Covid-19: Touchless Makeup Is More Important Than Ever
It’s no secret what everyone is talking about around the water cooler (that is, if you’d even go near a water cooler these days.) Using common sense and a cool head to help keep you and yours healthy and safe. Hygiene begins at home.
We know that like all viruses, Covid-19 (that is, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) spreads from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. Says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “It may be possible that a person can get Covid-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
That said, some studies are showing that the virus can stay alive in the air for several hours and on surfaces for as long as two or three days.
Here’s the irony. The hygienic precautions the CDC recommends (social distancing if you’re sick, sneezing or coughing into your elbow or a tissue, not touching your face, sterilizing the items you carry most often and frequent handwashing with soap and warm water for the duration it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice) are behaviors we should be doing every day anyway! Because even though Covid-19 is the new virus on the block, there are tons of other viruses, bacteria, mold and fungi lurking around that can harm your health.
Know your enemy
To stay abreast of Covid-19 news, check in with the CDC website.
Avoid makeup testers
No matter how clean the department store counter, the makeup in testers still has the potential to harbor bacteria and viruses. Under normal circumstances, it’s best to avoid them, but now it’s essential. And Covid-19 isn’t the only culprit. The virulent herpes virus, for example, can stay alive from two to four hours on plastic, chrome and water.
Sterilize your phone with UV-C light
Our phones are filthy. Wipes are fine for superficial smudges but to really kill viral or bacterial droplets, you’re going to want to haul out the big guns . . . that is, a device with UVC light sterilization. We know that repeated UV-A and UV-B light exposure is the leading trigger for skin cancer. But UV-C is safer and besides, these devices have lids on them and can operate while you’re out of the room. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, the best one out there is PhoneSoap because it’s “one of the few models tested in a scientific lab and is proven to remove 99.99% germs on your phone. That’s the good news. The other good news is that it’s safe to use on everything from baby pacifiers to remotes to credit cards. The bad news is that there is a 2-month waiting list. Meanwhile, best to stick with wireless phone chatting while you wait.
Go touchless with your makeup
So why is a makeup blog even talking about this? Because the viral ‘ports of entry’ (eyes, mouth, nose) are the very areas we touch most when applying cosmetics. So this means that Mineral Air’s touchless AirMist Device application for foundation and blush are, literally, what the doctor ordered. And stick with sterilized brushes or disposable sponge tips for everything else. As fans of blending cream eye shadows with fingers, this one makes us sad. But put them away for now and comfort yourself that this won’t last forever.
“Here’s the irony. The hygienic precautions the CDC recommends (social distancing if you’re sick, sneezing or coughing into your elbow or a tissue, not touching your face, sterilizing the items you carry most often and frequent handwashing with soap and warm water for the duration it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice) are behaviors we should be doing every day anyway!”