It's no secret, globally we're going through a life changing start to 2020. You don't need to hear more about it, except a thank-you for doing your part of self isolating so together we can get through this!
In a world where we are always on the go, take this time to slow down, even as simple as enjoying that morning coffee in silence or with your favourite playlist! Now is a time to get to know yourself a little better, spend some time with your friends and family, virtually of coarse, and tackle those to-do lists!
Once your list is done, or for a change of pace, try some Self-Care activities. Not only will you feel productive and accomplished, but you will also feel ready when we can go back and tackle the world with our regular routines!
We should take advantage of this time to allow our skin to breathe.
Glowing skin is in!
You see that a lot right, but what does it even mean? Can one product help achieve that? Its up to you.
It starts with your skin, your routine, and your lifestyle.
First, no matter how much money you spend on your products, unless you drink a significant amount of water daily, you won't see your investment become reality.
Second, how you prepare your skin to absorb these products will help you get the most benefits.
Third, knowing your skin type, your skin concerns, and what ingredients are in your products will help get you there as well.
To break it down in simple terms, your pores absorb the serums and moisturizers. Think of your pores as a hole, and your skin layers are on top, if that pore is not prepared to absorb the product, then its just sitting on the surface and you are absorbing maybe half of its benefits.
If you introduce an exfoliator and treatment masks, the exfoliator will help gently break and remove that dead skin around the pore. It will also help the treatment masks do there thing. Pictured above are some treatment masks to extract the excess oil and dirt in our pores. Exfoliating first, opens that pore and allows the product to act as a magnet and pull out those imperfections. Do I believe there is one product that will shrink your pores? That's debatable, but there are result driven products that will remove whats clogging the pores, allowing them to appear smaller and the illusion that they are gone.
This takes time and taking the correct steps, it's not a one time fix!
Use this time to try out those skincare samples or that product you haven't opened yet. Read the information on your products, they will detail how often to use them and if the ingredients are too active to multi-mask.
Now is a great time to go through your skincare products as well. Check expiry dates, the scent and if the content is separating. Also note, if your product has an SPF with an expiry date, that means the SPF expired. It doesn't necessarily mean the entire product is expired, it just means it won't protect your skin as an SPF. If the scent and texture are still good, you've just gained a new night cream!
I'm a big fan of donating items I thought were for me, but I haven't used. Giving it away to a friend or family member not only makes your product have a purpose but it also makes their day!
The amount of uses you get from these at home skincare tools make up for those costly facials that you can use on your own time!
The PMD Pro is your at home personal microderm treatment tool. It comes with multiple discs, two speeds and very easy to clean! The power of the spinning disc technology acts as a vacuum suction to brighten, smooth and even your skins tone and texture!
The Nuface fix Line Smoothing Device targets the appearance of fine lines around the eyes, lips and forehead. There will be a full blog review of both these products in the future, as I know they can seem intimidating at first, but I promise you'll be obsessed once you give it a try! **please note, not to use both on the same day.
Although, I use a lip polish and lip mask every night, I don't think everyone remembers to do it!
If you don't have a specific lip exfoliant, you can use your facial one and finish by exfoliating your lips!
Adding this step to your routine will help with soothing and moisturizing your lips overnight! Allowing dryness and fine lines to disappear.
My all time favourite is pictured here, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, and Elizabeth Arden's 8 hours Intensive lip treatment.
** Also note, ANYTHING from Arden's 8 hours line is amazing!
Finish your night off with a sheet face mask and a good book, or your favourite Netflix show. You do you!
When it comes to sheet masks, pay attention to the ingredients and what the purpose of the mask is for. Hydration sheet masks are a safe bet, and there is no harm in leaving them on a little longer than directed. After all, we have the time right!
Any Japanese or Korean sheet mask is always a great treatment! Sheet masks are for all skin types, and delivers a healthy drink of hydration to the skin. They are a great solution for dryness, dullness and first signs of aging from hydration lines.
