Why It’s Totally Fine to Wear Makeup During a Pandemic...As we’re all adjusting to a terrifying new world indoors and isolated from others, thinking about one’s appearance can feel trivial, selfish even.

.They surf in the bubble of confinement, social distances make up their mouths with lipstick talk...You're the only one who can make your lips blush...Lipstick sales have seen an uptick during economic slowdowns, and history is proof. But, will this theory hold true post Covid-19? Or will eye makeup take over, given face masks would be the new normal hereafter.

A trend no one could have predicted, the question is, will masks continue to be a fashion staple and stand the test of time post-outbreak? That’s anyone’s guess. For now, I’m off to get my hands on a Resting Risk Face personalised mask – the best and most comical option to date IMO.

Stylist Isha Bhansali feels there will definitely be more focus on eye makeup. “The lips can adopt a nude, blush palette. Digital appearances will be the need of the hour, for which you don’t need masks. You can’t totally rule out lip makeup,”she says.

Beauty expert and influencer Jason Arland believes people are going to spend more on skincare and beauty post Covid-19. “The growing rise of makeup tutorials during the lockdown has pushed many people to buy beauty products online. And it will only increase post the pandemic as people would want to take care of their skin,” he adds.

Designer Anvita Sharma opines, “The lipstick theory will come true, and both men and women will spend more on makeup. Eye makeup will surely gain more prominence as everyone will be covering their face with masks in the post-pandemic era.”

Leah Chernikoff is the former head of content at Glossier, Inc., and the former digital director of ELLE Magazine.
I was at my book club two weeks ago—via Zoom, of course—where the featured guest was none other than internet-beloved cookbook author Alison Roman. Members asked her about pantry stocking, recipe substitutions and using fewer dishes, but finally, someone brought up what we were all thinking: What’s that lipstick you have on?

I looked at Roman’s Brady Bunch square on the screen. It was brightly lit, and she looked great with her hair neatly parted down the middle in a low bun and a swipe of red lipstick. (It was Maybelline’s Baby Lips in Crystal, she divulged.) I stared at my own square. It was poorly lit, and I hadn’t put on makeup in weeks. It hadn’t even occurred to me. As my pallid face stared back at me, I cringed a little: Why hadn’t it?

Sure, part of it is pandemic-related anxiety and figuring out how to work and take care of my 2-year-old at the same time. Plus, I’ve never been someone who wears a lot of makeup or partakes in a multi-step skincare routine. But after more than a decade working in fashion and beauty, I understand the power of putting on a little mascara and lipstick. I had just chosen not to.

As we’re all adjusting to a terrifying new world indoors and isolated from others, thinking about one’s appearance can feel trivial, selfish even. Who cares about makeup at a time like this? Don’t we have much more important things to worry about?

“Not wearing makeup is less about saying, ‘F-ck it’ and more about redirecting time and resources to focus on the things that matter,” says Julia Cheiffetz, a publisher at Simon & Schuster in New York. “Makeup does not matter.” There’s something subversive about going barefaced too, says novelist and fashion marketer Lauren Mechling. “It’s one of the few pleasures of this godawful moment, my bra burning if you will.”
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Still, those who have stuck to their pre-pandemic makeup and skincare routines aren’t necessarily acting out of vanity. They may just be trying to feel sane. According to Dr. Stewart Shankman, chief of psychology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, establishing and maintaining routines that boost one’s mood can be beneficial.

“This COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time of uncertainty and uncontrollability. So people putting makeup on will give them a sense of control given what’s going on outside is uncontrollable,” he explains. “What people are doing when they’re putting on makeup or getting dressed is they’re doing something to improve their mood, and we know from research studies and interventions that when people can control their mood, it helps their sense of well-being.”

Samari Blair, a first-year medical student at University of Florida in Gainesville, had been feeling a little down after days of quarantine, online classes and staying in her pajamas. So on a recent Sunday afternoon she decided to do her hair and makeup and put on “normal-people clothes.” She took a few selfies and posted them on Twitter. “Getting dressed and putting on makeup just made me feel a lot better,” says Blair. “It made me more confident. People always say, ‘If you look good, you do good.’”

It’s hard to untangle the way we view ourselves with and without makeup from society’s longstanding expectation that women and femme people be “presentable.” A 2011 study commissioned by Procter & Gamble (which at the time owned beauty brands like Max Factor and CoverGirl) but authored by clinical psychologists at Harvard, Boston University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute asked participants to evaluate 25 women in various states of being made up: natural, professional and glamorous. When the women were wearing either the professional or glamorous makeup looks, they were perceived to be more competent. But a 2017 study found that female college students who applied makeup before taking a simulated exam actually did better than those who didn’t. “Makeup can definitely boost confidence and mood,” says Rocco Palumbo, an assistant professor of psychology at the University G. d’Annunzio in Chieti, Italy, who was the lead researcher. “Our research shows that participants were able to improve their confidence and, therefore, improve their performance.” He adds the caveat that makeup is just one of many factors that can improve self-esteem and that individuals who don’t usually wear makeup may not see the same results.

