A Guide to Quarantine Glamour
By • March 28, 2020 0 2654
We’re approaching week two of self-isolation. And let’s face it: It’s not pretty.
Days in our comfy college sweatshirt, unwashed hair and no makeup are driving us to the brink — and our partners to the hills.
Sound the alarm — we’re turning into schlumps — even the most fabulous among us.
“So, I’m lying in bed faced with the prospect of getting dressed, and I cannot face another pair of yoga pants, or pull-on pants, or lounge pants — I just can’t,” laments fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi on his Instagram.
“I’m kind of thinking a three-piece suit, a really tight suit? Or a corset and some kind of 19th-century gown with 30 cuffed buttons? Seriously, I need structure!” he went on.
For me, a walk to the neighborhood garden was motivation for a shampoo and my favorite poppy red lipstick. What a difference it made to how I felt.
I even did an #isolationselfie (yes, it’s a thing) and managed to look somewhat glam.
If you don’t feel good about how you look, it’s likely you won’t feel like doing anything — even those household chores or projects you’ve promised yourself you’d get to.
Here are some simple ways we can stay chic in quarantine and avoid the easy drift into the Bridget Jones abyss.
First, even if our biggest outing of the day is a trip to the mailbox, get bathed and dressed — no pajama wallowing — at least not in ugly pajamas.
Anna Bey, who runs the YouTube channel “School of Affluence” did a whole tutorial on how to be COVID-elegant. It’s a must-see while you’re YouTube surfing.
Bey says to use this time to edit your closest and throw out those hideous go-to T-shirts and sweatpants. She recommends (if you can afford it) silk pajamas, robes, cashmere or high-quality lounge wear, or a nice sweater and trousers for your at-home day looks.
As for beauty, this is the perfect time to invest in daily masks or experiment with new products, or as I like to call it, the “Joan Crawford thing.”
Remember that opening scene in “Mommie Dearest,” when Crawford, her hair in a towel turban, completes her morning ritual, including immersing her face in ice cubes to reduce puffiness?
It might sound a little wacky, but my friend, skin therapist Sara D’Amelio, explains that treating yourself to good cleansers, toners and exfoliants when you have the time will improve your outlook and also give you a chance to edit (clean out) that makeup drawer.
“Beauty is the perfect quick fix to feeling gross and bored,” says D’Amelio, who adds that when the economy starts to sink consumers don’t shy away from that $35 lipstick or luxurious moisturizer.
Now that we are in a period of self-reflection and self-care, beauty products are natural elixirs.
I’ve been using the mud mask every night from D’Amelio’s SkinCanDo line, keeping in mind that our salons (and facialists) may not be back in April.
You can also play around with your nails and hair treatments, but be careful with color.
Salon L’Eau is offering beauty boxes for at-home glaming. The salon’s “Curbside Color Kit” includes professional, custom-blended color formulas, as well as all the tools you need, like applicators and shampoo/conditioner.
Lastly, we can’t forget our cocoons in which we are confined. I’ve been adding vanilla candles and vibrant daffodils to my apartment. The world may be filled with shadows, but poppy red, radiant yellow and silk pajamas make it a little brighter.
Renée Zellweger in “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Courtesy Universal.
Writer and contributor Stephanie Green, always in style. Courtesy Stephanie Green.
