Working at home can feel great: we set our wake-up alarms much later, while still having time to enjoy a morning coffee. The time saved from not needing to commute also mean that we can seize the opportunity to pay extra attention to your skin – whee!
Here are seven habits to start adopting now that you work from home. And when you finally meet your colleagues in person, you’ll be impressing them with glowing, smooth skin, they’ll ask if you’re a new hire!
1. Mask more often
Masks are the go-to product when we feel our skin needs a little more TLC, but it can be hard to spare or even remember to set aside 15 minutes regularly for masking after a busy day at work. If you’re working from home, you can now feel free to mask anytime you want – that means, just before you start work, while doing work, during your break… you have no more excuse.
Tip: To up your skincare game and maximise the benefits of your mask, store your masks in the fridge! They make for a great refreshing treat that helps boost microcirculation, improve cell turnover, and minimise the appearance of pores and puffiness. And we highly recommend indulging in a cooling mask to fight food coma in the afternoon, which will help you stay off all those high-calorie snacks or another cup of coffee!
Masks to try
Lululun Face Mask 32s
Masks can be an expensive step at almost SGD2 each (especially if you do it everyday), and if your budget isn’t exactly huge, opt for bulk packs of masks that are much cheaper. Try these ones from Lululun that offer a variety of benefits, which you can get at Watsons from SGD25.
GlamGlow SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment
This 4.5-star rated mud mask on Sephora certainly lives up to its hype: its Pore-Matrix technology extracts all of the impurities lurking in your pores for a blackhead-free complexion with less breakouts. This is perfect for days when you are feeling clogged pores and greasy skin, especially if you’re using a fan instead of the air-conditioner.
Retails on Sephora for SGD89.
Mediheal Mask Sheet Series
These Korean sheet masks have 11 types to suit every skin need- Tea Tree for soothing acne, Collagen for plumping, and W.H.P for whitening, although the ultra-hydrating blue N.M.F one is the most well-known. This mask is much thicker and jelly-like, and is drenched in hydrating essence, so it adheres to the skin and moisturises it deeply. You can even use the remaining essence on the rest of your body by soaking a cotton pad in it!
Available at Shopee, from SGD9.30 for 10 sheets.
2. Continue to wear sunscreen
The common misconception is that being indoors means SPF isn’t necessary. However, research shows that although UVB rays are blocked by glass panes on your window, UVA rays (which are what make our skin age faster) can still penetrate, so remember to continue applying sunscreen daily – even when you’re not heading out – to avoid early signs of ageing!
Tip: Most people skip makeup when they’re working from home (well, unless they have an important web-conference to attend), which makes it easier for regular sunscreen touch-ups. If you’re serious about stepping up sun care, set alarms (every three hours) to remind yourself to reapply your sunscreen.
Sunscreens to try
HADA LABO Hydrating Perfect Gel Moisturiser UV SPF 50+ PA++++
If you prefer to keep your morning skincare routine short and sweet, try this gel moisturiser with SPF from Hada Labo. It hydrates your skin while protecting it from the sun so that you feel comfortable all day long.
Retails at Watsons for SGD35.90.
Laneige Air Light Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++
Sunscreen can feel annoyingly sticky on your face sometimes, but Laneige’s stick-type sunscreen has a lightweight formula that feels like virtually nothing on your skin for comfort while providing sufficient protection from sun rays. Plus, its broad application area allows you to cover the entire face in seconds!
Available at Sephora for SGD30.
3CE White Milk Cushion
Apart from its adorable white packaging, this sun cushion gets the job done in half the time, and doesn’t leave your hands sticky from sunscreen. It protects the skin from the harmful rays, while brightening dull skin without looking fake or heavy, perfect for individuals who still have online meetings to attend and want a quick boost to their complexion.
Retails at Sephora for SGD42.
3. Improve your diet
Trust us, we know it can be really hard to jump-start your healthy-eating journey, but with all the extra time spent at home there’s no excuse to not try! Start with small steps: swap out your bad-for-skin dairy products like ice cream and full cream milk with an avocado shake (with soya milk) full of skin-loving fat instead, or snack on nuts instead of chips.
Other than improving your diet, try adding collagen to your daily supplement intake to help your skin out in maintaining elasticity! While you can get collagen from foods like fish with its skin on, eggs, and citrus fruits, taking specialised collagen supplements from trusted brands (read our review here!) will give you smoother and plumper skin much faster.
4. Get more sleep
Finally a step that doesn’t require extra effort: sleep is one of the essential steps to better skin, and even one night of disrupted sleep can lead to a more haggard appearance of hanging and swollen eyelids, drooping mouth corners, dark undereyes, and paler, duller skin.
5. Change up your pillowcases
Working at home allows you to squeeze in a short afternoon nap if you like, but did you know regular cotton sheets can cause damage to your skin? Cotton pillowcases draw in more moisture from your skin and hair while using, and is rougher on your skin as well, so try silk or satin pillowcases instead for smoother skin and hair!
Silk pillowcases to try
Slip pillowcases
A celebrity favourite (Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and the Kardashians), these Slip ones utilise their unique Slipsilk material to maximise friction against skin and absorbs less skincare than your regular sheets.
Retails at Sephora.sg for SGD130.
Organic Mulberry Silk Pillow Case by Hyde Lane
This one by Hyde Lane protects your hair and skin with their mulberry silks that are breathable for a restful sleep. It’s also allergen-resistant and machine-washable, so it’s great for those with sensitive and irritable skin too.
Retails at Amazon for SGD33.09.
6. Exercise regularly
While going to the gym isn’t a great idea right now, you can always make do at home: try working up a sweat by doing HIIT exercises (high intensity interval training) or Pilates with guided videos These usually won’t need professional equipment nor a large space. Exercise not only helps you lose fat, it also improves blood circulation which gives you that post-workout glow.
7. Give yourself a facial
Working from home may mean you’re lazier more reluctant to head out to your favourite salons, even though they’re likely to be still safe to visit (be sure to check their safety measures first!) If you’re reducing your frequency of facials, don’t forget to give yourself an occasional treat while you stay home. It can be as simple as exfoliating more often, or going all out with an at-home light therapy session.
Tools and devices to try
Foreo Luna Mini 3 Cleansing Device
Foreo’s face cleansing devices are some of the most popular choices on the market for their ability to remove dirt, oil and impurities with its 8,000 soft touch-points while remaining gentle on the skin. The skin-safe silicone tool is also easily washable and completely waterproof so you can enjoy your daily cleansing in peace.
Retails at Sephora at SGD235.
Skin Inc. Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++ Chrome
This light-emitting device has five LED options to improve skin texture, depending on your skin concern. Choose red to revive your skin and encourage elasticity, blue to soothe irritated skin, yellow for a glow from within, or a combination of each!
The beautiful Chrome version is available at Sephora for SGD408, or get the White version at SGD398.
Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool
If puffiness is your concern, try using facial massaging tools like this one to help with the bloated appearance. Massage the lymph node area below your ears and around the eyes gently to drain the face for a sharper and more defined face in just a few minutes. Plus, this tool from Mount Lai is made with rose quartz crystal, which is believed to be the stone of beauty and harmonious relationships, and it doesn’t hurt that it looks nice on the vanity as well!
Retails at Sephora for SGD41.
