The CDC recommends covering your face in public during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how people around the world are adapting their styling and beauty routines to the ubiquity of face masks.

Joey Hadden

Apr 7, 2020, 20:00 IST

The CDC recommends covering your face in public during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how people around the world are adapting their styling and beauty routines to the ubiquity of face masks.

Reuters

SSUNZY, a beauty content YouTuber, records YouTube video clips on makeup tutorials catered to those wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic in South Korea.

Across the globe, beauty and style trends are forming around face masks as they become more popular to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On April 2, President Donald Trump announced that there will likely be official recommendations from the White House for everyone to wear cloth face masks in public during the pandemic.
On April 3, the CDC officially recommended covering your face in public during the pandemic.
Face masks are used to protect people from the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization recommends that face masks be worn by sick people and healthcare professionals. But as the virus continues to spread, some countries, like Venezuela and parts of China, are ordering citizens to wear face masks in public.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a global shortage of face masks, and people around the world are making their own.
Here are the beauty and style trends forming around the face mask amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
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South China Morning Post talked to celebrity makeup artist Alvin Goh about how to adjust your beauty routine to a face mask.

Goh says to prioritize your skincare routine since face masks can leave your skin feeling dry and irritated. He said to look for products that are made with hyaluronic acid, which is a substance that retains moisture, keeping your face hydrated.

In terms of makeup, Goh says to focus on your eyes while wearing a face mask, with eyeliner, brow liner, and mascara. "Framing the face is important, especially when we are just seeing the eyes," he told the South China Morning Post.

Goh also said to use a waterproof foundation or seal it with makeup-setting spray to keep it from smudging throughout the day.

Over in South Korea, YouTuber SSUNZY, who has 40,000 subscribers, makes recommendations to viewers that cater to wearing a face mask.

For example, SSUNZY suggests using more moisturizer and sticking to natural shades while wearing a mask. This, she says, makes touch-ups easier.

Reuters reported that skincare product sales have increased while colorful cosmetic sales are decreasing at some large cosmetics companies in South Korea.

In the US, skincare sales went up 13% during the last week of February, according to data by the NPD, which measures how consumers shop, released on March 18.

Park Youn-hee, a fashion designer who works with prominent celebrities like the band BTS, told Reuters that K-pop stars made people more comfortable wearing them to prevent the spread of coronavirus by wearing them as a fashion item.

"I think a mask is an item that can give you confidence since people don't recognize you clearly," Park told Reuters. "Try bold colors and different looks," she suggests to those wearing them during the pandemic.

Face masks have been used as fashion pieces in the past, too.

In 2014, the Qiaodan Yin Peng Sportswear collection included looks complete with face masks at China Fashion Week.

This was a response to Beijing's air pollution being so severe and hazardous to public health that children and elderly citizens were advised to stay indoors and factories were ordered to reduce emissions by at least 30%.

More recently in the US, Billie Eilish wore a face mask with her all-Gucci look at the Grammys in 2020.

Over in Nigeria, celebrities are wearing face masks as fashion items too. Fashion designer Iheme Faith Uloma AKA Ifu Ennada wore a face mask to Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards on March 14, 2020.

In February, the New York Post called the face mask a "must-have" accessory for London Fashion Week.

These fabric face masks have gained popularity since the spread of the novel coronavirus, especially in the DIY community. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a global shortage of face masks, and people around the world are making their own in response out of various fabrics and cloths.

On April 3, the CDC officially recommended covering your face in public to prevent the spread of the virus.

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