I’ll start off by saying explicitly that you shouldn’t in anyway feel the need to have any kind of post lockdown glow up in the slightest and in many ways, one good thing to come out of lockdown has been that I’ve become much more comfortable in my own skin (haha) going out without make up on, working with no make up and generally sitting around in leggings for a vast majority of the time.
Since pubs started opening up in the middle of April it’s meant some more social events and off the back of that, much as I have embraced the more laid back look in lockdown, I think there’s an intrinsic fundamental joy about getting ready to go to the pub; planning your outfit, getting ready with music blasting, getting your hair done etc etc. And that’s something I’ve definitely missed.
First things first was my hair and brows, which definitely needed an overhaul. My hair hadn’t been coloured since early December where I went copper for a hot minute, but since it was only a toner that only lasted about a fortnight at best and since we’ve had no natural sunshine in about 35 years, my hair had gone a nasty yellow colour. Cue some much needed highlights and 3 hours in the salon chair and I’m back to the baby blonde I was when I was little and I absolutely love it. Perfect for the summer and the weather hopefully, finally picking up again.
Also who doesn’t love a good before and after brow picture? I never realise how much I need them doing until after I have them done, and it’s true what they say, having your brows done is like a mini face lift…
I was in desperate need of some new make up. Since I haven’t worn foundation in any real seriousness for almost over a year now, I was pretty certain that whatever shade I used to wear probably wouldn’t be the right shade for me anymore. So I did a colour match test and took the plunge on something with a little more coerage than I usually wear. It’s going to be at least another year since I’m wearing make up on a daily basis again so when I do, I wanted th contrast to be a more stark.
The cherry on the glow up cake though was undoubtedly, finally, at the ripe old age of 38, teaching myself how to apply false eyelashes. They’re something I’ve dabbled with here and and there in the past but I’ve aways asked Dave to put them on for me. I ordered some from online store Look to Lash and bought some lash tweezers too which helped massively them applying them. They have loads of different styles so plenty to choose from whether you want really thick, full ones or more natural ones (which is what I go for since I don’t wear them very often).
And that was me in the the pub with Dave last Saturday. Like, still me, but me on a good day, me on Berocca if you will
I also wanted to shout out some of the products that I’ve discovered during lockdown which have helped my hair and skin no end and will hopefully help maintain some semblance of not looking like a swamp creature anymore going forward:
Hair
There’s been some buzz about L’Oreal 8 second wonder water and since it’s been half price in Boots for weeks I decided to give it a try. As someone who also invested in some Olaplex just after Christmas to help the winter frizz, I can honestly say I think this wonder water is actually better. You put it on wet hair in the shower inbetween shampoo and conditioner, massage in for 8 seconds and rinse out. My hair, particualrly the ends, definitely felt better smoother and looked more glossy after using.
Along side this I wals bought L’Oreals dream lengths no hair cut leave in conditioner. I try to only wash my hair a couple of times a week so use this after every time I wash it and it works well with the miracle water. It smells amazing and definitely smoothes down the flyaways that us blondes seems to suffer from so often
Skin
It’s a Soap & Glory trifecta for me in term of getting ready for day on video calls. I’ve loved the brand for years and am really excited that they’ve recently expanded their skin care range and are now doing hair products too
Pixi glow tonic dupes have been around for years, and whereas I’ve never used the original or any of the more popular dupes, I have been using Soap and Glory In the Glow How tonic in the morning to woken my skin up. Follow that with their Puffy Eye Attack to try and hide the fact I don’t get enough sleep or drink enough water. I have a particualrly puffy bit in the right hand corner of my right eye and using this significantly reduces that; in fact you can almost see it go down after you dab it in.
Lastly from the Soap and Glory stable is something of theirs I’ve used for nearly 10 years now; Glow Job tinted moisturuser which had little microbeads of tan in a rich day cream which gives you a nice colour without looking like you’ve slapped on loads of fake tan (and it washes off completely at the end of the day)
All this is finished off with my holy grail and primers; Stila One step colour corrector to take off any shine and even out my skin tone.
After so long of not being able to get dressed up to go anywhere fun, so many cancelled holidays or nights out or birthdays, it feels nice to have things worth getting dressed up for again, even if that is sitting in a cold beer garden for a couple of hours!
Have you made any changes since things started opening up again? Have you drastically changed your hair colour out of sheer boredom, or are you rocking the more natural look these days?
