Several exhausting months of quarantine have caused those of us who care about our appearance to rethink habits we have developed over the years. Experts and statistics agree: bright makeup, provocative manicures, and flashy looks have taken a back seat; instead of decorating our faces, many of us have begun to prioritize their care, choosing natural beauty over artificial enhancements. How else has quarantine affected our relationship with ourselves, and will these new habits stay with us for a long time?
“War is war, but beauty is beauty,” says Svetlana, putting on a medical mask. In her heavy bag is an impressive array of ammunition of various calibers, the purpose of which is unclear at first glance. But she is not going to war. Svetlana is a master manicurist. In the almost ten years she has lived in London, she has never seen such a surge in business as in the last few months. For many, the coronavirus epidemic has become a time of economic upheaval, forced idleness, loss of self-confidence and uncertainty about the future. But Svetlana has no reason to complain: despite the closure of her salon, she continued to work diligently throughout the quarantine period. From morning to night, she rushes to the homes of her many clients, with appointments scheduled several weeks in advance. “Only Russians want us. Our girls still try to look beautiful. Many English girls write to me, but they are waiting for the salon to open and everything to be according to the rules,” Svetlana shrugs. Judging by their busy schedules, many Russian girls do not deny themselves underground manicures even during the pandemic. But several months of staying home, closed restaurants, canceled parties, and even the impossibility of going out on a date have noticeably changed many people’s attitude toward self-care. But how exactly?
“It is now almost impossible to present a glamorous image of beauties with tons of makeup on their faces,” – said Alexia Inge, founder of the online cosmetics sales platform Cult Beauty, to Harpers Bazaar. Bright makeup and provocative manicures are no longer in demand among girls who stay at home, and many have begun to pay more attention to skin care, body care, and overall health. Instead of artificial beauty, naturalness comes into play, however reluctantly.
Quarantine is a great time to take a break from artificial hair and eyelashes, Kylie Jenner urged her followers. “Imagine, for the first time I go out with my real hair,” – surprised the subscribers of her “Instagram” American celebrity and founder of the brand Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Jenner. “This is a great time to forget about artificial hair, remove nail extensions, and be without false eyelashes,” 22-year-old Kylie told her tens of millions of followers. And it cannot be said that their call fell on deaf ears. The introduction of a widespread quarantine has undermined many sectors of the economy. The perfume and cosmetics industry seems to have been one of the hardest hit. In the UK, during one week in late March, sales at major personal care retailers such as Boots and Superdrug plunged by two-thirds, and sales of color cosmetics were no exception, according to McKinsey research. This is due to the overwhelming desire to see the product in person and try it on before making a purchase. It has become such a habit that, despite the boom in online shopping, almost 90% of all makeup in the UK was bought in traditional stores before the epidemic. Now, however, 82% of Brits surveyed say they will not dare try cosmetics in stores for a long time for fear of getting infected. “Our habits of choosing and purchasing personal care products will change radically even after the coronavirus pandemic, according to the NPD Group study. While many people used to go to the shops just to look around, four out of five Brits now say they go to a shop only when they know exactly what they want to buy. At the same time, 43% of respondents prefer to buy cosmetics online.
During the quarantine, many people began to pay more attention to skin care, body care, and generally became more conscientious about their health. But the cynicism about cosmetic novelty has less to do with the inability to touch and try on a new mascara or blush. It is important to take into account the new realities in which we live and work, say psychologists. “Office culture forces us to look the part. On the way to work, we meet different people, we want to look good and be liked – now we don’t have that anymore,” says psychologist Susanne Babel. “Now there is a tendency to change identity – habits and ways of life that are ingrained in us,” Susan continues. “This shift is characterized by a shift in focus from how we look to what and how we speak, write, and communicate with the world around us. We are now under much more pressure to accept and love ourselves for who we are. To look at ourselves from the inside out. The quarantine deprived many regular customers of nail salons, spas, and beauty treatments of their usual pleasures. But they did not stop taking care of themselves. “Nobody needs to wear makeup anymore, so I don’t, but I’ve started toning my muscles and practicing facial yoga,” says Olga, a model living in London. “I’ve delved deeper into the structure of the skin on my face to find out what works and what I lack. I’ve experimented with clays and masks.”
