Chase those depressive vibes away!

We are living in very stressful times and now more so than ever, it is important to take care of our mental health and well-being! With all of us staying at home and not being able to head out for our monthly self-pampering treats of manicures, lash extensions, relaxing massages and/or therapeutic facials, the onus is now on us to treat ourselves well, even when we’re stuck at home.

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If you need some stay at home #selfcare ideas, we’ve put together a list of beauty and mental well-being tips to keep yourself together until we can all breathe that familiar air of freedom again! A little indulgence may be just what it takes to help us get through this circuit breaker with our sanity intact.

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Get Creative (or not) With A DIY Mani/Pedi ??

Treat your nails right with a DIY manicure & pedicure. Here’s all you need to keep your claws looking clean and healthy: clippers, a nail file and a buffer. Clip your nails, if necessary, then gently file them into shape. Relax those fingers and toes with a nice warm soak and for an extra touch, sprinkle some bath salts in! 

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Lucky for us, we don’t have to have an artist to have beautiful insta-worthy nails. There are many easy alternatives to have the perfect manicure such as nail wraps and press-on nails. Why not support some local businesses during this unprecedented time? Get some gorgeous nail wraps from Nodspark and EM.MEzing Nails today! 

Pic Cr: @emmezingnails

Show Your Tresses Some Love ??‍♀️

Give your hair the love it deserves and treat it to a restorative hair spa. Step out of your home when this circuit breaker ends with #HAIRGOALS everyone would be envious of.

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First, wash your hair with cold or lukewarm water to avoid irritating your scalp and weakening the roots. P.S. massaging your scalp while shampooing also provides tension relief! 

Follow up with a hair treatment for luscious locks (coconut oil is a really great ingredient if you’re gonna DIY a hair mask). 

Make sure to brush out your hair to get rid of hair knots. Check out Verdure Hair’s Ionic Hair Brush Scalp Massager which is specially designed to improve your hair texture from roots to ends with 6 million active frizz-control ions released directly into your hair to remove static and smooth hair cuticles. 

Finish off your hair spa with a nourishing hair oil or essence to strengthen and moisturise your strands which not only helps to repair damaged hair but also give your locks a subtle shine. Our pick is the Verdure’s Hair Growth Essence which contains many great ingredients like Vitamin E & B3 which also helps to promote hair growth.

P.S. This local brand is also pledging 5% off all online sales during this Circuit Breaker period to The Courage Fund by The Community Chest in aid of Singaporeans who are affected by the Covid-19 situation. Take this chance to spread some love, as you show love to your hair! ❤

Perfect Your Skincare Routine ??‍♀️

Now that most of us are working from home, we no longer need to rush out of the house like a mad woman every morning! It’s a perfect opportunity for us to develop a AM skincare routine that works. Your skincare routine is something you should enjoy doing and using this time to focus on yourself reaps not only beauty benefits but also #selfcare benefits.

With all the extra time on your hands, there’s no time like now to give your skin some extra love and attention.Try incorporating this skincare routine into your morning ritual, and you may come to realise that skincare isn’t as scary as you thought it was. 

#1 Start your day with a fresh face

Pick a cleanser with a pH level as close to the skin’s natural level of 5.5 to prevent disrupting your skin’s pH level. An acidic skin pH can cause skin irritation, acne, blotchiness, etc. We recommend the ActivCalm Gentle Hydrating Cleansing Mousse made up of a cocktail of skin-loving ingredients that balances your skin’s pH and dense micro-bubbles that deeply penetrate pores to remove dirt, sebum and impurities without stripping your skin of moisture.

#2 Prep your skin

Using a toner helps to remove any remaining residue while also hydrating your skin to make it easier for absorption of follow-on products. 

We recommend toners that are packed full of botanical ingredients such as the ActivCalm Skin Calming Lotion Essence. This toner contains 5 botanical extracts (Marigold Flower Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Butcher’s Broom Root Extract, Hydrocotyle Leaf Extract, and Horse Chestnut Seed Extract) to soothe and calm sensitive and inflamed skin.

#3 Target your skin concerns

Bring on your serums, boosters and ampoules! These are highly concentrated products, providing your skin with an extra boost! Our favourite serum is the VitaLift A+ Cellular Repair Serum which helps recharge the skin with nutrients and vitality to restore glow and plumpness for a luminous, more even-toned complexion.

#4 Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!

Seal in all the goodness and plump up your skin with a moisturiser. Moisturising helps to lock in the skin’s moisture and is THE key to supple, youthful-looking skin. 

We love the VitaLift A+ OPC Antioxidant Cream that has a powerful antioxidant ability to strengthen, protect and preserve the skin’s youthful and radiant appearance!

#5 Don’t forget your eyes

Didn’t catch enough sleep and woke up with puffy and tired-looking eyes? Or you have dark eye circles that could rival a panda? We recommend the OptimaLift A+ Multi-Repair Eye Essence that provides immediate relief to tired eyes with its minty feeling. What’s more, it also brightens and depuffs the eye, minimising the appearance of your panda eyes so none of your colleagues would suspect that you’ve been binge watching dramas into the night!

If you’ve an extra minute to spare, massage it in with the OptimaLift A+ Intelligent Eye Revitaliser, a tri-action EyeTech device for bright, youthful and rested-looking eyes in just ONE minute. 

Pic Cr: @briannawonggg

#6 Shields up!

If you think you can skip sunscreen now that you’re working from home, think again! UVA rays can penetrate through windows and cause photo-ageing. Additionally, your skin is constantly exposed to harmful effects of blue light emitting from digital devices and indoor lighting.

Slather on the SunShield SPF50*** to shield your skin from both harmful UV rays & blue light. It also contains colour-adaptive technology that blends perfectly to your skin tone to conceal blemishes and provide sheer coverage for a “my skin but better” look! We promise, you can even skin your makeup for your video calls with this on! ?

Locate That Inner Peace ??‍♀️

Sometimes you just need to give yourself a break and focus on yourself. We know it’s hard to do so when the world is in such turmoil, and it also doesn’t help when we are constantly being bombarded with depressing news on TV and the Internet. But trust us, your mental health will benefit when you set aside some time to relax and switch off from external stimuli.  

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We recommend meditating for 10 minutes daily. Put away the distractions, work (and the Netflix/K-drama binges) and focus solely on yourself. Light some scented candles or essential oils if you’re feeling extra, and turn on meditation music to set the mood. 

Close your eyes and tune into your inner self by taking deep breaths and reflecting on the good things that happened in the day. They don’t have to be huge successes, even small wins like “I didn’t have a breakdown today”, “I cooked myself a meal”, and “I did the laundry”, etc. will help you realise that you achieved more than you thought you did! ??Surround yourself with positive thoughts and practice gratitude for what you have in life. 

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Just remember #selfcare can be as simple as taking deep breaths or listening to your favourite music. Remember that you can’t control what happens in the world, but you can always control how you respond to it. 

Hang in there! #stayhomestaysafe ❤

In Good Hands,

Estetica