Salons and spas might not be considered essential businesses in California's eyes — and for those whose anxiety is at an all-time high due to the coronavirus, it's crucial to practice self-care at home. And while the well-heeled and famous among us might have the little black books and deep wallets to afford private pampering, the rest of us can still de-stress like a star and escape reality for a bit.
Thankfully, celebrity-beloved electric aesthetician Melanie Simon is here to guide the way. In light of the global pandemic, "skincare and fashion have gone on the back burner, and rightfully so," the L.A.-based ZIIP founder tells UncoverLA. "I think that so many of us are scrambling to figure out the most important things in our lives — like food and rent, schoolwork for our children, or ourselves."
Simon opened a private studio last year in Hollywood, and A-list clients including Jennifer Aniston, Priyanka Chopra, Eva Mendez, and Margot Robbie (to name a few) are just a few devotees of her microcurrent-powered facials, which harness electricity to give clients a glowy facelift sans injections. Although the Cali-raised entrepreneur isn't currently taking on new clients, the rest of us can still experience her treatments via ZIIP's at-home nanocurrent device ($495).
"Because we are going to all be indoors for a while, you can actually let your skin breathe a bit and take a break from using makeup," she suggests. Here, Simon shares her own quarantine skincare routine, her favorite products for keeping our skin healthy during spring, and more — read on below.
What does your skincare situation look like right now?
I am quarantined without all of my personal goodies up in the mountains, so I am using samples and products that I left in a giant box here. I sanitized the bottles and packets (I am huge on sanitizing whether I am or am not in quarantine!) and I have been using whatever I have on hand. When something runs out, I see what else I have in the box.
My message is to use what you have and get only what you need. Make the one thing you buy something you really need.
Now that we're spending extended periods of time at home, what regimen or products do you suggest for keeping our skin healthy?
I usually cleanse only at night but here are a few things I have changed. First, try to wash morning and night — always start your routine by washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry with a clean hand towel. Second, if you have a toner, allow your skin to be exfoliated to the maximum extent and also get all the anti-bacterial effects of your toner. To do this, let is sit on your face and absorb for a few minutes before putting anything else on your skin.
Last, try using a creme like Dr. Rogers Restore Face Cream ($72), [which provides] heavy moisture for dry climates, or Bioderma's Sensibio AR Cream ($25) or Sensibio Light Cream ($20) for lightweight moisture in more humid areas. If your moisturizer is in a jar, make sure every time you open it that you take out the moisturizer with a Q-tip, a clean wooden spatula, or even a clean butter knife and then put it on the back of your clean hand, and then apply.
My favorite is Biologique Recherche Crème Dermo-RL ($193). This is heavy but does not feel suffocating. I am recommending all of these because it's spring, and you want to soothe your skin from irritants in the air, poor air circulation in our homes, and tons of pet hair (if you own or are around a pet) causing the skin to become way more sensitive than usual.
Use an eye product that is super lightweight and almost gel-like; I like Zelens Triple Action Eye Cream ($145) because it calms and reduces puffiness. You can even take your moisturizer put a dab on your hand and mix in a tiny bit of purified water to make it thinner. The reason for this is that because we are not moving around as much our lymphatic systems are not working as well. The under-eye is notorious for retaining water that becomes trapped there, so go light under the eye.
Now your eyelid can handle something heavier. Don't use much, but products like Egyptian Magic ($22) or even a dab of olive oil for super dry skin will bring relief.
As we all do our part to practice social distancing, what are some other skincare steps or tricks we should consider right now?
Try to make and stick to a routine. When cleansing, start at the décolleté (right abound your chest and move upwards from there), apply the rest of your products the same way (except no toner around eyes and when applying moisturizer, swap out for eye cream or dilute your day cream for the under-eye).
If you have at-home tools, now is a great time to add that to your routine and stay consistent. I have many, so I start before washing with light therapy. Next, I cleanse and use my ZIIP. Then, I use my roller — I like putting Joanna Czech's Facial Massager ($189) in ice — and then using over the ZIIP conductive gel left on my face from my ZIIP treatment. With this, I again start at the neck and work my way up sculpting along the way and closing my pores at the same time.