While in quarantine, model Olga studied face yoga and experimented with clay and masks to understand what she was missing. Many, like Olga, have started learning to do their own gel manicures, haircuts, and facial cleansing. Such self-activity has gained such momentum that experts are talking about a whole trend called DIY beauty care (“take care of your beauty yourself”). Hair dye orders in the U.S. rose by a quarter in April compared to the same period last year. Sales of nail polish on Amazon tripled during the two busiest months of March and April, while sales of body and bath products increased 65%. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of offers should remain: Episodes The End of the Podcast Advertising Story “Daily rituals, such as taking a bath, will become routine again. With limited opportunities to travel and relax, they will become an ideal option for those who currently lack this ‘affordable luxury,'” says Claire Varga, the company’s beauty trend forecaster. Claire believes that under the influence of the coronavirus pandemic, people will pay more attention to their health than to their appearance. The lifting of the quarantine undoubtedly brought a sigh of relief to many, and as soon as the opening of the beauty salons and barbershops was announced, long queues of people with overgrown, self-cut and not very well-groomed hair immediately formed. As the owner of a hair salon told me, her first task after reopening is to work with clients to correct any mistakes. But those who have learned to take care of themselves at home will continue to do so, experts say. This has to do with hygiene issues and concerns about infection. This is especially true for procedures such as facial cleansing, where a nurse with a mask literally hangs over your nose, disregarding all rules of social distance. However, there are a number of people whose habits have been virtually unaffected by the coronavirus quarantine. “I am a perfectionist when it comes to my appearance. And even though I spent so much time alone, I looked great,” says model and Instagram celebrity Nita Kuzmina. “I didn’t deprive myself of my usual care and enjoyed massages, peels, facials, and laser hair removal.” During the quarantine period, Nita reduced the amount of makeup and dressing up she did, but she didn’t have to stop the procedures. “Licensed clinics were operating, and nail and hair experts came to my house to beautify me with joy,” she adds.
“Even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Russia, Nita did not deprive herself of the pleasure of taking care of her appearance.” Model and owner of the BJ Models agency, Yulia Boguk, says that her desire to look good is inherent in her nature: “I have to appeal to my husband and child, it has become a habit.” Yulia notes that during the quarantine, she decided to give up long manicures, but going to the salon is an important part of her life, both during and after the pandemic. “I will go to the beauty salon within a week of being home, despite the coronavirus. When you are at home with a child, you never have a few hours to yourself. Going to the beauty salon is a break. I come in, lie on the couch, and I have a chance to distract myself and be alone with myself,” she explains. Despite the raging pandemic that forced many people to stay at home, clients of Minsk cosmetologist Natalia Rudak do not want to miss any scheduled procedures. “There are no new clients, but there are no fewer either. Those who come to me regularly came this time and got vaccinated,” Natalya said. At the same time, she notices the same trend as Western beauty experts: women have started to show more desire to look natural.
People who have learned to take care of themselves at home will continue to do so, experts say. This is especially true when it comes to facial cleansing. “There is a current trend in cosmetology for natural, invisible corrections. Professional beauticians make clients aesthetically beautiful without ‘overdoing it’,” says Natalia. According to Julia Schekleina, the owner of the prestigious MED YU MED clinic in Moscow, despite a decline in early April, the clinic reached pre-epidemic levels in terms of the number of orders in May. “During the acute period of the coronavirus, procedures requiring long rehabilitation were particularly popular – girls could afford to spend the necessary recovery time comfortably at home,” Julia notes. “Now the priorities have changed – more emphasis is placed on plastic surgery for contours, lips, and cheeks.” Can we say that the pandemic has put an end to artificial beauty? “No way,” she replies confidently. “No matter what happens in the country and in the world, girls will still find ways to look good,” says Julia. “Until there was an opportunity to go to the hairdresser or get manicures, the girls did it at home, but as soon as the quarantine is lifted, the number of orders will return to its previous level.”
Photographer Maria Ionova-Gribina portrays Russians experiencing the pandemic in different parts of the world – from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Barcelona and Peru.
