I hope that everyone reading this post is safe and doing  well in spite of the current pandemic. I know that many of us have been coping with the stress and anxiety of this uncertain time by keeping ourselves occupied as best as possible, like baking bread and binge-watching some of our favorite feel-good shows or movies. As for me, I’ve taken the time to play some video games, read and try some new products, among other things. From fashion to skincare, I believe this is the time to try things we wouldn’t normally if we were still heading into the work. So today I’m sharing just  5 things I’ve tried recently that I found to be pretty great and highly recommend. Treat yourself if you can, and  if you are unable to do so at this moment, do like I have been doing lately –  save the links and treat yourself once you’re able. Happy shopping!

1.) Stars Above Perfectly Cozy Lounge Jumpsuit

For the most part, I don’t own  actual “lounge wear.” I tend to just wear pajamas whenever I’m home or house clothes, which mostly consist of nerdy/band tees, basic cotton short and of course, sweat pants. Yet once we passed the two week mark in the quarantine, I decided to finally purchase my first lounge jumpsuit. It is so soft and comfortable that it has become my go to when I’m getting dressed in the morning. (Its a good thing my apartment building has a laundry mat on the basement so I can keep this jumpsuit in constant rotation.)

In this one piece you have great balance of style and comfort that even works great for casual wear outside with the right pair of sneakers and even a denim jacket.  I’m already planning on purchasing the one in light grey as well because I could use it as cozy travel outfit . As for sizing, I got this in a size XL and it fit my size 16/18 frame just fine. I believe that the XXL would fit up to a size 22 because of how roomy it is. The best part is that it is you can get it from Target here for less than $30!

2.) Denman Styling brush

The denman brush is considered to be the must have tool for all curly girls, yet I held off in buying it because I believed it was all hype and I was put off the idea of having a brush just for styling. Yet I decided to finally give it a try as I was returning to my natural curly hair style for spring so I added the brush (in black because aesthetic, lol) to my Amazon cart along with the next item on this list.

I haven’t 100% mastered the styling technique for this brush, but I am enjoying the results so far. I got the 9-row brush and after using it these last four weeks I have noticed that it has cut my hair styling time in half.  (When it comes to my hair tend to go for the finger coiling method of styling which results in great hair definition but is really time consuming.) Even though  I highly recommend giving this brush a try if you haven’t already, I should point out again that this brush is purely for styling purposes, not detangling; so if you’re not about adding another brush to your curly hair routine this may not be right for you.

3.) Garnier SkinActive Gentle Sulfate-Free Cleanser

If there is one thing that I’ve managed to do during this lock-down period is work on my skin care. I have sensitive combination skin that  tends to be dry in the winter and oily in the summer. As you can imagine this makes it a bit difficult when it comes to finding skincare products for me to use. So early into the lockdown back in March, I decided ditch the super drying cleanser I had been using at that point and  take some of the time I now had to do some research into what other people with my skin type are using. This Garnier Skin Active cleanser was on many of the lists that I found so I figured I would give it a try.

There’s not much that I can say about this cleanser other than the fact I noticed a major improvement after just a couple days of use. It leaves my face feeling freshly clean and soft which is more than I can say about my last cleanser. The formula is gentle and fragrance free yet it was strong enough to help remove the liquid liner I put on the other day.

4.) Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Dark Circle Reducing Vitamin C Eye Serum

It’s no secret that I have some pretty horrible sleeping habits and this has only recently begun to show on my face. I’ve tried a few other under-eye products before but this is the first one I’ve noticed a real visible difference in such a short amount of time . Although the fact that I’m actually getting more sleep now that I’m home may also be helping, hahaha.

This serum is lightweight it is so it was easy to just add it to my morning and night routines.That said, I will admit that the price point of this item is a bit beyond what I would consider “affordable skin care,” especially considering the size of the bottle, however, a little goes a long way with this product as you only need apply about a pea-size amount each time so even this small 0.5 fl. oz bottle should last a while. I actually got mine via Influenster for review and I greatly appreciated getting selected for that campaign because had I been introduced to this serum by a sales associate at Sephora I would have never considered giving it a try due to price point alone. I will be purchasing another bottle once I’m done with this sampler.

5.) Fat Gal Yoga by Valerie Sagun

With all the COVID-19 related fatphobic memes and fitness ads that have been circulating since the start of this pandemic, it has made it pretty hard to find many body positive or size inclusive work out options to do from home. The thing is that exercise does help with stress management so whether it be a walk around the block or even a dance party in your living room, all of this can help your mood.

As for me, I’ve turned to yoga as my exercise outlet for now and this book by Valerie Sagun has been a big help. I’ll admit that I’ve had her book on my bookshelf for a while and even flipped through it a couple times but haven’t put it to much use until now. What I like about this book is  how encouraging it is for beginners as well as being inspirational with the challenges that she presents for you to try. I’ve managed to push myself more than I thought possible with the poses while reducing a bit of my anxiety at the same time. This is definitely a wellness book worth checking out if you can.

However if yoga is not your thing,  check out this list of size inclusive home workouts  here.

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What new thing(s) have you tried since you’ve been home?