Hey everyone! Though quarantine and lockdown are over for us in Texas, I wanted to share a recap of how I pared things down out of both necessity and having no choice during that time. Three things that stopped for me during lockdown: getting my nails done (I do the dipping powder), spray tanning, and cutting my hair.
Let me start by saying that this was the most pale I’d been since high school. I am a religious spray tanner, and orange is my usual color. I won’t lie; I was a little uncomfortable thinking about seeing my see-though white legs for several months with no way to spray them thoroughly. I do have a great at-home tanner that I love, called Opalens. That became my go-to so I had some nice color for on-camera at work . Opalens is natural and uses CBD and plant-based ingredients, so I’m a fan.
I tried a few ways to keep my nails looking good, including gluing on Kiss Kiss nails that I bought from Target. The first pair I bought stayed on two weeks, though they broke a few times and had to be filed down repeatedly. By the second round were put on, they only lasted a few days before they began to crack and pop off. I eventually gave up and have left my nails in their natural, flimsy state. I hope to get them done this week!
I discovered a few natural products during quarantine that I wanted to share in case you’re looking for cleaner, healthier products that are worth spending your money on:
- Azalea Hand Aid and Sniffles Allergy Relief Balm. These products focus on serving sensitive skin, allergies, and busy schedules. They are non-toxic/natural, and a little goes a long way. If you’ve been washing your hands like crazy to avoid spreading germs during this time of Covid-19, the Hand Aid ($24) is awesome at keeping hands soft. Mine get dry and cracked almost immediately after washing, especially because our town has hard water. This product isn’t greasy, which is a major bonus! The Sniffles Allergy Relief Balm ($10) just goes around or slightly inside your nostrils and smells lovely! During allergy season, this is such a blessing…not as many sniffles, irritated skin around the nose, or hayfever symptoms. This is a really cool holistic product and it will last you a long time!
- Bio Vègane Skinfood. These products are all about bringing superfoods into your skincare, so they are vegan and never animal tested. This is a moisturizer that counteracts skin stressors, like environmental factors (pollution and smog, anyone?) and contains hemp seed oil to balance out the loss of moisture in your skin. Big fan!
- Fog & Tree Cannabis Beard Conditioner. Okay, this one clearly isn’t for me, but I got this for my husband recently and he loves it! It smells so yummy…you’ll want to snuggle up to your man’s beard 24/7. It softens facial hair so you aren’t dealing with constant beard burn, and it is also all-natural, infused with plant-based ingredients and Hemp Essential Oils. This makes a great gift for your man for $24.99!
- Smarty Pits. I’m always on the hunt for newer, better natural deodorants, because I’m terrified of the aluminum in traditional deodorant. Smarty Pits offers both baking soda and baking soda free versions, in case you have an allergy to baking soda. For $12.99 you can get one in sustainable packaging, or in regular packaging for $11.99. I have been using the Grapefruit Cardamom, but all the scents sound lovely…like Ginger Lime and Lavender Bergamot. This is strictly a deodorant, so you WILL still sweat. But you won’t stink! If you haven’t tried this one out, I recommend it. So far, I’ve really liked it.
All these products were going to be showcased at the Indie Beauty Expo in Dallas this month, but it was cancelled due to Covid and moved to May 2021. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for next year. With lockdown behind us, here’s to a natural, fun summer ahead!
Photography: S. Jackson
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