10 Hard-Working Beauty Products to Help You Multi-Task at Home

There’s a new reality that is setting in during the age of quarantine. As the streets get quieter and our indoor spaces become a microcosm of our minds and mindset, as a collective, we're finding new and innovative ways to stay productive, occupied and stimulated. A general consensus is that most people fall into one of two camps: the ones that work out, meditate, and cook to fill the hours, and the ones who sit back and take it all in. While both camps are perfectly acceptable (and switching between the two is probably the healthiest), personally, I find myself opting for productivity as a way of rolling with the tide. That being said, just because I'm filling my time doesn't mean my beauty routine has to suffer. In fact, throughout this time at home, I've discovered a few products that work their magic on my hair and skin while I do other things. Ahead, find some of my favorite products to use while I multi-task.

A Sheet Mask That Doesn't Slide

Delivering a potent dose of concentrated ingredients that target specific skin concerns, sheet masks are a great way to treat your skin while you’re working from home. I swear by the 111SKIN Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask for its hydrating, brightening and soothing properties. I apply the mask on freshly cleansed skin with a serum underneath and then leave it on for 20 minutes before removing. My skin always looks plumper and dewier after I use this mask. Made with ingredients like liquorice root for brightening, silk amino acids for conditioning, and centella asiatica to optimize my skin’s collagen production, this is a mask that I reach for when my skin needs a pick-me-up between emails and Zoom calls.

A Skin-Soothing Jade Roller

I never really used my jade roller pre-quarantine, but these days, I’m finding my Skin Gym Jade Roller is a deskside essentials, ready to go whenever I need to de-stress. Whether I’m wearing a sheet mask and using the jade roller as a way to push the ingredients into my skin or using it on a clean face that’s coated in oil, I now consider my jade roller a prized skin-enhancing essential. The gentle pressure on my face helps micro stimulation and leaves my muscles feeling relaxed—plus, jade rolling encourages lymphatic drainage, boosts my skin’s natural detoxification process, and draws away toxins. My skin is thanking me for the extra workout while I work. 

A Luxe-Feeling Haircare Ritual

These days, I’ve found more time to dedicate to my hair, which usually takes a backseat to the attention I give to my skin. While I usually only wash my hair two, maybe three times a month, I’ve started adding a weekly hair mask into this routine to give it some added hydration between washes. The Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Conditioner and Manketti Oil Finishing Mist is the indulgent treat my hair keeps reaching for. Uniquely formulated with organic ingredients such as manketti nut and ximenia oils, the blend works to the core of my hair, conditioning and revitalizing it from root to end. Rich and creamy in texture, yet smooth in consistency, this heavenly mix is my hair’s answer to a Hermès Birkin. I top it all off with the Manketti Finishing Oil, a shine-enhancing mist that tames any flyaways and seals in a beautiful gloss. Although I usually tie my hair back and away from my face while I’m at home, I rest easy knowing my hair is getting the TLC it deserves.

A Foot Mask for Unwinding 

While pedicures are currently unavailable and the weather is warming up, it feels right (and rather optimistic) to prepare my feet for what is to come. With my salon being closed, I have opted for an at-home treatment so that my feet will be ready at a moment’s notice. Tony Moly’s Fresh Peppermint Foot Mask is invigorating, revitalising and active all at once. Infused with peppermint extract to soothe dry and rough patches on my feet, this holy grail product leaves my feet silky-smooth. I use it while reading—it’s the perfect way to unwind.

Ampoules to Recharge the Skin

Ampoules have been a recent venture in my skincare routine. While indoors, I find that I’m still craving a radiance boost. Enter: Glow Boost Ampoules by MZ SKIN, a five-day home treatment with active skincare ingredients that transform my complexion. Ampoules are ideal for a targeted treatment—with a molecule size that’s smaller than serums, it can penetrate deeper in the dermis, encouraging a total recharge of the skin. Infused with vitamin C, lactic acid, and glycolic acid, the potent cocktail mix leaves my skin with a natural and youthful glow. Using one ampoule both morning and evening within my current skincare routine is like an extended at-home spa treatment.

A Mask for Instant Glow

When I find that when I need both exfoliation and purification, I reach for a cream mask. Upping the ante is Luneia’s Radiance Ritual Glow Mask, which exfoliates, purifies and hydrates all the same time—and did I mention it also illuminates your skin like none other? This glow mask is high-performance and made with a blend of salicylic and glycolic acids, yet the best thing about it is its hydrating benefits. Without drying out my skin, this mask sloughs away dead skin cells, decongests my pores, illuminates my complexion and evens my skin’s texture. I apply this mask and let it work its magic while I work—it never lets me down. (It’s also great applied and rinsed off right before an important Zoom call.)

A Facial Steamer for De-Stressing

The at-home spa is in full swing, from facial tools and face masks to extractions and steaming, and my skin has never felt so much love. Steaming is a standard part of most facials, and this at-home device from Diozo is my new favorite thing to use. I find that it not only softens the oils trapped in my pores and gets my skin ready for exfoliation and extraction, but helps me to unwind and de-stress from the day. Working this into my routine once or twice a week has made it a calming tool for both my skin and mind, allowing me a moment of calm during this storm.

A Facial Pick-Me-Up

An instant injection of moisture, hydration and dewiness, face oils are a great and easy fix to apply while you go about your day at home. Leaving the traditional stereotypes behind, the new generation of face oils are now lightweight, versatile and help seal in all the goodness. I swear by Codex Beauty’s Bia Facial Oil, a light and dry oil that helps to hydrate and soften my complexion. Made with ingredients such as rosehip oil, vitamins A and C, prickly pear seed oil, rosemary, baobab oil, kiwi seed oil and sea buckthorn, the combination soothes, protects and strengthens the skin while controlling oil production. It’s perfect for a lunchtime pick-me-up or evening ritual 

A Mask for Tired Under-Eyes

Now that I’m staring at a screen way more than I used to, I’m feeling the eye strain. At the end of the day, I like to apply an under-eye mask that I can then leave on while I start on my evening meal. 111SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask never fails me. Infused with a small amount of retinol, this eye mask breathes life back into my under-eyes, giving them a refreshing, plump and hydrated appearance—all before dinner,too.

An Invisible Spot Treatment

As an acne sufferer in my early 20s, I am blemish-focused when it comes to my skin woes. I find that any spot that comes to the surface now has to get immediately treated, and the best low-key treatment I have found to be effective are the miniature, sticker-like hydrocolloid dots by Dots for Spots. Translucent, ultra-thin and designed to seamlessly blend with any skin tone, this treatment is so modest that you can take your video calls without your team noticing. Applied after cleansing my skin, I place the dot on any brewing breakouts and whisk those blemishes away.