essential

Oct

2020

How to Take Care of Your Skin While Wearing Mask

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Masks are now part of our everyday lives. It is a fashion essential in the new normal because it protects ourselves and other people from COVID-19. Masks reduces the risk of exposure to an infected person and at the same time prevents transmission, if worn by an infected person. Unfortunately, wearing masks is very uncomfortable because it creates an occlusive on the airflow making it difficult to breathe. It also traps moisture in the enclosed space causing skin irritation. In addition, bacterias thrive on sticky and humid environments casing acnes and breakouts. So, how to take care of your skin while wearing mask?

1. Select the Material of the Mask

The material of the mask is important. Choose a material that will protect you from the virus and at the same time, protect your skin too.

Not all masks are created equal, according to a research done by University of Arizona. The researchers tested a variety of mask materials during a 20-minute and 30-seconds exposure to the virus. They found out that the level of risks varies depending on the kind of mask used:

Materials	Efficiency
N99	most efficient at 94% to 99%
N95	94% to 99%
Vacuum Cleaner Filters (inserted in filter pockets in cloth masks)	58% to 83%
Cotton-blend fabrics and antimicrobial pillowcases	24% to 44%
Scarves made of nylon, polyester or silk	24% to 44%

Reserve the N99 and N95 masks to healthcare workers. For the rest of us, opt for soft and natural fabrics. Dermatologists suggest a 100% cotton because it allows the skin to breathe. Avoid synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester and rayon. They can cause skin irritation.

2. Fit Matters

To allow your skin to breathe, make sure the mask fits your face perfectly. Masks should be snuggly. It should be comfortable. It should not be too loose nor constricting.

3. Clean and Moisturize Your Face Daily

Learn to adapt to the basic skin care routine. Just wash your face gently with a mild fragrance-free soap before putting on your mask and before going to sleep. The moisturizer will reduce dryness. No need to put on too many beauty products. Other beauty products such as those peels, exfoliants, acids and retinol can only cause more skin irritation. If you need to treat spot or a break-out, then just put medication on the specific spot not on the whole face.

4. Don’t Wear Make-up

Your face is going to be covered anyway so there is no point in wearing make-up. Make-up can only clog your pores and can cause break-outs. If you really need to wear make-up, wear non-comedogenic products or products that won’t clog or block the pores of your skin. You can also use an oil-free make-up primer or a sunblock instead to reduce the friction between the mask and the face.

5. Take a Break From Wearing the Mask

Every now and then, take a break from wearing the mask so you and your skin can breathe properly. But remember before you remove it, make sure you go to a place where it is safe to do so; when you are away from the crowd or inside your car for example.

6. Make sure Mask is Clean

Masks should be treated like underwear. Wash them after using them once. Change them right away after sweating or exercising. Masks should always be clean. Wash them with a mild fragrance-free detergent and dry them. If you are using disposable masks, dispose them after one use. Do not recycle.

7. Refrain from Touching Your Face and Mask

As a precaution, refrain from touching your face and mask. It is a way to not only protect your skin but yourself as well from the virus for your hands might be dirty or contaminated.

8. Put Lip Balm

Trapped heat and humidity inside the masks can cause dryness. Just like the skin, it can also cause irritation to the lips. It is difficult to keep on drinking water just to keep the lips moisturize. Thus, it is better to apply lip balm to avoid dry or chapped lips.

Even if it is covered, it is still important to take care of your face. Keep in clean, clear and glowing so that when the time comes when there is no longer a need to cover our faces with a mask, you are ready to show a nice, healthy looking skin to the world.

Beautiful skin requires commitment not a miracle.
– Erno Lazlo

Feature Image by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Sep

2020

Coping with Financial Stress

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Are you overwhelmed with financial worries? Don’t dwell in that negative emotion. Instead, take a deep breath and apply these guidelines on coping with financial stress. When you follow these guidelines, you should feel less stressed and have a better perspective on how to deal with your financial situation.

1. Talk Things Through

Talk to the family about your financial worries. This is an opportunity to air out all your worries and brainstorm solutions. If you live alone, talk to a friend to get some advise or at least to receive emotional support.

Putting your worries out in the open can help you ease the mental and emotional burden. The emotional support you get from your family members and friends can also help you gain more confidence in facing your circumstances and changing it. More importantly, you gain a different perspective about the situation which will help you gain more clarity in coping with your financial stress.

2. Track Your Finances

Now that you have gained some different perspectives from other people regarding your financial worries, the next step is to crunch some numbers. Take pen and paper and take inventory of your finances.

