A lot has changed in recent times, and life for many people living through the global pandemic has taken on a whole new meaning. It’s been over 100 days – a lot can happen in that time! The majority of workers now stationed at home, children now home-schooling virtually and social distancing dominating our entire daily routine.

But where has beauty fitted into all this change? How has the lockdown affected beauty for men and women, and what does the future look like?

Initially, you have to ask yourself whether people are actually bothering with it at all. On first thought, there doesn’t seem to be a whole bunch of good reasons why to continue with the same stringent skincare and makeup regimes that were set in place pre-COVID. If people are at home every day at the moment, then why exfoliate, why moisturise, why wear makeup at all?

Personal wellbeing plays an important part in the answer. Beauty is so much more than just ‘looking good’ – real beauty is about the way you feel, deep within yourself. It starts with a good regime yes, but that’s just about supporting you to be the best version of yourself. Taking care of your skin helps men and women feel positive, empowered and revitalised. And that should continue whether you’re out and about or stuck inside all day.

The pandemic has affected many people’s mental health. Not seeing friends and family and having those regular social interactions has taken a toll. Add on the anxiety caused by watching the news, and hearing about death tolls and R-rates and stories from key workers on the front line. It’s all making a hard situation even harder.

Any positivity that can come from feeling better about oneself is a good thing, and we are huge advocates of that. The discipline of keeping up with a habitual activity can provide strength and stability. Whether that’s exercise, a hobby, a skincare regime or putting on your regular face of makeup – it can all help, and we support that.

It’s not all doom and gloom however! Working from home has presented new opportunities for beauty aficionados, and many are trying their hand at perfecting what’s been called the ‘Zoom-Look’. With so many video calls happening every day across the globe, it’s been a chance to think about your personal appearance and have fun with makeup. Whether it’s professional or social, you can try a natural beauty look, a pop of colour, or even an occasional bold lip – remote working in this way has been a great chance to dust off the makeup bag and inject your personality into your look of the day, even with subtle changes.

And that’s where beauty brands have capitalised on the evidence that, yes people are stuck at home, but not everyone has given up on beauty altogether. This becomes a lucrative notion, and it’s why we’ve seen many companies still producing new products and launching new lines, even in the midst of lockdown.

Beauty retailers have realised that consumers are a) still very much interested in beauty, b) still excited and willing to try new products, and c) are using the comfort of home-shopping to have items delivered to their door, efficiently and safely. We’d call that a win-win!

The situation alters slightly when you think about changes occurring in the beauty market as restrictions are starting to ease and a ‘new normal’ is evolving. Shops recently started opening up again, but consumers rushing out to buy makeup and skincare in person again were faced with a different story. No testers, no makeup artist demos, and no tangible ‘try-before-you-buy’ opportunities.

When trying out something new, testing a product is a key part of the beauty-buying process alongside the advice usually available on shades, colour-matching, application etc – and it means consumers will have to start getting creative with how they access makeup moving forward. The WOWHOW app, for example, was created specifically to show everyday people how to wear and apply new makeup styles, as shown by the professionals, with the added benefit of purchasing products all from your phone – a ‘one stop shop’ for beauty, and something that fits seamlessly into this post-COVID new world we find ourselves in.

So once we make beauty accessible once again to eager consumers through solutions like this, you find that sales are soaring, innovation of new products are continuing, and demand from beauty fans hasn’t diminished yet. That’s fantastic news for the industry and a positive sign of things to come. The lockdown period has certainly been a time of worry, frustration, loneliness and sadness. But there’s light at the end of it, and a hope for better things to come.

Stay safe everyone and stay positive.

To try the WOWHOW app yourself, just download for FREE from the Apple Store or Google Play