Quarantine Beauty: The Tools And Techniques That Have Me Glowing!
I don’t know about you, but giving daily make-up a rest has been doing wonders for my skin. But in case we’ve never met before — hi, I’m Gala! — I like to maximize things. My train of thought goes something like, ‘Sure, my skin looks good… But what if I came out of quarantine looking better than ever? How would I go about that?’
The answer: a whole new series of gadgets, gizmos, and techniques, to tide me over until I can go and get some real aesthetic work done.
Here’s what I’ve been doing…
If you find that your face looks a little bloated or puffy, work this — and/or a gua sha tool — into your regimen. After I cleanse at night, I use this for lymphatic drainage and facial massage. It feels great, and very relaxing.
When done correctly — which is easy, my roller even came with instructions and a diagram! — improves headaches, TMJ pain, sinus congestion, eye strain, and puffiness of the lower eyelids. Additionally, because the roller is cold, especially if you go hard and keep it in the fridge, blood flow is restricted and the pressure pushes lymph fluid to the lymph nodes, which are forced to process it and filter out toxins.
That link above is the exact one I use. It’s rose quartz (pretty, and the radical self-love crystal!) and it comes with a gua sha tool. Perfection!
I won’t lie to you and tell you that this is an inexpensive item, because it simply isn’t. The best price I can find for it online is $325, so yes, this is an investment. But I love it, and if you’re keen to preserve the quality of your skin as long as possible, I recommend it.
The NuFACE Trinity delivers stimulating microcurrents directly into the skin, to help contour, tone, and firm your face and neck. If you’re noticing that your jawline or upper eye area are looking less sharp than they used to, this is your jam! Some people say that this even replaces the need for Botox (!!!), so hey, it’s gotta be worth a shot. I find that when I use this, my skin looks plump and it glows like mad.
You might be thinking you don’t need to worry about this stuff right now, but prevention is worth an ounce of cure: if you start using tools like this early, you won’t need to spend a gazillion bucks on skincare when you’re 50. Don’t wait until you “need” it!
Want a good before and after? I love this video by HotAndFlashy, and I think her results are excellent.
I’d heard about derma-rolling for years, but only started to get into it after watching Whitney Cummings’ Instagram Stories. (Have you seen her skin without make-up? Unreal!)
Derma rollers are made up of tiny needles which create micro-punctures in your skin, thereby stimulating collagen and elastin production. Trust me, you want that! If you have a stubborn area where you keep breaking out, please, try derma-rolling. It’s WILD how effective it is at healing your skin!
Once I’m done derma-rolling, I spray the roller with alcohol to clean it, then pile on my skincare and serums. Right now, I use Differin (this keeps your skin so unbelievably clear!), Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Recovery Complex, and Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+. I’ve been using those Estee Lauder products for years and cannot go without! After I’ve done all of this, I go to sleep feeling like a saint: there’s something about a multi-step skincare routine that makes me feel like I am really taking care of myself.
This is the exact order I do things in: cleanse, rose quartz roller, NuFACE, oil cleanse, derma-roller, serums. It takes me probably 10 to 15 minutes, and I find it really relaxing. Especially after I then drift off to sleep on a clean pillowcase!
The link above is the very same derma-roller I use, and I love it.
My garden is practically my second home right now, and — don’t shoot me — I had been skimping on the SPF recently. (I know!!! So naughty!) This product is so wild: a mattifying moisturizer with SPF 45 that doesn’t pill on my face and provides the best base ever for make-up! #obsessed! By using this, I’m protecting my skin and I get to skip using a primer. If you’re also prone to ye olde shiny face, this is your new holy grail product. Get into it, honey!
CUTTING MY HAIR
Everyone advises against this but I’m a loner, Dottie, a rebel… So I decided to go for it. The ends of my hair had been box black (eek) and then bleached twice (yowzers) and then dyed, and they were so damaged that I decided it was time for them to go.
I washed my hair, parted it in the middle, and cut it while wet with some very sharp haircutting scissors. I picked a length, cut across, and then cut into it upwards, then cut into it downwards to stop it looking so blunt. Is it the most beautiful technical haircut? Fuck no! But it felt SO GOOD to shed all that weight, and all that history. Those ends had been hangin’ around since I lived in New York, and it was a tremendous moment to throw it all in the trash.
This is just phase one. Phase two involves a professional. As soon as the lockdown is over, I have an appointment at my new hairdresser ready to go! We already did a consult over Instagram! I’m so ready!
AND I’M DOING ALL MY OTHER USUAL THINGS…
Like taking lavender Epsom salt baths, working out regularly, using lavender essential oil in a diffuser in my bedroom, taking my supplements, and getting plenty of sleep.
Some places where I could definitely step my routine up are: less coffee and more water, more stretching, and less sugar… But it’s all a work in progress!
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW:
My new podcast series, Hologram Heart — a companion to my new book, coming out oh so soon! — is now available for your listening pleasure on Spotify. I take questions from Instagram, and deliver a sexy sermon on how we can shift our thinking, move into receiving love, and open up to new blessings. It’s hot.
Tomorrow (Sunday) is the LAST day of our Blogcademy Online sale. It’s your ultimate guide to doing business online, and baby, the time for that is now. The price has been slashed — like, really slashed! — from $497 to $49! No, that is not a typo! Just use the code OMFG at checkout.
I love you!