Masks with hyaluronic acid is always a good idea!
Last but not least! Now that we are not using make up, it's that perfect time to grow out those eyebrows (for reshaping) and nourish those lashes! These products are concentrated high performance serums for thickening lashes and brows. Most of these clinical results show after 14-18 weeks with fuller lashes.
Just apply gently into the lash line, and then to brows. Use each morning and night and clean the applicator after each use with a tissue. For the Briogeo castor oil, use a disposable lash applicator, or throughly clean an wand from an empty mascara.
On the topic of cleaning, this is a perfect opportunity to throughly clean all your make up brushes!
As well as go through your make up palettes, and anything in powder formula. Even check your lipsticks for added moisture or if they've dried out.
Now that our face has benefited from all the extra TLC, let's move on to our hair! This is the perfect opportunity to use less to no heat and air dry. Using your favourite hair masks, oils or treatments that deliver benefits in one easy step. This will help restore softness and shine, but also control frizz and treat any damaged hair.
Personally, I like to mix an oil with the mask and keep it in for the entire day or next morning! My favourite hair care step is the Alterna Caviar CC Cream. I've been using it for about 5 years and highly recommend it! It provides moisture, shine, softness, anti breakage, heat protection, strengthening and UV protection!
To get that smile ready for when we can finally get back to our routine, these GLO Science Teeth Whitening Vials easily do the trick! They use a brush on gel formula that whitens teeth without sensitivity. All you do is brush a thin layer of gel on your top and bottom teeth!
Use this time to use less, and give your nails a break too! You can leave them bare, or use a treatment. I'm a huge fan of the OPI Gel Break line with three steps including a serum, and protector. Give your nails some strength so that you are preparing for that at home manicure and pedicure. Remember to go through all your polishes and toss the ones that have dried out!
I realize that not everyone would have all these items already at home, but hopefully it inspires you to use what you do have and take some time to for yourself.
Below are some other ideas that you can do during this time!
Start a new morning routine!
Maybe this includes a moment of appreciation, meditation, stretching, or even a mini dance party to get your day started in a positive spirit. Organize a meal plan ahead of time for when we return to work!
Start a new evening routine!
You know that relaxing bath you always thought you didn't have the time for, well now you do! Read those books you've always had on your list to check out, and why not start a book club with your closest family or friends. Introduce your book at the beginning of the week, and by the end you can all let each other know what it was about!
Clean out your closet! If you haven't worn a certain item in six months start a donation pile!
With the clothes you do keep, create new outfits for work and nights out. Its safe to say we've all been cleaning our homes, but try adding a playlist of different decades! The 80's or 90's Spotify lists are the best and will make it more fun with a high chance of a dance break!
Go for a walk, or pack a snack and your favourite tea/coffee and look up a scenic route in your city and take a drive!
Want to explore a new country? Search Youtube for a city and add " 4k Walking Tour" to your search!
Reach out to those high school friends you haven't had the time to connect with, and schedule a coffee date via FaceTime with them to catch up! House party is a great app for more people to join! We can't control the present time, but plan a family reunion for this summer!
Speaking of phones, who else has 7000 photos in their album they could use this time to delete!
Get to know yourself a little better, take some online quizzes about career or relationships.
Have a movie night! But watch your favourite movies from when you were younger, like My Best Friend's Wedding or Never Been Kissed. Classics!
Get your taxes done! Or go through your employment benefits and see what you qualify for and research local establishments. I think we all can look forward to that massage!
And when all else fails, retail therapy never lets you down! Try to support local businesses and reach out to the restaurants or businesses that have had to close but still have produce, you'll be surprised to see that they will deliver! We not only are going through this together but we will also get through this together by supporting one another!
Thank you for stoping by! Feel free to leave some idea's in the comments on how you are staying busy and positive during this time!
Beauty Takeover xo