The Ultimate Self-Care Guide for Self-Isolation
Image: @sarashakeel
Self-care has been a buzz word for the last few years, but given that we’re all currently social distancing, working from home, maybe homeschooling kiddos, and just trying to keep our lives and moods afloat in general, we need a serious dose of self-care now more than ever. Below, we’ve compiled tips, ideas, and resources to practice self-care at home, from baths to books to the best binge-worthy shows. Treat yourself to some TLC!
GET DRESSED EVERY DAY
The best way to start your day off on the right foot while self-isolating is to wake up, shower, and get dressed like you normally would. While your daily schedule will certainly be different while self-isolating, maintaining some type of morning routine will help create structure around your day. Getting dressed every morning will help you feel more prepared for the day ahead, too. You don’t have to wear anything fancy (although putting on a pretty spring dress is clinically proven to be a mood booster), but even just swapping your pajamas for chic loungewear or a cozy sweater and your favorite jeans will do the trick. We love the stylish and comfy separates from Mate the Label, Sundry Clothing, and James Street, and the party pajamas from Daily Sleeper (wear them for drinking coffee in the morning or drinking cocktails at night).
CREATE A SIMPLE MAKEUP ROUTINE
Like getting dressed every morning, it feels good to “put on your face” at the start of the day like you normally would. But because you’ll just be at home, there’s no need for the full shebang with foundation, blush, bronzer, etc. (unless that’s your jam). Try this simple 4-step routine for a natural, effortless look following your skincare:
Apply under-eye concealer and a sheer, tinted moisturizer to perfect your skin. (You can omit this step if you prefer to just wear your daily moisturizer). Try Urban Decay Color Correcting Fluid (we love the peach hue for dark under-eye circles) and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer.
Curl your lashes and apply mascara. We like the Shu Uemera Eyelash Curler and Diorshow Mascara, Pat McGrath FetishEyes Mascara, and L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara (our drug store staple).
Groom your eyebrows. We love Glossier Boy Brow for fuller, fluffier brows.
Apply a tinted lip balm or lip gloss. Try the Henne Organics Luxe Lip Tint (we love the bare tint).
TRY AN EASY HAIRSTYLE
Who wants to wash their hair every day, let alone has the time? Self-isolation is the perfect time to make good use of your favorite dry shampoo, whether that’s a powder or a spray. A few of our favorite dry shampoos include: Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder, IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo, R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo, and Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo. We also love these 20 easy hairstyles for lazy days—perfect for second or, ahem, third day hair.
CREATE A WFH SCHEDULE
If you’re working from home while self-isolating, it’s important to create a daily schedule and set some boundaries around your work hours. A dedicated work space and a hard stop at the end of the day will help you create some structure. Check out these helpful working from home tips from Beautiful Detour for more ideas and advice. We also love this WFH uniform from Jenni Kayne.
SWEAT IT OUT
Taking a break to go to the gym or a workout class is an essential part of our week. And while your local gym may be closed and your pilates class has been canceled, you can still stick to your routine and get a decent workout at home. Check out these 11 exercises you can do at home or these Yoga With Adriene classes on YouTube.
Some of our other favorite resources for at-home fitness tips and virtual workouts include:
@kelseywells via the @sweat fitness app
TREAT YOURSELF TO A DIY MANICURE
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably missing your regular visit to the nail salon right about now. Do your own manicure at home with these manicure kits from Olive & June. The kits feature everything you need for the perfect mani, including tools, nail polish remover, top coat, and your choice of vegan and toxin-free nail polish in a variety of shades, from neutrals to classics to fun spring pastels. We’re loving the polish shades BP, a pastel blue, and JLR, a buttery yellow inspired by Jessie Randall, the creative director/founder of Loeffler Randall—no wonder it’s the perfect pedicure shade to wear with your favorite pair of mules this spring and summer.
