Beauty in the Time of Covid
The world has changed a lot in 2020, and beauty, at least for me, has become something of little to no importance. I’m at home most of the time, and if I do go out, I cover 2/3 of my face with a mask. I used to be a full face of makeup every day, heat styling my hair, tweezing every last errant eyebrow hair the minute I saw it type of person. Now I hardly ever wear makeup, I couldn’t tell you the last time I blowdried my hair, let alone styled it in anything other than a ponytail, and I won’t even mention my brows. However, I do still bear the scars (more-so mental than physical, but those are there too) of rampant acne, and I do like to take care of my skin. My routines have changed a lot, but I still love skincare and beauty and achieving my lifetime goal of aging gracefully. Here are a few tips and tools I’ve been relying on during this time. Beauty in the time of Covid, if you will.
Breakouts
Things have been stressful, in all kinds of new and interesting ways. Luckily, I haven’t experienced a full-blown skin freak-out, but I have experienced maskne. Yep, 2020 has gone and given us a new kind of breakout, courtesy of wearing masks anytime we’re out and about. I already have a tendency to get super dry skin around what I lovingly refer to as my “goatee area” so adding maskne was a real treat. Thank heaven and Korean skincare that nowadays we have pimple patches. I reviewed my fave ones here, and if you were a bit shy about wearing them in public before, well now you will cover them up with a mask, so feel free to slap on as many as you need. I will say, the Cosrx AC Collection patches are NOT noticeable, and those Zoom meetings aren’t anywhere close to 4k resolution, so don’t be afraid to treat your spots 24/7.
If I do have a spot that needs covering, I tend to just dot on a teeny tiny bit of high-coverage concealer, like Catrice One Drop Weightless Concealer or It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye.
Also, don’t forget sunscreen. Not only do you not want skin cancer and premature aging, you also don’t’ want to end up with a weird mask tan. If you’re having skin troubles, I recommend this Purito sunscreen, which will help calm your skin while also providing sun protection.
Eyebrows
Sure, over half your face is covered when you wear a mask, but that just brings more attention to your eyes. And for me, that also means eyebrows. I have relatively full brows, so I don’t feel like I need to fill them in, but sometimes a little swipe of brow gel is just enough to make me feel pulled together. The best brow gel is, of course, Essence Make Me Brow, but there are some other good ones out there.
One thing I didn’t realize I was completely neglecting was tweezing. I used to just tidy up my brows when I did my makeup, but then I stopped leaving the house, and stopped wearing makeup, and I just… completely forgot about my eyebrows. In my defense, most of my stray brow hairs are blonde, and aren’t really noticeable unless you look very closely in good lighting. But I could definitely benefit from sitting down with my fancy mirror to address the mess happening on my face, and that calls for the best tweezers. In my opinion, the best are Tweezerman, and you can even get them at a discount by buying travel size.
Nails
I used to get my nails done fairly regularly. I have hypermobile joints and I definitely outsource pedicures, and I’d get my finger nails done every few times I went for a pedicure. Now? I can’t remember the last time I went to a nail salon, and I can’t image when I’ll be back. I have basically given up on pretty polished nails, but I do try to keep things tidy by using a cuticle nipper, as well as Sally Hansen Cuticle Rehab. It’s also easier to keep my nails in check now that I know about adaptive nail clippers.
Hair
I have never gone this long without a haircut, and I don’t know how you infrequent haircut people do it. I’ve started using the Trader Joe’s Hair Mask every time i wash my hair, and I’ve also started washing my hair as little as possible, which for me is about once a week. I do, however, use dry shampoo every day, and I went through a trial period with three micellar dry shampoos, trying to find the best one. I’ve also completely stopped heat styling of any kind, and instead wrap my wet hair in this turban while it dries.
