Feel Better with Beauty During Isolation

Feel Better with Beauty During Isolation

Hey, beauty lovers! How are you all doing during this strange, new, and anxious time? If you’re struggling, we’re sending you a big virtual hug. When times are tough and we’re limited to our homes, or are having to work in uncertain and often scary situations, we can turn to the little things in life to soothe our souls. It could be a hot cup of tea in bed with your favorite TV show, a walk in the sun, or reading a good book snuggled under the covers.

Self-pampering is also a wonderful way to relax and feel a little better, so here are some tips for how to feel better with beauty!

Treat your lips with a DIY Scrub

Get your kissers all smooth and lush by giving them a scrub session with a little coarse sugar mixed with coconut or olive oil. Dab the excess oil off and top with a balm. This is a great little activity to do when you’re feeling bored and jittery but don’t have the attention span to sit down for a more time-consuming task.

Pop on a YouTube Zumba class and groove as your balm soaks into your lips.

Shape and tint the brows

Order (if you can) a DIY brow-tinting kit and give yourself a brow overhaul by gently shaping and coloring them. I like to thoroughly pluck between the brows and carefully take out one little row under the brow to give myself a little more brow-bone space while keeping things bushy.

Do this as you sit with your feet in a warm bath to soak dry skin ready to give your tootsies a good scrub later on.

Full-body sugar scrub and moisturizer

If we’re going to spend our time in jammies, home clothes and a mix-and-match collection of our boyfriend’s boxers and tees, let’s do it with smooth, nourished skin.

Mix 2 Tbsp of sugar with 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a little cup and take it into the shower. Wet your skin then turn off the water. Give your entire body a thorough scrub with the mixture, focusing on more dry or coarse areas. Rinse it off and you’ll be silky smooth. Follow-up with a full-body application of light moisturizer.

Get masked

Get busy in the kitchen by making a homemade face mask and force it upon whoever’s in your isolation bubble. If you’re alone, take a mandatory facemask selfie and post it to the group.

My favorite home mask is a softening, soothing, hydrating mask consisting of:

• Rolled oats slightly crushed with a fork
• Honey
• Plain yoghurt
• Rosehip oil
• A drop of tea tree oil if I’ve got breakouts

I just eyeball the amounts until I’ve got a thick consistency that’s easy to spread but will stay put on my face.

Leave it on for at least ten minutes while you stretch your body and think about all the great things you’ll do when this is over. Think about how much more we’ll all appreciate our friends, family, and the ability to spend time with each other.

Polish and prettify your feet

Having pretty feet makes me feel fancy and sleek because they’re often a little dry with chipped nail polish (lovely, I know).

Soak your feet in a bath of warm water and a nourishing shower gel or creme. Set up your laptop on the bathroom bench (far away from the bath, please!) and watch an episode as you soak and sip (tea, wine, gin and tonic, no judgment here, guys).

Once you’re good and soaked, take pumice or a heel stone and scrub your heels and any calluses with circular motions. Keep going until the skin is smooth and any roughness has disappeared.

Dry your feet off, trim your nails and apply a cheery polish color.

Once the polish is fully dry, slather your feet in the most hydrating, rich moisturizer you’ve got and pop your socks on to really lock it in.

Strengthen your DIY manicure game

Get yourself set up on the sofa with a feel-good movie or TV series. Make an iced tea or cucumber-lemon water with a metal straw (so you can sip without messing your polish), and lay your manicure gear on the coffee table or floor.

• File your nails in a softly rounded shape (or your go-to shape) and smooth any rough edges
• Use an orange stick to push back the cuticles
• Apply 2 coats of your favorite shade. I find a pale pink or nude is best for isolation as anything brighter makes me want to go out for wines and girl chats
• Once the polish is dry, rub cuticle oil (or any nourishing oil such as argan, rosehip, or coconut) into your cuticles and the skin around your nails

If you are working in tough conditions throughout this tough time, thank you! I hope you’re getting lots of love, support, and pampering wherever you are, and whenever you can. If you’re self-isolating by yourself, stay strong! This will pass.