Keep track of all your spending. Write down your basic expenses and identify what expenses you can eliminate. Try to track your daily spending as well so you can better identify your spending patterns and triggers. This way, you are more aware of how to avoid your temptations so you eliminate impulse spending.

List all your debts. From the biggest to the smallest, try to identify everyone that owe money to and how much. This should strengthen your motivation to keep your spending to the basic minimum as you are coping with financial stress.

Identify your sources of income. Now that you have a clearer perspective of your spending habits and what you truly need to spend on, it’s time to count what money you will actually have. List your sources of income and how much you earn from each. If some do not have a fixed amount, then write down your minimum expected amount. Finally, add up everything and compare your total income with your total basic expenses.

3. Plan Your Budget

Whether your income is bigger than your spending total or the other way around, setting financial goals is important. You need to make a plan for where your money will go so you can start changing your situation.

Make a budget based on your basic living expenses. Use the money jar budget system as a guide but customize the names and amounts according to your requirements. Food in your budget is one of the easiest item to lessen spending on. Make sure you stick to your budget so you can get closer to your goal of being in a better place financially.

Increase your income. Your next plan is to identify opportunities on how you can raise your income. Maybe you can increase your earnings from a current source of income or maybe you have another skill or talent from which you can earn additional income.

Keep monitoring your finances. Don’t let your planning go to waste by forgetting it some days. Be consistent in tracking your spending and making sure that you stay within budget. At the same time, work hard to increase your income and keep adjusting your budget as your income increases. Don’t increase your spending and prioritize savings and paying off debts first.

4. Stay Positive

Finally, keep a positive attitude as you make small progress daily. As long as you are consistent in making small changes, you will definitely achieve your long-term goal of getting to a place where you are financially comfortable.

To help you cope with your finances better, try to improve your financial literacy. Understanding how money works in business will also help you tweak your own personal financial strategies and goals. Read books that inspire you to take care of your finances better and to keep working on your dreams.

In the meantime, don’t beat yourself up if you make mistakes. Just do the right thing the next day. Try to do fun things that don’t cost much or cost none at all so you can keep up the positive vibes.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Pixabay from Pexels.

Jul

2020

Fashion Essentials in The New Normal

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how we live our lives in many ways. It has also had a major impact in the way we dress and think. We now put more attention to comfort and safety in the clothes that we wear. What do you wear to an online meeting? What are the fashion essentials that we must consider in the new normal?

The basic fashion essentials have evolved to include items that focus on keeping us safe and healthy as we adapt to the new normal. Check to see if you have these items already. Add them to your wardrobe if you don’t have them yet.

Hand Sanitizer

This is not news but it’s necessary to emphasize this. A hand sanitizer is one of the basic fashion essentials in the new normal. It’s a must-have accessory that needs to be in your pocket or bag or hanging on your keychain at all times.

Some of us already have these in our daily purse or bag. It’s not just useful for keeping your hands clean, but also to keep your work areas clean. These are available in a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. They also come in gel-type, foam-type and as a spray. Make sure to pick one that also has natural ingredients for moisturizing so you don’t end up with dry, cracked hands.

Face Mask

This is now a basic fashion must-have. Not having one on you when you go out could land you in a police station. Fortunately, this pandemic has sparked a lot of creativity in the design of this accessory. There are different colors and styles available to cater to unique personal preferences.

For those who prefer to go minimalist or neutral, there are face masks in cute, pastel colors. Of course, there’s also the go-to black face mask to match almost every style, for those who want the classic look. Go for washable ones that you can use multiple times so you can stay eco-friendly while looking stylish.

Face Shield

For those who want extra protection, there are face shields in designs that will complement your style. Face shields are generally transparent but some parts of it can be styled in different ways.

Just like the face mask, you also have many style choices for the face shield to suit your personal taste. If you don’t want to fuss too much about it, then just go for the basic, transparent one.

Meeting-Ready Top

Even though most of us have become comfortable working from home in our favorite personal outfits, we do need to make the effort to look presentable in our online meetings. Fortunately, most of us already have one, or several of these, as one of the fashion essentials in our wardrobe; it’s still very useful in the new normal.

A button down shirt is a basic fashion must-have that comes in handy for when you need to attend an online meeting. Just make sure it’s well-ironed and fits you comfortably so you look well put-together, especially if your meeting is recorded. It would be great to wear a matching pair for the bottom but if you’re just wearing shorts or your pajamas, just remind yourself to stay in your chair the whole meeting.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Some of us need serious protective gear. This is for medical workers but also for those who need to go back to working in their offices and need to interact with other people. While medical professionals require medical-grade PPEs, the fashion-forward need not worry as there are styles that offer the extra layer of protection without being too inconvenient to wear.

