With the recent extension of the CMCO period for another 2 weeks, it looks like it’s time to hunker down again and ramp up on our self-care routines. Like most other industries, the pandemic has had an impact on the beauty industry as a whole. Despite the slowdown in physical store sales, many skincare and body care brands are doing relatively well online since more people are staying at home and investing more time in self-care. Today, 3 Malaysian beauty influencers share their thoughts about CMCO and the importance of self-care during this unprecedented time.

But before we begin, here’s a brief introduction to each of these lovely ladies.

Chanwon

With almost 13 years of blogging experience under her belt, Chanwon is a a highly sought-after influencer in the beauty community. Now with 100k subscribers on Instagram, she has worked with major beauty brands like Lancôme, L’Occitane, Shiseido, Shu Uemura and YSL, just to name a few. In 2017, Chanwon was the winner of the InfluenceAsia Awards for the beauty category in Malaysia. It is one of her greatest passions to share her knowledge with her followers and to relate to them with kindness and authenticity.

Chanwon’s Blog: www.chanwon.com
Chanwon’s IG: @chanwon92

Emily Quak

Since 2008, Emily has been creating amazing makeup and skincare content on her YouTube channel. Initially, she started her beauty blog Emily’s Anthology as a space to share her love for all things beauty with fellow beauty enthusiasts. Over a decade later, Emily is now a respected influencer in the beauty community and is an expert at creating beautiful Western and Asian makeup looks on her YouTube and social media channels.

Emily’s Blog: www.emilyquak.com
Emily’s IG: @emilyquak

Shivani

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdkEsOxBKem/

In 2012, Shivani created Pen My Blog to share her love for all things beauty, fashion and travel. Since then, her content across all her social media channels has gotten over 4 million views. Additionally, she was one of the top 6 finalists for the NYX Face Awards in 2017. Besides her awesome makeup tutorials on YouTube, Shivani continues to create a plethora of beautiful and colorful makeup looks on her Instagram handle.

Shivani’s Blog: www.pen-my-blog.com
Shivani’s IG: @penmyblog

1. How has the beauty influencer industry changed since the pandemic and CMCO?

Chanwon: I think most beauty influencers are not too heavily impacted aside from the fact that all events are now cancelled. Hence, we need to figure out how to create our beauty content at home. As I’m actually both a travel and beauty blogger, the biggest impact for me is that I can’t create any travel content during this time. However, I am still able to create beauty content when I receive new products as I can film and share my reviews on social media. As for paid work, it’s all postponed till further notice. So comparing to a few months ago before the pandemic, our income is a little affected I guess.

Emily: It’s been a bit slower than usual. I think brands are more wary of spending money at this time, especially since so many don’t have e-commerce options and people are less likely to head into a physical store these days.

Shivani: Well, launches and product releases have definitely quietened down a little bit. But seeing as most of what we do in beauty has been hosted virtually through socials, we are still alright for now fortunately. 

2. We recently had Mental Health Awareness Day earlier this month. Do you have any tips for self-care during CMCO?

Chanwon: I understand how stressful it is to be confined to our homes, and to worry about our health when we’re outdoors. My self-care tips are home workouts, listening to your favourite music and having a beauty / facial / hair spa at home. I also write down my thoughts in my diary whenever I’m feeling stressed out.

Emily: A lot of people feel the pressure to do something new or improve themselves based on what they’re seeing others do on social media. I think it’s important to remember that people only show their best selves on social media, so you don’t have to try too hard to emulate exactly what you see online. More times than not you’re not seeing the whole picture. Just because you haven’t learned a new skill or started a new business doesn’t mean you’re not doing what’s best for you in that moment. Take your time and do what feels right for you. And keep in constant contact with your friends and family! A little love goes a long way during these challenging times.

Shivani: I think the main focus here is to care for yourself and focus on what you love doing most. Understandably, a lot of us can feel a little bit down during this pandemic period. But it’s always good to remember to nurture your well-being first by doing something that you enjoy that will positively impact your day.

