The WFH Beauty Edit: South Asian Edition

By Riya Godbole

If you’re anything like me, your search history has been a bit of a wild roller coaster over the last few weeks. With everything ranging from “how to survive a coup” to “kanye jeffree star”, perhaps one of the most common search terms I found myself aimlessly entering was “when the f*ck does quarantine end”. I think it’s safe to say that at this point quarantine has gotten really old, and work from home has gotten even older.

When the boundaries between work and life start to blur, it can be hard to remember to take time to decompress and pamper yourself. As your Outlook calendar starts to fill up after the post-holiday slump, you should keep a couple beauty essentials at hand to help revive you throughout the day and keep you looking fly as hell for your Zoom calls. Here are my five favorites from South Asian-owned brands!

Under-Eye Patches: Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Eye Masks ($25)

WFH (Working From Home) has me waking up 15 minutes before my first Zoom meeting just so I can unmute myself to ask someone about the weather and say “thank you!” at the end. For the days where I can get away with keeping my camera off, I love keeping these eye patches from Wander Beauty in the fridge so I can pop them on and mindlessly scroll through Tik Tok during my call. The calendula extract helps depuff tired eyes while hyaluronic acid leaves your under-eye area feeling plump and hydrated. The glittery gold design is luxurious and makes me feel like I have my life together (even though my entire productivity flow is derailed the moment I get a stressful email.) 

Lip & Cheek Tint: Live Tinted Huestick in Dusty Rose or Origin ($25)

Unfortunately there will be some days where you’ll be required to keep your camera on (although this should be illegal). When that happens, I love to grab a multi-tasking lip & cheek product to quickly add life to my face and prevent me from looking like a Dementor. This Live Tinted Huestick is extremely versatile and can be used as a cream blush, lipstick, or eyeshadow. The shade Dusty Rose suits my lighter skin, but Origin is a great pick for deeper complexions. 

Face Mist: Vasanti Rose Water & Pomegranate Toner + Refreshing Spray ($23)

I fully believe in the power of scents to lift up your mood, and I’m a sucker for rose scents in particular. In pre-pandemic times, I would always keep a rose face mist on my desk in the office as a quick refresher between meetings. I insisted on forcibly misting several of my male coworkers who turned out to be huge fans of the concept and seemed visibly less stressed post-mist. This face mist from Vasanti checks all my boxes and provides me with a refreshing, hydrating spray in the middle of my work day. Rosewater and pomegranate provide antioxidants and nutrients to your skin while fighting bacteria.

Hand Cream: Avya Nourishing Hand Treatment ($26)

Lets face it, our hands have been through a lot this quarantine: excessive sanitizing, frantic online shopping, sourdough starter nurturing, and doom scrolling. This nourishing hand cream from Avya is perfect for massaging into your hands throughout the day and is hydrating without making your skin feel greasy. I make sure to spend a little extra time working the cream in around my cuticles to kind of make up for the fact that I haven’t gotten a manicure in the last year.

Exfoliating Mask: Aavrani Glow Activating Exfoliator ($70)
When you finally hit send on your last passive-aggressive “just checking back in on this” email, try to log out completely and avoid compulsive inbox-checking for the rest of the night. Instead, use the down time to deep clean and exfoliate your skin with this Glow Activating Exfoliator by Aavrani. This product doubles as both an exfoliator and a face mask and contains turmeric, neem, jojoba, and honey to brighten and even out your skin tone. I recommend exfoliating 1-2 times per week to keep your skin looking glowy without leaving it overly stripped.

ABOUT RIYA

Riya Godbole is a beauty writer for South Asian Productions. She graduated from UCLA in 2019 and currently works as a financial analyst for Venmo. Her dream is to start her own company in the makeup or skincare space. In her spare time she loves baking, hip hop music, crossword puzzles, and escape rooms.

Instagram: @riyalbeauty

Contact Information: riyagodbole@ucla.edu