French braid? Now’s the time to round out your beauty game and learn a few new tricks. YouTube is your wise and ever-patient mentor, with all the answers you’re looking for. Need ideas? Say no more, here are 10:
- How to give yourself a French manicure
- How to actually use a curling iron
- How to get beachy waves because banana curls aren't chill enough for you
- How to shape and trim your own eyebrows
- How to DIY a homemade face mask
- How to create fun nail art designs (psychedelic marble nails, anyone?)
- How to imitate a salon-style blowout
- How to take an awesome selfie
- How to do mermaid-style braids
- How to create a dramatic smokey eye
Don’t: Give yourself bangs
The idea of learning a new skill ends here, as horrifying visions of Lena Dunham’s haircut disaster in "Girls" live rent-free in my memory. Giving yourself bangs has simply never worked. Neither does trimming them yourself. You cut a bit, it’s not straight, you trim the other side, oops! They're uneven. Okay, now it's straight — except this one piece — crap, now that’s too short, and again and again, until you have full fledged "Dumb and Dumber" fringe bangs that only cover a quarter of your forehead and you can’t leave the house.
Luckily (?), you really can’t leave the house, but still, this is not what you want. We’re all regretting putting off that hair salon appointment and itching for a fresh cut, but no matter how much you want a new look or how long your bangs get, do not let anyone but a professional come close. This applies to your own idle hands (and those of your over-enthusiastic roommate).
Do: Start and stick to a skincare routine
Consistent actions = consistent results. Until now, maybe you just didn’t have the time or energy, but it’s corona-time, and those excuses have expired. A 4-step skincare regimen that includes a cleanser, a toner, a serum and a moisturizer is easy enough to handle, even once we’re back to normal scheduling.
me watching the world descend into chaos knowing i can't do anything about it and just concentrating on my skincare routine and ignoring it pic.twitter.com/ju11GlpSTa
— indie (@INDIEWASHERE) August 14, 2017
- Cleanser. Find a cleanser that works best for your type of skin, whether it’s oily, dry, or crazy combination like mine.
- Toner. A good toner tightens pores to help block environmental contaminants from permeating your skin. Sounds like something you’d want to include in your routine right now.
- Serum. Serums are concentrated with specific active ingredients, so choose one with ingredients that tackle exactly what your skin needs, like retinol for anti-aging or Vitamin E for acne scars.
- Moisturizer. Look for one with SPF (summer will come and social distancing will end ... eventually) and apply it all over your face and neck.
Think of your skincare routine as self-care. Not only are you nourishing your skin, you’re adding some much-needed routine into the otherwise chaotic blend of unknown. Still not convinced? This is why a skincare routine actually does matter.
Don’t: Commit to a 20-step skincare routine
Yes, you have time. Doesn’t mean you should spend 93% of it on skin care — not to mention the money you’ll shell out on a laundry list of expensive products. Just like alcohol and carbs, moderation is key here too. Get used to a skin care routine you can stick with once we’ve returned to real life.
Do: Take a break from beauty
For years, we’ve tweezed, we’ve burned our hair, we’ve put glue on our lashes and covered our skin in layers. Is this the universe hinting that it’s time to just breathe for a while? Try not straightening, blow-drying, or using any hair products. Take off your polish, toenails included. Let your makeup collect dust in your top drawer or better yet, go through that top drawer and toss any dried-up mascara or neon purple lipstick — whatever you haven’t touched in the last few months.
You may discover that you look pretty cute with curly hair, or you like the way thicker eyebrows frame your face. If you’re cool with going au naturel until you need to snap a selfie, there are apps like Facetune2, which give you the look you're going for — no actual makeup required.
Don’t: Neglect your hands
Sandpaper or skin? Hard to tell these days.
Hand-washing at level OCD has left us all with dry, cracked skin. If you’re considering a beauty break, this is a place where you’ll do the opposite. It’s certainly not the trendiest product, but Vaseline has been saving my ashy skin since the '90s.
Apply a generous amount of Vaseline all over your hands before bed, put on some gloves (socks work, too) and wake up with skin softer than your baby nephew’s. Plus, it’s a great exercise in not touching your face — god knows that’s been one of the bigger challenges of this pandemic! If you were inspired with the idea of going natural, olive oil or coconut oil will do wonders. Whip up a batch of a DIY moisturizer and kill some time honing yet another new skill.