3. Wearing a face mask is the new normal but it can irritate our skin and cause maskne and inflammatory skin conditions like atopic dermatitis and eczema flareups. How has your skincare routine changed in recent months?

Chanwon: Yes, wearing a mask everyday irritates my skin. Our skin can’t breath freely like it used to and I have started to bring along a bottle of hydrating / repairing mist to help reduce the redness and pimples around my mouth / nose area. Also, I try to purchase premium clinical masks which are less likely to cause irritations on my skin.

Emily: I’ve changed my skincare a LOT! It just so happened that I experienced a bad reaction to skincare right when the first MCO started, so I was trying out new things already, and just needed to incorporate them into my daily routine to take into account all that new congestion from wearing masks. I personally have incorporated more salicylic acid into my routine, and I’m using a thicker moisturiser underneath my mask, and both of these things are actually helping a lot to manage the maskne breakouts.

Shivani: I would have to say that my daytime skincare routine has been minimized to a select few products to combat the occasional inflammation and flare-ups from mask-wearing. After all, going minimal is key so that products won’t weigh too heavily on the skin during the day. However, I do try to diligently follow through with my full nighttime routine to replenish and heal my skin. These days, I tend to look for products that can cool and protect the skin. So my product recommendations include Mamonde’s Blue Chamomile Soothing Repair Cream and The Face Shop’s Natural Sun Eco Ice Air Puff Sun. Additionally, if you are having breakouts you can also try the Etude House AC Clean Up Spot Patch. It does wonders in diminishing breakouts and is transparent enough to be undetectable.

4. How has the pandemic or CMCO changed the way you create beauty-related content? What inspires and motivates you during this time?

Chanwon: In terms of location, I now mostly share my content from home. Previously, I loved travelling and taking photos of products outside or overseas but have to do it all at home now. I watch and read a lot of motivational books to motivate myself to move forward.

Emily: I switched over to incorporating more skincare routine videos, and it’s actually gotten a decent response! I still love makeup and create makeup-related videos all the time of course. But it’s nice to have something else to film, and if it helps someone round out or improve their skincare routine, all the better! I think what keeps me inspired is my absolute love for makeup and skincare. I’m always watching and learning, and sometimes trying out things on my own, and these all become little stepping stones for me to create my next piece of content.

Shivani: Well to be honest, I find myself wanting to challenge myself more and master new things whether it is in the form of a new technique, method, design or application. Photography and videography play a huge part of it too. After all, there are so many different things to learn in the beauty industry so the education there is endless. But at the end of the day, it is the interest in trying something new that keeps me motivated and inspired. And that in itself is priceless.

5. Highly-filtered images on social media is paving the way for unrealistic standards of beauty and body image concerns. What are your thoughts on that and what do you do to protect your mental health?

Chanwon: Those who follow me on social media know that I don’t mind sharing pictures of myself with zero makeup on. I think the main thing that I would love to share is to accept who you are. Acceptance makes a huge difference. I share beautiful photos as well as real-life ones online. As long as you accept yourself for who you are and how you look, it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Emily: I think people need to realize that what’s online is filtered, photoshopped, and perfected. Editing apps are so easily accessible these days, so ANYONE could be editing their photos. So many influencers out there are now showing Instagram vs. Reality posts, and I think they’re a healthy dose of realness that the social media realm really needs. The more people own up to doing it, and the more people show what’s real vs what’s not, the more we can change people’s perceptions and therefore expectations of what is beautiful.

Shivani: Usually, I take the weekends off to detox from it all. That means switching off from all social media platforms. Then, I use that time to curl up with a good book or spend time with my family. However, I understand the social pressures of having a picture-perfect image on social media because of visually-enhanced everything is nowadays. Nevertheless, I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Also, I try my best to be as realistic as possible in showing how colours and products really look on my skin. Overall, it’s good to remember that at the end of the day, your beauty is uniquely yours and yours alone.

Credits: A huge thank you to Chanwon, Emily and Shivani for joining us in this special feature. All images here belong to them and are from their respective blogs and social media accounts.

Author: Clara Siew | Date: 28th Oct 2020