It’s that time of year again; fresh new pencils, new binders, and new school clothes. Except this year looks a little different. On top of the new school supplies kids need before they head off to school they will not need a mask, to be worn all day, or instead of new clothes, they will need new pajamas because they will be doing school online. Whatever back to school looks like for you here's some tips to help make sure your face is Zoom or in-person ready. 

If you find that wearing a mask all day is giving you maskne (a break out known to be caused by wearing a mask) here are a few tips to help with that too:

Create a Routine

 It’s going to be difficult to create a routine when you’re at home all the time. It’s important to not only have a skincare routine but to continue to do it every day. A simple routine that is easy to stick to is: 

1. Cleanse or even Double Cleanse. This will ensure that your pores are cleared out. When we wear masks the dead skin from our face sits there all day. Double cleansing ensures that it is all gone. If you need any tips here’s the perfect video to show you how. Just click HERE 

2. Moisturize at night and in the morning Just because you’re breaking out doesn't mean you should skip this step! Moisturizing is super important. I have acne-prone skin and when I was younger I thought I could just skip moisturizing my skin because my face had enough oil. I was very wrong. Oftentimes, our skin will produce more oils to make up for the lack of moisture. So make sure TWICE a day you are applying a daily moisturizer. 

3. Protect  Add active ingredients such as Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, and Niacinamide are known to help fight acne. Make sure to use SPF as well! 

Disinfect your mask and make sure you are wearing a clean one every day

• Throughout the day our face produces sweats and oils. While wearing a mask for 8 hours plus, that oil, sweat, and dead skin just sit on our faces and in our masks. So to prevent it, make sure that every day you are wearing a clean disinfected mask. It helps to have a mask for every day of the week and then throw all your reusable masks in the washer on the weekends. Or have two or three masks to route throughout the week. 

• It is also important to consider what type of mask you are wearing as well. Dermatologists like our friend Dr. Geria, Click Here to out more about him, recommend a 100% cotton mask. They are breathable and will allow your skin to breathe too. There are so many super cute options that will match every outfit you have. Click Here to see all these amazing masks bundles (3 for $12) that’s a steal!

  • Pro-tip: Spray your CLEAN mask with Salicylic acid to help fight acne all day long. This option from Paula's Choice is 2% Salicylic Acid and is selling like crazy. 

Find a cleanser that works best for you 

• Above all, it is important to find a cleanser that you love! Your skin is personal for you so make sure you find a product that checks all your boxes of a must-have cleanser. 

• The best facial cleansers will include ingredients like; retinol, salicylic acid, Vitamin C, ceramides, glycerin, and psychical or chemical exfoliators. 

• For acne-prone skin or oily skin look for cleansers with salicylic acid or retinol

  • Retinol is supposed to increase your skin’s turn over, which means it is getting rid of dead skin cells at a quicker rate. It can help with evening out skin complexion, breakouts, and fine lines. BUT, make sure to wear SPF with this product and use it at night. 

  • Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliator. It helps with cleaning out your pores of all bacteria and dead skin cells. It is recommended to use a cleanser that contains 2%. But if you have sensitive or dry skin make sure to use salicylic acid sparingly. 

• For dry skin look for cleansers with ceramides and glycerin

  • Ceramides are already present on our skin. They help create a barrier to protect us from the environment. By adding more ceramides, our skin is able to retain more moisture which in turn protects us even more

  • Glycerin is a humectant which means it has the ability to attract water. Glycerin uses this ability to attract water from a deeper layer of the skin that is not exposed to evaporation and use that to hydrate the surface level of the skin. 

Use a green color corrector and BB Cream to cover any redness 

By using a green color corrector, it will cancel out any redness on your face. Next, apply a lightweight foundation such as  BB Cream. This will not clog your pores but it will still give you an even complexion while on those zooms calls. Regardless of if you’re in person or not, you will still want to get the most amount of sleep. To simplify your make-up routine; Make sure to do your skincare routine every morning then color correct, foundation, conceal, eyebrows, mascara, and blush. These few beauty products can make you look more awake and have you looking your best on Zoom or in person. 

Add eye cream to your routine to combat dark under-eye circles from lack of sleep

Now more than ever eyes really are doing all the talking. Smizing has never been used so much. It’s important to care for them. Using an eye cream in your deal routine can transform your eyes to appear more awake. Read Article: Tips to Get Rid of Under Eye Circles Now for more tips.