R. Do you still follow a beauty routine when you're ill? | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

17 June, 2015

R. Do you still follow a beauty routine when you're ill?

Happy Wednesday, everybody! Hope you're all fine and dandy.

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This week's question was inspired by the er... not-so-glamorous start I had to my week. I'll spare you most of the gruesome details, but let's just say that Aunt Flo and some sort of stomach bug decided to visit me at the same time—and this was not a hospitable mix of guests. I spent a fair bit of time lying in bed on Monday and Tuesday trying to pretend that I wasn't having excruciating stomach and abdominal cramps at the same time, which I guess sort of worked, because I feel mostly fine now. Anyway, I found myself feeling (a) bored and (b) in need of a little pick-me-up, so I started having a little at-home pamper session... easy stuff like foot masks, sheet masks, a bit of makeup even though the rest of me felt like crispy fried death. Which got me wondering...

Do you stick to your usual beauty routine while you're ill? Are you more likely to shorten your routine or pamper yourself extra when you're laid up?

I will say this: If I had bronchitis or something like that instead of stomach flu, I probably wouldn't have been sheet masking. Focusing on trying to breathe takes up a lot of energy, so I'm not sure how often I'd even wash my face during that type of illness. But for a stomach bug... taking a few minutes to put on a mask was a welcome distraction, and made me look less disheveled than I was feeling, which I guess made me feel slightly better in a way? Mentally, anyway. I still had to make a couple of mid-mask trips to the bathroom. (Whoops, guess this post turned out to be TMI after all.)

How about you?

14 comments:

  1. Yes! I only really get sick with colds though. The only difference I take is I avoid my poor, sensitive nose when applying exfoliants and make sure to apply an additional layer of Papaw ointment (an occlusive) over any moisturisers in that area to help it not be as gross and flaky. Sheet masks help so much with this too!

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  2. I pamper myself hardcore whenever I'm feeling under the weather (especially if Aunt Flo decides to visit at the same time)! Whenever I'm ill, I tend to bury myself under my blankets and spend an entire day in bed, which means that I'm usually feeling slept-in and disgusting by the evening, so pampering myself gets rid of that feeling and helps me feel much better, sometimes even better than when I'm not sick!


    xoxo
    Sockwun
    ExtraExtravagant.com

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  3. I agree with what you were saying. It def depends on the illness and HOW sick I feel. If I am throwing up or feel like absolute crap I usually put less effort into my looks that day (like today haha). If its period cramps I usually just do my normal routine.

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  4. Oh yes, sheet masks are the best for jetlag or "I didn't sleep enough" days. Under eye patches too. They almost make you look like you slept for a normal amount of time....

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  5. Oh yes, ointment is a must for head colds! I often just use plain Vaseline, but anything to protect your poor, chapped nose helps.

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  6. Mmm, burying myself in bed sounds pretty good right now, haha. I know what you meant about the "slept-in" feeling though. It's not so fresh. Sometimes even just a hot shower can make a big difference when you're sick!

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  7. Sorry you feel like crap! Feel better. :( Gotta say, if I was throwing up a lot I probably wouldn't do much to my face, because I'd want to wash it every time after hurling. Pleasant! :P

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  8. My beauty routine tends to out the window when I'm sick. When I get sick, I get pretty sick, so I feel pretty darn bad, even if it's just a cold. When I had bronchitis this past winter, I ended up with some bad breakouts because I wasn't washing my face before bed. Which of course meant I wasn't using much skincare at night.

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  9. Yeah, a wet washcloth and clean face feels nice after a good barfing session.

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  10. That's usually what happens to me when I get bronchitis too. Something about not being able to breathe well makes me not want to immerse my face in water....

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  11. I'm chronically ill with Fibromyalgia and Ehlers Danlos Hypermobility, which both cause chronic pain and fatigue. Some days are better than others but I'm never not tired or not hurting. However, I also have really dry skin and eczema, so skipping my skincare routine is non-negotiable. But surprisingly, I've found that my routine (I follow a multi-step korean inspired routine) turned out to be a great self care tool for me, it makes me feel better to pamper my skin everyday, and as a happy side effect of EDS, when my skin is hydrated it feels like velvet! Thanks connective tissue disorder for the super softness ^_^;

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  12. I find that following a routine with multiple steps is really great for self-care too, in the sense that I have chronic (diagnosed) anxiety and insomnia, so having a nighttime ritual really calms and focuses me. Calm + focused = more likely to actually sleep. That's obviously not the same thing as living with chronic pain, but my point is that the benefits of skincare can definitely go beyond your face!

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  13. haha, I actually have General Anxiety Disorder *sarcastic mental illness highfive* So I totally get that, it's very relaxing, especially for those lovely times when your anxiety is doing that "replay every mistake and socially awkward moment you've ever made" nights.

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