These activities will keep you productive AND give you amazing skin.
Remember that new makeup product you always wanted to try but never got a chance to? How about finally taking the time to organise the bathroom cabinet or adding more digits to me-time with longer showers and at-home facials? With these beauty tips and home activities, you’ll never feel lethargic in your crib.
Take longer showers
We’re not telling you to waste water. Instead, turn off the tap and get scrubbin’. Turn your shower into a treat yourself kinda experience. For starters, you can try dry brushing. And yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. Dry brushing is known to exfoliate, aid lymphatic drainage and reduce the appearance of cellulite and toxins. You want to use a natural-bristle brush and brush toward the heart, starting with your feet and hands. Need more ideas? Alternate with a yummy-smelling body scrub or a hair mask (Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask works wonders) for a little scalp love.
Perfect that technique
It could be something as simple as getting that wing liner right, achieving killer brows, perfecting your contour, or attempting the tricky technique of adding pops of colour to your eyelids without looking like a clown. Now’s the best time to try something new. What’s the worst that could happen anyway?
Bring on the beauty tools
We may not be the most technologically-savvy but you can count us into the convo if it’s all about beauty tools. These aren’t mandatory products in your bathroom cabinet but boy, do they make all the difference. Start small with a jade roller, gua sha tool, cleansing device or facial massager, or go all out with a $1,000 LED mask – search LG Pra.L Derma LED Mask in this beauty review roundup and you’ll see what we mean.
Face masks all-day errday!
WFH can be more entertaining if you’ve got a soothing face mask on. Whether it’s multi-masking, sheet masks or even DIY masks, this is the kind of home activity we can ride by. Psst… swap your masks around so you don’t get bored easily, or switch to under-eye masks if masking daily is too intense for you!
Add an extra step to your skincare routine
Throw your lazy-girl skincare routine out the window ‘cos we’re not taking any excuses. Those working from home can finally add an extra step that might take more time on usual days. Try adding essence (a pre-serum treatment that rebalances your skin’s natural pH levels and boosts moisture), facial oils (to lock in moisture, soothe inflammations and plump up the skin), serums (they target specific skin concerns like ageing, pigmentation, fine lines and skin dullness) and chemical peels (to treat fine lines, wrinkles and large pores) if you haven’t!
Say yes to at-home facials
Once you’ve clocked out of work, change into your bathrobe, throw your hair back in a bun, light the candles and prepare yourself a cocktail. It’s time for a facial. Start with a great cleanser, followed by an exfoliator so no dead skin is left behind. This is when it gets fun. If you do not have a facial steamer at home, add essential oils or dried flowers, herbs or even tea leaves to a bowl of hot water. Drape a towel over your head and the bowl, and stay for about five to 10 minutes. This opens pores and increases circulation. Carry on with a mask, toner, serums and moisturiser, and use a facial roller so that all the good stuff is penetrated into the skin. More on this, below!
Organise your stash
Redecorating your abode is one thing but it also extends to the little things such as your makeup stash. Throw out all expired makeup, organise your products according to skin concern or the sequence of your routine, donate or sell those palettes you’re never going to use and get a chic clear acrylic box or tray for easy access.
Clean those makeup brushes
When was the last time you washed your makeup brushes and sponges? If the answer is more than 10 days, or worse, if you can’t remember, you’re in trouble. Brushes are magnets for dead skin cells, dirt, oil and product build up, making them a hotspot for bacteria. Imagine the horror of swiping those nasties across your skin! You’ll probably end up with a breakout despite a thorough skincare routine.
Here’s how we clean our brushes around here: Rinse the tip of your brushes over lukewarm water, steering clear of the base as it might loosen the glue that’s keeping the base and bristles together. Add a drop of baby shampoo to the back of your palm and swirl it around. Alternatively, you can add baby shampoo to a bowl of water and do the same or use a brush cleaning mat to speed things up. Massage the product out and rinse until the water is clear. Lay the brushes over a paper towel or over the edge of your countertop.
Watch or listen to the pros
Watch your favourite beauty vloggers strut their stuff on the web – whether it’s going through an entire routine, presenting swatches (and trying to match your colour over the screen) or learning a new technique with them. There’s just something therapeutic about watching these beauties put their face on. Our faves include Huda Kattan, Safiya Nygaard, Nikkie de Jager, Kaushal Beauty and OG beauty guru, Michelle Phan. Closer to home, we have Sahur Saleim, Brenda Tan and Adlina Anis, just to name a few.
Try something absurd like… a vagina mask
We’ve seen a lot of crazy over the last couple of years. We’ll be damned if we miss out on trying something peculiar. No, we’re not talking about Kim Kardashian’s horrific vampire facial or Gwyneth Paltrow’s infamous jade egg for the vagina. But speaking of lady bits, here’s something you could try – a vagina mask. We tried Two Lips Blackout Activated Charcoal Mask a while back and still cannot forget the experience. The mask helps to soothe, detoxify, brighten and moisturise the vulva and has infrared activated charcoal to boost lymphatic drainage. Plus, it’s non-invasive!
Bonus tip: Do not ditch your regular skincare routine
As tempting as it sounds, skipping your skincare even if you’re home all day is a big no-no. Your skin continues to secrete oils and dead skin, leading to more breakouts, clogged pores and dull skin. So stick to your usual regime and no one gets hurt.
