If you’re anything like me, you love a good pamper. There’s nothing like the confidence boost that comes every time you glance down at your new gel manicure, run your finger across a freshly waxed brow, or check out freshly permed and tinted lashes in the reflection of your phone screen. But for one reason or another, many of us are having a break from these regular treatments. Maybe you live in an area where current COVID restrictions have forced shops to close, maybe you’re living away from your regular spot and don’t like to deviate from your usual hairdresser, or maybe your bank account is starting to see the strain of keeping yourself looking constantly preened.
Though it’s always a good idea to make sure that you don’t fully rely on these things to consider yourself beautiful, there is no denying that they can certainly help to make you feel good, or that going without them suddenly can be a bit of a blow to your self-esteem. So to keep your confidence sky-high, why not find a way to keep up your beauty regime from home? Here is a list of products to purchase in order to keep you feeling like yourself (and inject a bit of self-care time into your schedule too).
LED lamp and gel topcoat
This is my number one home beauty treatment. I bought a mini LED/UV nail lamp a few years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. Simply use regular clear nail varnish, a few coats of your favourite coloured varnish, let it dry, and then top with a clear gel top coat and you have a shiny, long-lasting, salon-worthy manicure. Using normal nail polish beneath will mean that your natural nails aren’t damaged, but your colour will stay intact for a week or two. All for less than £15!
Eyebrow tint
This is a great eyebrow tint that can be applied easily from the comfort of your own bathroom. To use: apply the tint, cover with cling film, and wait for the colour to take. In just a few minutes you’ll have big bold brows that your technician would be proud of (kind of).
Lash lift
Seeing as many of us are stuck at home at the moment, we aren’t reaching for the tube of mascara that now lives at the bottom of our abandoned makeup bag. However, there is a way to keep your eyes popping without the uncomfortable stiffness of mascara. This kit will tint and perm your lashes much like an LVL lash lift would. Get the salon look for a fraction of the price and turn up to your next zoom meeting with amazing, but natural-looking, lashes.
Fake tan and mitt
If there’s one thing that gives me a big boost of confidence it’s a good fresh layer of fake tan. Seeing as travel is tricky right now, I doubt many of us will be jetting off to exotic locations over spring break, meaning that we’ll be missing out on that golden tan. However, this great set will have you covered (literally). It includes a mitt, clear tanning water (a game-changer), and some facial tanning drops. For the price of just a single spray tan, this kit will leave you looking vacay-ready in just a few hours.
Face oil and face roller
For those of you who are in desperate need of a destress, this is for you. Though it’s almost impossible to completely recreate a facial or massage from home, you can give it a solid go by using this facial roller and oil set. Light some candles, hit shuffle on a spa-style playlist, and get rolling. You’ll feel chilled out and soothed by the feeling of the roller, and get some great skin benefits from the oil too. This should definitely tide you over until you can book in with your favourite beauty therapist again.
Olaplex
Though you may be able to create a mini spa from your bedroom, it’s probably not the best idea to start up a home hairdressing salon. Home haircuts are risky at the best of times, let alone when we’re all going crazy from being stuck inside for so long. But, what you can attempt is that silky smooth blow-dry that we all love so much. Olaplex is the go-to for this. Once only sold to salons, it is now a favourite amongst at-home mane tamers everywhere. This set will allow you to test each product in the range and help you achieve bouncy, glossy locks that look totally pro.
Tweezers
Keeping the brows at bay is a key part of many of our beauty regimes. Whether you usually wax or thread, these are both undeniably tricky (and risky) to attempt from home. It also goes without saying that you should never shave your brows! So, having a really good pair of tweezers is a must. Tweezerman are the industry leaders and the absolute go-to. Though their tweezers are on the pricier side, they do the job in a way that cheaper alternatives won’t (and they’ll last a lot longer too so think of it as an investment). This rose gold pair is particularly gorgeous.
Hot wax
Waxing. The pain that we repeatedly suffer through for our love of butter-smooth shins. Having legs that resemble a shag rug doesn’t inspire the most confidence, at least for me personally. So get rid! This oriental hot wax from Veet is so easy to use and gets salon-worthy results. It comes with a wooden stick applicator complete with a temperature indicator so that you don’t burn yourself, and enough waxing strips to do half a leg and underarms. You’ll be silky smooth from head to toe for only a few pounds.