There are wrap-around PPE dresses in various colors and fabrics that you can layer over your regular clothes. If you’re the sporty type, then opt for the 2-piece PPE that combines a top jacket (usually with a hood) and bottom pants (some look like jogging pants) that look like a track suit when worn together. There are also one-piece PPEs that come in different styles and colors. Most of these are made with water-resistant fabric that makes them easy to clean.

Easy Clean Shoes

We now know that the coronavirus can survive on various surfaces for a number of hours and even days. That’s why we need to disinfect ourselves and our clothes before we enter our homes. Footwear is often overlooked as it is not easy to just throw them in the washing machine like our clothes. Thus, jelly shoes have made a comeback as they require no-fuss cleanup.

Jelly shoes are made of plastic materials that are designed to be comfortable to wear and easy to clean with just soap and water. You can wipe them clean with disinfectant wipes for daily use too. They come in various colors and designs to suit your style. Different brands also offer them in different price ranges to suit your budget.

For those who’d rather stay with their favorite shoes, there are also plastic shoe covers that you can wear over your favorite pair of footwear so they don’t get dirty. These come in different styles and are also washable so you can use them multiple times.

These are the basic fashion essentials that you need to consider as you go about your day in the new normal. With these items, you can still express your personal sense of style while keeping yourself protected at all times.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Bára Buri on Unsplash.

May

2020

Must Have Items in a Man’s Wardrobe

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fashion changes. It changes fast. Every season, there is a new trend. It is hard to keep up with trends unless you have the means and the closet space to do so. But style is different. Style is all about you. Style is constant. It does not follow the trend. Style is forever. If women has a list of must have items, there are also must have items in a man’s wardrobe.

If you want to look stylish at all times, there are certain pieces that you must own to help you achieve that classic, timeless and stylish look. It is easy to build any outfit from these essential items.

1. Plain White T-shirt

If you will have only one t-shirt in your wardrobe, it has got to be the classic plain white t-shirt because It never goes out of style. It is timeless and so versatile that you can pair it with anything. In other words, it is so simple yet so stylish.

2. Jeans

Denim jeans are a must have in a man’s wardrobe. However, not all jeans are created equal. You should choose the correct fit, cut and color to achieve that classic stylish look. They will only look good if they fit you perfectly. If you will only have one pair, get the slim in dark blue.

3. Dinner Jacket

A dinner jacket is known as man’s best friend. Also known as a tuxedo jacket, it is a type of jacket worn on formal occasions matched with tuxedo pants. Yet, you can also use them for smart casual events when paired with jeans or even shorts. The most important aspect to consider in buying a dinner jacket is that it should be tailored fit to your body. Get a black or a navy blue jacket.

4. White Button-Up Shirt

Every man should have a white button-up shirt. You can wear it in any dress code. Buy something that has good quality. That way you will not only look cool while you are out with friends, you can also exude confidence while in the boardroom.

5. Black Trousers

Any man should have black trousers in their wardrobe. They are classic and timeless. Black is the colour that is most dependable. It is an integral part for any business look. You can wear them on formal events. You can also wear them on your day-to-day activities.

6. Polo Shirt

If the button-up shirt is too formal and the t-shirt is too casual, then a polo shirt will do the the trick. Choose basic colours like blue, black or white to achieve that simple yet classic look.

7. White Sneakers

A pair of white sneakers is an essential item for your everyday casual look. They literally go well in almost anything. Opt for the minimalist look. Just make sure that they are always clean.

8. Black Oxfords

Oxfords are dress shoes with shoelaces. Although it is a must-have for formal wear, you can also wear them for business and smart casual wear.

9. Wristwatch

A wristwatch is a necessary accessory for men. There are many kinds of watches available out there. Choose something that you can wear with any outfit. Look for something classy and timeless. Invest in a luxury watch if you can because it can also serve as an heirloom piece.

10. Black Dress Belt

Most of the time, your outfit will not feel complete without a belt. Choose a belt that you can wear on a formal event, a job interview or in your everyday casual wear. A black dress belt is the perfect finishing touch to complete your outfit. Buckles should be clean and simple. As for the colour, pair it with your wristwatch. For example, if your watch is silver, go with a silver buckle.

First Published in Pinoy Smart Living on 07.24.2019

Feature Image by R A from Pixabay