#BoMaLiving / Beauty boosting rituals

How to Stay Serene While Social Distancing

We are in a time that will be seen in history books for decades to come, but right now, we’re in the midst of incredible uncertainty and downright panic. You don’t have to dig too deep to realize that the only way to help slow the spread and save lives is to stay at your home as much as possible to protect those in our communities who are most vulnerable. And with working from home being the new normal for many people and most schools shut down until further notice, life as we know it has completely changed. And it’s scary. We know there’s no way to make things OK right now, but we want to try to ease a little bit of the transition by sharing with you all of the ways that we are finding our own solace during this time of social distancing.

All About the Comfy Cozies

You know that feeling when you finally get to crawl into your softest PJs after a long day out? Well, that feeling doesn’t have to go away just because your day doesn’t have the “out” part right now. It can feel overwhelming to have to balance every aspect of life all at home — and we fully expect and look forward to a lot of kids giggling in the background of conference calls — so taking every moment to treat yourself is our most important advice. Say goodbye to jeans and pencil skirts and hello to joggers, super-soft sweaters, and pajamas all day baby. No one you virtually interact with will be doing anything else, so let’s take advantage of this. Personally, we’ve found it super helpful to still stick with our morning makeup and skincare routines to keep the feeling of normalcy as much as possible, but then it’s right back into our softest attire.

How to Find a Moment of Peace

We’ve shared posts before about our favorite self-care suggestions, so you already have some hot tips. But right now we need to be taking this to the next level. We are starting every morning with a short meditation to help keep us in the right mindset to take on anything we need to. Our favorite is the Headspace app — with dozens of meditation packs from soothing anxiety to being more productive, they make it easy to squeeze a quick breathing exercise into your day even if you only have five minutes to spare. They have even launched a free package of meditations called “Weathering the Storm” for anyone who is dealing with stress and anxiety due to the current events. If you have a little extra time for yourself, you already know that bubble baths (don’t forget the infused bath salt from Milk & Honey and some calming candles and aromatherapy) do wonders, so fit one in between Zoom calls, roll on our favorite Anxiety Sucks oil from Little Shop of Oils, and get back to your A-game.

What to Read

At first, it might be easy to take this time as an opportunity to catch up on season 2 of “Succession” or finally get to join in the conversation about “Love is Blind,” but after a day of nonstop streaming, you’ll realize how quickly it loses its luster. However, in the face of an undetermined amount of at-home time, we’re happy to announce that reading won’t ever lose its charm. We’ve compiled our top five books at the moment (all written by fantastic women) as a great way to stay entertained. Send the list out to all of your best friends and you can even get an impromptu virtual book club going — with wine and Facetime, of course. We’ve included links to the Amazon pages for all of these, but we encourage you to order online from your favorite local booksellers during a time of extra uncertainty for all small businesses.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (This is one is going to the big screen — it’s currently in production, so you’ll have plenty of time to read it once (or twice) before it hits theaters).

How to Date Men When you Hate Men by Blythe Robbinson

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (Bonus: Once you finish reading this gem, you can catch up on the Hulu series which premiers on March 18).

Endorphins, Endorphins, Endorphins

We all know that our best mental health comes when a lot of aspects of our lives are balanced, with a big part of that coming when we are able to spend time with the people we love most. But when the No. 1 rule of the moment is to isolate ourselves from most people, everything else becomes even more vital. As our favorite lawyer, Elle Woods, once said, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy …” We all know how that ends, but she’s right.

Endorphins are powerful, and with most gyms being shut down, we did some digging to find other ways to get our blood pumping and release those endorphins. Yoga with Adrienne is one of our favorite ways to take a break throughout the day, whether that means going a little harder with a Total Body Workout or keeping it more zen with Yoga for Backpain, a lifesaver for those days when we accidentally work from the couch all day. We also have been getting into Pamela Reif’s videos whenever we need a 10-minute “break” but are really looking to sweat.

Keep the Littles Happy

Okay, now we get to perhaps the hardest part … how do we keep our lives afloat and our work chugging along with little ones running around and needing our immediate attention almost constantly? It’s amazing how many institutions and businesses have really stepped up and have done their part to help soothe the transition. Parents.com found 12 of the best museums that are now offering virtual tours for your older ones who may still be on spring break but need to be more engaged than just sitting down with another TV show. For your smaller ones, getting back to the basics of puzzles, coloring books, and even science kits (again, check the websites of your local toy stores here) can be a great way to keep them focused.

Most importantly, though, stay safe, stay inside when you can, and find opportunities to help your community and neighbors who might be quietly struggling. Check local neighborhood Facebook pages and the Nextdoor app or consider donating to Feeding America if you’re able. And don’t hesitate to reach out to your community if you need help.

xo Your oldbazaaristanbul family

Don't Let Sweat Dull Your Shine

With shorter days and gloomy weather looming ahead, exercising is one of our favorite ways to help beat winter blues. But we’ll also be the first to admit that when our skin is already struggling with the changing seasons, sweating doesn’t tend to do us any favors. Luckily for all of us, this is why we just added Teami skincare to our family. We love Teami for their natural, plant-based skincare that’s the perfect addition to your beauty lineup to keep your skin glowing brightly no matter how hard you workout. And this is especially important considering we just added so many new Beach Riot workout outfits that we’re still swooning over. I mean...come on, just look at them!

Green Tea Detox Mask and Facial Scrub

After a rigorous workout, this powerful combo is the perfect place to start. The green tea exfoliating scrub will buff away all of the impurities, leaving your skin brighter, clearer, and more moisturized. You can also use it on your body because we've all dealt with body blemishes and none of us want to go back. Once you rinse it off, it’s time for the detox face mask. This skincare mask will continue ridding your skin of impurities and will replenish your skin to give you back that bright glow. Plus, we love that this mask gives us an excuse to just sit for 10 minutes to really settle into our day.