TAKE A TIME OUT
We can all use a moment of calm right about now, and one of the best ways to find that is with mediation. Whether you’re new to mediation and have no clue where to start, or you’ve been practicing for some time, we love the @headspace app for simple guided meditations of all levels. The app has a bunch of free mediations available, and the family plan is $60 for 6 people per year so you can get your partner or friends on the mediation bandwagon, too.
SOAK IT UP
One of our favorite ways to take a break and unwind at night is with a good hot bath. There’s nothing like a long soak to help you relax and detox after a long day. Add a bath bomb or some bath salts for even more benefits. We love the Herbivore Botanicals Coconut Milk Bath Soak and Calm Soaking Salts, and French Girl Rose Sea Salt Soak.
LEVEL UP YOUR SKINCARE GAME
Sticking to your skincare routine or even upping your skincare game while you’re stuck at home is one the best ways to treat yourself to some TLC right now. Consider incorporating a brightening vitamin C serum (we love the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum) or soothing under-eye patches (try the Acure Organics Under Eye Hydrogel Masks) into your morning routine, and use a hydrating face mask (try Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask) or a sheet mask (we love this LAPCCOS sheet mask 5-pack), plus a moisturizing lip mask (we’re addicted to the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask) at night before bed. We also love to use a rose quartz facial roller to help combat puffiness and increase circulation (we keep ours in the fridge for extra de-puffing!).
Once a week, use a nourishing body exfoliating scrub (we love all things Necessaire for body) and a deep conditioning hair mask (try the OUAI Treatment Mask) and scalp scrub (try the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub) in the shower. We also love these 9 at-home beauty treatments via Poosh, from dry brushing to a DIY cellulite scrub. You’ll emerge from self-isolation refreshed and renewed.
PLAN A ROMANTIC DATE NIGHT AT HOME
Put on your favorite party dress, set the table, light some candles, tell Alexa to play your favorite tunes, and enjoy a romantic dinner for two in the comfort of your own home. Eat at your dining table or dine al fresco if you have a patio, backyard, or balcony. The rules: no phones, no TV, and no talk of kids or quarantine—just time to yourselves to enjoy each other’s company, talk about the future, and dream of all the things you’ll do and the places you’ll go when this is all over. Wondering what to cook? We’re loving these 20 recipes from FoodieCrush you can make using all those canned goods stocked in your pantry.
NETFLIX AND CHILL
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of binge-worthy shows to watch at the moment, and our Netflix cue runneth over with series and movies we can’t wait to check out. Here are some of the new shows we’ll be watching while self-isolating and some of our favorite recent series that are worthy of a rewatch or are great to start for the first time right now:
Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu (we loved the book too!)
My Brilliant Friend on HBO (seasons 1 and 2)
We also love this list of 35 Feel-Good TV Shows to Watch Right Now from the queen, Oprah herself.
GET LOST IN A GOOD BOOK
If you’ve run out of shows to watch or just want a break from screen time, it’s the perfect time to get lost in a good book. Check out our list of the books we read in 2019 and the books we’re reading in 2020. Our book of the month for March is Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More, and it’s the perfect read right now if you’ve been itching to clean out your closet or do some spring cleaning—both physically and emotionally. If you’re having a hard time concentrating on a book with everything going on, audiobooks are always great option too—we love to listen while we tidy up, do laundry, or take a bath at night.
PHONE A FRIEND
Just because you can’t have a girls night out with your besties doesn’t mean you can’t connect and catch up! Plan a weekly group FaceTime or Zoom call with your BFFs—bring your own gossip, wine, and snacks. You can even have a virtual dance party (just turn up the tunes), play a group board game, or host a book club during your video call.
Even just picking up the phone and calling a friend or family member to touch base and have a quick chat is a great way to lift your spirits and get a dose of social interaction while at home. A phone call is so much easier than text messaging and far more personal—there’s something comforting about hearing a familiar voice on the other end of the receiver. We love this Vogue article about the return of the social phone call in the era of coronavirus. Perhaps that’s one good thing to come from quarantine.