Vaseline Pink Bubbly.jpg

Currently there’s no need to worry about applying the perfect shade of lipstick when you’re out and about.. In this new era of masks it’s not only unnecessary, it’s messy. Yet we still have to keep our lips moisturized.

That’s why my go-to lip products right now are two limited-edition tinted shades from the Vaseline Lip Therapy Lip Balm Tin collection. Both cost around $6.99 (prices vary depending the retailer).

I love them because they lock in moisture awhile giving lips a gorgeous natural sheen.

The Pink Bubbly tint has the perfect hint of pink and gives off a faint smell of freshly-cut roses. It reminds me of the much more expensive Rose Lip Conditioner from Aerin that retails for around $30.

The Gold Dust tint is peach-colored and has a slight golden shimmer.

And when you do want to wear lipstick, they also look beautiful layered over your favorite lip color.

Vaseline Gold Dust.jpg

THE NECESSITY OF SHORT NAILS NOW

Short nails are a necessity now. Give them a subtle sheen with Dior Nail Glow, a universal shade that enhances your natural nail color.

Short nails are a necessity now. Give them a subtle sheen with Dior Nail Glow, a universal shade that enhances your natural nail color.

It has always been my style to keep my nails short.

But as soon as I read reports that COVID-19 was spreading in the U.S., I trimmed them even more. It only makes sense with all the Public Health warnings calling for us to be extra vigilant about washing our hands, especially under our nails where bacteria can lurk.

Even though long nails are popular, giving them a good trim is one simple thing we can all do to help fight the spread of the virus. Even before this pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that nails be kept short and trimmed often to prevent the spread of germs.

How short is short? Try for the same length that doctors and nurses strive for, which is as short as possible while still leaving a sliver of white at the top of your nail.

Going short doesn’t mean you have to forgo nail polish. My go-to is OPI Nail Lacquer in Passion. For a no-fuss subtle sheen, my favorite is Dior Nail Glow. It’s a universal shade that enhances your natural nail color.

Painting shorter nails does increase the chance you’ll get polish on the tissue surrounding the nail, but it’s easily cleaned up with a Q-Tip dipped in nail polish remover. I also have a tiny paint brush that I use just for that purpose.

With all our extra hand washing, polish is going to chip faster. For tiny touch-ups, straighten out a bobby pin and dip the rounded tip in polish and apply where needed.

There are two new nail polish lines I’m interested in experimenting with while I’m at home:

Sally Hansen Romantic Peach.jpg

Pure, a new vegan line by Sally Hansen, comes in 30 shades inspired by nature. They are all plant-based and made without the 16 chemicals often found in nail polish including formaldehyde. Based on the online color charts, Romantic Peach looks similar to the shade I normally wear.

Essie Expressie.jpg

And Essie has launched Expressie, a one-step color and shine that comes in 40 shades and dries in a minute. Although that’s not really a problem right now. I have some extra time on my hands.