Ladies! One of the substantial challenges of Covid-19 ensuing a major lockdown, surely is how to take care of oneself knowing that most of the salons, gyms and spas are not operational. Today, I want to reveal my ultimate beauty hacks and routines you can adopt to keep up with your beauty and keep looking gorgeous during and most importantly, after the lockdown.
In the past 2 weeks, I had the chance to interview 25 models from across the globe LIVE for the IGTV channel of Miss Elite 2020 (@misseliteworld) and the interviews revealed that adapting to a good beauty routine is a challenge during the lockdown for each one of them.
The hair and nail salons, gyms and spas not being serviceable wasn’t just enough to add to our misery, that we are facing another issue. OH YES! You Are Right! Adding that extra 2-3 Kilos that some of us gained while staying at home and enjoying some extra chocolate or wine to deal with the current situation or even fighting the lonely evenings.
Me myself and I is the first person who adds up some calories to my eating routine as soon as I get a break from work and let me also tell you, this break turns out to be quite long....
Talking with the 25 international beauty queens about their personal recommendations, favorite beauty products and daily routine, helped me not only see that I am not alone in this but also that the current situation can even be seen as a challenge of learning & evolving. Josephine, Miss Belgium 2020, for example recommended us to use the spare time to give our skin good hydration with a hydra gel mask. Now you know ladies what you got to do!
But hey wait! That’s not the only thing on the plate for you.
Well, here are some of the main advices I learned interviewing the 25 international models on how to stay pretty (pretty calm too!) during the lockdown:
1. DRINK A LOT OF WATER. HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!
I know it’s a classic, but almost all the beauties agreed on that. Minimum 2-3 litre water a day helps your skin to stay hydrated and bring out the inner glow.
2. GIVE YOUR SKIN A GOOD REST
People from the fashion & beauty industry especially the models are nearly forced to put on makeup daily, sometimes even several times a day.
This often leads to a hyper sensitive skin or even worse, into a perioral dermatitis, a form of skin irritation & inflammatory rashes due to over saturated skin.
Time off work is a perfect opportunity to go completely Off-Makeup and give your skin the rest it needs, best 3-6 weeks. Oh! Do not forget to tone and moisturize your skin.
I personally use Avène thermal water spray water during my skin detox period to feel extra hydrated.
3. LEARN TO DO IT YOURSELF!
It turns out that the big chances of this lockdown is turning us into a professional in what we all girls love, the DIY for our beauty routine. Gel nails, curled eyelashes or hair highlights are something that you normally would go to the salon for... and spend quite some money on those.
Well! Nothing that can't be done by yourself at home. Amazon delivery & YouTube tutorials is the answer.
Should it turn out to be not so perfect at your first attempt, hey you are locked down...so it won’t matter that much. I personally recommend the nail gel pack from Pinkgellack and a lash lifting set from Iconsign. Currently my go to products.
Learning how to do those things at home can even save you quite some time and money after the lockdown too.
4. WORKOUT NO MATTER WHERE AND WHAT!
In quarantine, it is sometimes difficult to find motivation to exercise because the gyms are not yet operational. Still it is very important to keep your body healthy and strong. I personally find sports very energizing. Just think of yoga to get relaxed or Pilates for muscular strength. For people who do not like to run outdoors can easily look up a sports video on YouTube and engage themselves doing that. If you take 20 minutes every day to offer an inducement to your body with a workout, this will be very beneficial for not just your body but your mind also and you will immediately have a fun activity on demand.
5. IT’S TIME FOR MAKEUP TUTORIALS
I have realized that normally every one of us has their regular daytime makeup routine.
It is quite convenient to stick to the same makeup because it’s so much more time efficient. I do my daytime makeup within 7 minutes. That’s it.
But there is more to learn right now... use this time to master some new tools and techniques, say for, natural contouring or testing different eyeshadow shades on your skin color.
Lockdown is the perfect time to watch some makeup tutorials from renowned artists, or why not... even share your own. It’s time to renew and improve your skills. GO ON LADIES!
6. BE CAREFUL WITH SUNBATH
Yes! We all cannot wait to catch some sun rays during the lockdown, a fresh tan helps everyone to just look fresher and sexier but be careful that you don’t spend more time than usual in the sun, even if you have all day off. You don’t want to burn yourself.
7. KEEP A CHECK ON YOUR FOOD AND EVEN DRINKS
It can be very tempting if you are at home to often quickly go snacking or open your refrigerator.
Try to make a to-do list every day that can distract you from snacking irregularly. This way you are less focused on thinking about food. Start the day with a filling and healthy breakfast so that you are satiated until lunch for another healthy spread. For your evening supper, try to eat a fruit or snack on vegetables such as carrots or raw cauliflower with guacamole as a dipping sauce. Uhmm! Who’s hungry now? Jokes aside, in the evening it is important to have a light meal. This way you will not suffer from cramps at night. Try a well-stocked vegetable soup with a whole wheat sandwich. This is very filling and healthy at the same time. As they say, "Eat like an emperor in the morning, like a king in the afternoon and like a beggar in the evening!"
8. BE EASY ON THE ALCOHOL & SMOKING
Is that actually me advising that?
Sure, a glass of white wine has killed no one but be careful not to drink too much and in effect see your skin improving during this lockdown.
9. TRY A PLANT-BASED DIET
Did you always want to go Vegan or replace some products of your everyday diet with plant-based ones? Now is the perfect time for that. I too have, little by little, adapted my own diet to a more plant based one during the last couple of years and I know it takes time and effort. But it is worth everything.
You need to create new shopping habits, find new products that you like and learn how to cook differently… and now, you finally have that time in hand to take a closer look at your eating routines and say goodbye to some old habits and sure your skin will start glowing from the inside soon.
Remember eating well is a form of self-respect and will help you to feel calmer and more focused.
10. MEDIATION & BODY ACCEPTANCE
Wondering, how can mediation help you to look better than you might think?
From my own experience a high stress and anxiety level can literally be spotted on your face.
Use this time to finally make meditation a daily habit and practice calmness and acceptance.
It can not only help you to look fresh but also to finally connect your body and soul and help you to find a greater awareness of your body resulting in acceptation and appreciation of oneself to finally learn to love your body just the way it is.
I am sure, you have a lot to reconsider after reading this. Reinvent yourself and like I say, unleash the true Goddess that you are.
Talk to you soon!
Stay safe!