Make up routine helps kick start productivity when working remotely
Working from home? A touch of make up – and maintaining personal hygiene routines – might help with your productivity.
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Not only is home where the heart is, it is also where the office is for many as Australia grapples with the highly contagious coronavirus.
As more companies encourage their employees to work from home to stop the spread of the disease, beauty and business experts say maintaining a personal grooming routine is the key to kick starting productivity.
They say applying even just a small amount of make up, as if you are going to work, can provide a healthy mindset ready to take on the day – and next Zoom or Google Hangouts call.
It comes as makeup giant Mecca temporarily closes its doors from today until the end of April because of “increasingly stringent social distancing measures”.
Media Makeup Academy chief executive Bec Cochrane said carrying on as if you were going into your actual office was critical during self isolation.
“During the war times in the past, women made sure that they had a full face of makeup and hair styled to keep up the moral up among the troops,” Ms Cochrane said.
“The old saying goes ‘if we look better, we feel better’ (and) this is relevant in the current situation.”
Sephora Australia and New Zealand national artistry lead Alphie Sadsad said a make up and skincare routine was good for mental health.
Mr Sadsad suggested using products including clear brow gel, mascara, concealer, blush and bronzer.
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“A skincare and or makeup routine can be therapeutic and having that normality in your routine is great for your self being,” Mr Sadsad said.
“When you don’t have a Zoom call in the calendar, apply eye patches under the eyes just like Sephora Collection Eye Mask in Cucumber to de stress while you’re on your laptop.”
He said after work, self isolation is a great time to learn new makeup techniques for when it is safe to leave the home.
“This is a time when you can start experimenting with different looks,” he said.
“Have fun with makeup and use it as your own escapism.”
MECCA spokeswoman Lucy Asker says brightening the day starts with a natural makeup look.
She said the company recently launched a online channel MECCA LIVE to help people self isolating, and working from home access beauty advice,
University of South Australia senior business school lecturer Ruchi Sinha, who holds a PhD in organisational psychology, supported people getting into routine, like putting on some make up.
“It gives you a certain amount of control over your day and therefore removes the uncertainty and anxiety,” Mr Sinha said.
However, she acknowledged that remote employment “is not a normal working day” and routines might have to be changed to get the best productivity outcome.
“Everyone should try doing the same thing in the morning, keep in the routine, but not … beat yourself up if you didn’t do something that day,” Mr Sinha said.”