With two months of quarantine down and who knows how many left to go, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share the skincare hacks that have been keeping me going during lockdown – both physically and mentally. Some of these are old skincare steps that I used to include in my routine on a regular basis, while others are newly discovered tricks that have been very helpful.

Facial mists

This is a newly discovered favourite treat that has become my go-to step at pretty much any time of day. I love a quick spray-on after my morning shower to awaken the skin before the moisturiser, and I equally adore the relaxing effect of a mist to kickstart my night-time routine. And during the hotter, stickier days that we’ve been enjoying lately, when I’ve been struggling with poor sleep and lack of focus, mists have helped me regain that little bit of extra energy during long hours spent in front of the computer. My two favourites at the moment are When Revivifying Toner Mist (extra light and fresh) and Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Microrenewal Hydrating Mist (richer moisturising treat for drier periods). For pre-bedtime after my nightly routine, I like using Amly Beauty Sleep, which is refreshing and very relaxing, with a lovely scent.

Frequent masks

I’ve always been a big fan of masks; I find them absolutely essential for clarifying my skin and boosting my regular routine. So I used to incorporate 2-3 mask sessions a week on a regular basis anyway, but in the last couple of months I have been increasing them to up to even 5-6 times per week. Truth be told, masks are the ideal skincare cheat if you’ve been a bit lazy with your routine and reduced your me-time to a quick face wash in the shower. I simply love trying new products as often as I get the chance to, so I’ve been curating a whole repertoire of masks for different days of the week. I sometimes even do two-step mask treatments, combining an exfoliating/cleansing product with a moisturising/brightening one straight after. More details to follow soon!

Morning moisture

Poor sleep has been my main enemy lately, paired with awfully long working hours, and I often collapse on the sofa in the evenings without much will to go through my evening routine. This mostly means that in the morning my skin feels extra tight and looks dull, which even shows on my daily Zoom calls. The trick that has been helping me bring my skin back to life during these tricky times has been a serious dose of moisture in the morning, and I’ve devised a brilliant 3-step routine around this. After the wake-up mist, I like using a rich serum full of hyaluronic acid (I’m currently obsessed with Alumier Ultimate Booster Serum), followed by a moisturising day cream (the amazingly fragranced Tropic Skin Feast), slowly massaged into the skin until fully absorbed. This manages to keep the skin hydrated all through the day until the evening wash, despite the excess of blue light from all the screens that I surround myself with.

Aromatherapy

I never really thought aromatherapy was going to be my thing, and I’ve never been a big believer in the science behind it, even though I love filling my house with candles – I’m a millennial, after all! But I’ve recently discovered a few interesting facts: 1. Candles are not good for your skin (they create indoor pollution, even if you use good quality, pricey candles), so I try not to abuse them; and 2. There are fantastic techie solutions that diffuse essential oils, and therefore really nice scents, without the need for burning. I have this amazing Scent Well Portable Diffuser from This Works that is powered by USB to heat up the essential oils without any smoke, and it’s perfect for a pre-sleep routine (I adore Ylang-Ylang and Lavender from Natural by Nature Oils, which are 100% organic without any synthetic nasties), but also in the morning as a wake-up boost while drinking my coffee at my desk (for this, I’ve been using the Morning Expert Wake-Up Drops from This Works). I’ve been loving these so much, that I’m actually looking forward to my almost-daily aromatherapy routines!

I hope these hacks might bring you some inspiration to try something new. In a future post, I’m planning to address a few of the skincare sins that I’ve found myself guilty of during this period, and the products that have helped me treat these self-inflicted skin issues.