For people with jobs that typically require businesswear for in-person meetings, video calls can come with the same set of unstated expectations. Kara Lowery, a D.C.-based lawyer, still puts on a full face of makeup, including a bright lipstick, and a nice top. “I try to make it so that I don’t look so drab,” she says, adding that on days when she’s feeling especially down and anxious she makes an extra effort with her makeup “to bring a sense of happiness” and feel better about herself.

Still, several women told me they saw an opportunity to Marie Kondo their beauty and skincare routine and consider which parts spark joy and which parts they felt constrained into doing.

“Finding out whether you’re doing these things because you want to or if you do it for other people, this is a good time to test that,” says Seattle-based writer and speaker Ijeoma Oluo. “I got ready to shave my legs and was like, ‘Uh I don’t want to.’ So then I didn’t.” Oluo, who hosts weekly Facebook Live makeup tutorials, says makeup also has allowed her to connect with people. “It’s reminding me that I’m still here,” she says. “That I can still do things I enjoy.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte Lescroart, who works for an educational-software platform in Santa Barbara, Calif., has abandoned the makeup she would normally wear to meet with clients but upgraded her skincare routine, which previously consisted of splashing water on her face. Now she cleanses with a Clarisonic she “dug out from college” and a cleanser from an upscale brand, followed by a serum and a moisturizer. “It makes me feel like I’m creating a routine for myself,” she says. “The confidence I used to get from interacting with people, now I get that from feeling confident about my skin.”

With news of the coronvirus’ impact on the economy, travel and, of course, health, it’s hard to imagine the deadly virus having fostered the start of a new fashion trend – but, that it seemingly has.

As we speak, the fashion industry, like many others, is taking a considerable hit due to the outbreak. Fashion shows in Asia and Europe are being affected, with Chinese visitors down across the board, and events, such as Seoul fashion week, Georgio Armani’s Milan show, and Beijing fashion week either being cancelled or postponed. And with Chinese spend having accounted for a third of luxury global market sales in 2018, according to Bain & Company, the fall in attendance at the key events will undoubtedly have even further implications for the fashion world in the next few months.

However, while the doom and gloom of the virus seeps into industries across the board, impacting the economy at a devastating rate, there are a couple of winners at least, with hand sanitizer sales skyrocketing since the outbreak, and Alibaba having reported a surge in spend on cosmetics, including a 150 percent increase on eyeshadow palettes, with lipstick sales up sevenfold for some brands, according to Reuters. Why? Quarantining and extra spare time due to ongoing closure of public events is seemingly giving rise to at-home make-up trials.

However, the most surprising upshot of the global epidemic is that face masks, in all shapes, sizes, colors and flamboyancy, have seemingly broken the internet.

With the epidemic showing no signs of abating, surgical face masks are selling like hot cakes across the globe, with consumers falling over themselves to help prevent the spread of the virus, despite their effectiveness being called into question. And while some down sides to the new trend are emerging, with some consumers reportedly feeling no need to apply make-up when covered by a mask, according to Lifestyle Inquirer, which could in turn have repercussions for cosmetics sales, it seems this is definitely the exception, not the rule. In fact, such is the lure of these masks, that the world of fashion and fame is taking notice – with options of all shapes, sizes and styles being the must-have item of the season.

Indeed, the celebs are already embracing the trend, whether it’s virus-related or not; Cardi B donned an elaborate bejewelled mask to her husband Offset’s fashion show in January while Billie Eilish stepped out in a stylish Gucci option at this year’s Grammy Awards. Likewise, the few fash-pack members that did brave public events to watch the shows were also upping the ante in terms of style, with designer masks the new accessory to coordinate with the latest on-trend ensembles. And the masks have even made it onto the catwalk itself – Marine Serre showcased a slew of face cover-up designs at her Fall 2020 ready-to-wear collection show, although she can’t give the coronavirus credit for this inspired range, with the items billed as ‘anti-pollution’ masks and designed pre COVID-19 outbreak.

There is no right answer when it comes to how to approach beauty in these fraught times. If it doesn’t feel right for you right now, that’s fine. But if it does? There is no reason to feel ashamed. “I wouldn’t say dressing nice or putting on makeup is frivolous,” says Dr. Shankman. “There’s nothing disrespectful about it. It’s a coping strategy for people to feel a sense of normalcy.”

The day after that virtual book club, I decided to put on a little mascara and a lip tint. It wasn’t Alison Roman’s bold red lip, but it was something. In less than a minute, I felt a little less like I was living through one unending mushy day and a little more like myself.

Thousands Flock Online to Pretend They're Back In An Office Together

time.com/5816846/coronavirus-makeup/

Taken on: November 4, 2021

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