Now that your skin is clean and feeling fresh, it’s time for one of the most important steps in any skincare routine: toner. This all-natural toner has no dyes, chemicals, or preservatives, so it’s great for even the most sensitive skin. You’ll be left with smaller pores and your skin tone will appear more even, plus it smells great, which is always a bonus that we can’t say no to.

Shop the vitamin C serum from Teami

We all know that sweating can dry out even the healthiest skin, which is why this organic vitamin C serum is vital. It has a weightless formula that absorbs into your skin almost instantly, so you can use it before you apply your makeup. You’ll feel the hydration as soon as you apply it, and it’ll last through the coldest winter days. Use it after cleansing your face at night, too, to keep your skin as healthy as possible.

Repair and Soothe Facial Oils

Shop the repair facial oil from Teami

At the end of your day, finish your nightly routine with the Repair Facial Oil and Soothe Facial Oil. Both of these tea-infused oils absorb easily into your skin, so you don’t have to worry about your skin feeling sticky, so you can use them in the morning before you put on your makeup, too. The Repair Oil is made with chamomile tea flowers, jojoba oil, sea buckthorn fruit oil, and vitamin E oil, which all work together to give you the ultimate in moisturizing. Finish things off with the Soothe Oil, which has lavender flowers, white sage leaves, and blue tansy oil to both soothe and relax your skin while adding a little extra glow when you need it most.

Spring Clean Your Winter Skin Away

If you're counting down the minutes until you can go outside without wearing way too many layers and instantly feeling your skin drain of all moisture, then it’s time to create a game plan to survive the rest of this nonsense. Of course, there's a light at the end of the tunnel considering March 20th signifies the first day of spring, and good ole’ Punxsutawney Phil promised us all that spring days would come early this year, even if it’s looking pretty dismal right now.

Until those warm, sunny days show up, we’ve decided to help you out by crafting a winter survival guide complete with our favorite new health and beauty products. After all, there's no such thing as too much self-care (and let’s be honest, we’ll be needing all of the skin help we can get, even when good weather is upon us).

1. Glow Between Jelly Micro Mist from YUNI

We’ve all been there — you spent the morning perfecting your skin, only to make it halfway through the day and catch a glimpse of your dry skin in the mirror. Which is why we never leave the house without the Glow Between Jelly Micro Mist from YUNI. This moisturizing facial mist is made with mica, licorice root, and hibiscus oil to help improve your skin’s texture, but our favorite part is that you can spray it over your makeup anytime during the day to add a little extra glow and hydration without needing to touch up your makeup.

2. Cosmic Glow Botanical Face Mask from Moon Bath

When the sun goes down before you even eat dinner, you know that face masks are the only answer to a cozy night in. Our favorite new line from Moon Bath features a healing clay mask that helps draw out toxins and reduce redness while giving you that glow that you’ve been looking for all winter. Try mixing the clay with water and organic honey to really up your skincare game, and then spritz on the Moon Dew Botanical Face Mist to finish things off.

3. Waning Moon Bath Tea from Moon Bath

We aren’t one to do things small, which is why you won’t find us on a face-mask-night-in without first relaxing in an aromatherapy bath to help find our mental zen while we’re at it. This might sound like a lot of extra effort at first, but the Waning Moon Bath Tea from Moon Bath makes it as easy as can be. Just steep the tea with hot water (we always use a French Press) and strain it, then pour it into your bath water. Trust us, once you give this a go, you’ll never look back.

4. Milk & Honey Infused Salt from Moon Bath

If bath tea wasn’t enough to pique your interest, top your bathtime off with Milk & Honey Infused Salt from Moon Bath. Not only is this sea salt infused with coconut milk and honey to moisturize your skin, but it also has frankincense, lavender, and bergamot for all of those calming, soothing, and relaxing properties you could ever need. If you’re wanting an extra boost in the morning, you can also use this salt as an exfoliating body scrub in the shower.

5. Beauty On The Run Travel Kit from YUNI

Okay, okay, we’ll admit that while relaxed spa nights in help speed along a dreary winter, a tropical getaway is our cure of choice. We’re still dreaming of all of these fabulous travel destinations, but no matter where you're heading, make sure that you keep your skin fresh despite dry airplane air and a jarring change in climates with the Beauty On The Run Travel Kit from YUNI. Make sure to keep it in your carry-on, because you’ll be reaching for those body wipes and aromatherapy mist approximately an hour into your flight.

6. SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion from Salt & Stone

Of course, with the warm tropical sun comes rough tropical sunburns, so don’t forget to pack your SPF. This SPF 30, antioxidant-infused sunscreen from Salt & Stone is perfect to keep your body safe while also moisturized, and then we always make sure to keep our faces even more in the clear with the Natural Sunscreen Face Stick from Salt & Stone. With both a light tint and a dark tint to even your complexion while you’re at it, you can be sure that you will spend your days relaxing without frying.

7. Jade Roller from YUNI

Facial Jade roller from Yuni

Of course, you won’t always have time for a full spa ritual when you need it, which is where our new favorite skincare product comes in. The Jade Roller from YUNI is somewhat of a miracle worker — it feels so cooling and relaxing as you roll it on your face, and it instantly decreases puffiness and plumps your skin cells while also helping your skin absorb your moisturizers and serums. Plus, it’s a cute piece that you can keep on display — we won’t judge.

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