Stuck at home? At a loose end? Bored out of your mind or looking to occupy some unexpectedly free time without resorting to mind-numbing day time TV? Here are my top 10 beauty activities that can be performed in the comfort of your own home.

1. Have a soak

Somehow taking a bath never makes it into my schedule. It seems too indulgent to be considered a run-of-the-mill occurrence when a quick shower performs the same function. And the idea of clearing my child’s plastic bath and toys and folding my body in half to fit into our extra small tub (hello London bathrooms) doesn’t appeal. But every time I do make time for a fragrant bath I never regret it. So take this opportunity to introduce (or re-discover) the calming benefits of a pre-bedtime soak with a helping of Blushberry Calming and Balancing Bath Soak or Comfort Zone’s Tranquillity Oil for a little home spa experience.

2. Get masking 

If the lure of a couch and a box set calls, take this opportunity to treat your skin to a mask. Whether nourishing, hydrating or decongesting, your skin will reap the benefits without you having to lift a finger or interrupt your 6-hour Netflix marathon. Try Temple Spa’s The Power Breakfast for a decongested and brightened complexion or Evolve’s Radiant Glow Mask for a super smooth and polished result.

3. Rediscover nail art

As soon as nail art hit my beauty radar back in 2010 (or was it 2011?) I jumped on board that trend. I tried all the polka dot patterns shown in a nail art book my mum had gifted me along with a dotting tool. I experimented with some of my own colour combinations, prompting my sister to compare my wacky nail designs to the sickly complexion of Disney’s The Sword in the Stone villain (step by steps available on this blog if you fancy giving it a go). In 2012 Ciate’s incredible caviar pearls became the height of nail art and I would dedicate many evenings to creating this high maintenance look – but so worth it for the style points. Being stuck at home is a great excuse to dust off those caviar pearls, dotting tools and manicure kits and play around with different colour combinations and effects. Or you can dip your toe in with an accent nail. Just make sure any deep clean activities are completed beforehand.

4. Massage that body

Slapping moisturiser onto dry legs is a task I perform post-shower without much thought or effort going into it. Which is a shame as the body can really benefit from a good draining massage, especially if it’s not getting much exercise. Enter Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm body cream. Its rich thick texture forces me to spend time smoothing it on, offering my skin not only hydration but also some firm massage action.

5. Sculpt those brows

I’ve already shared a few times how much I love tending to my eyebrows. They’re by no means of Cara Delevingne proportions, but I get genuine joy in tidying up their natural shape and filling in my sparse brows with Benefit’s easy-to-use Goof Proof. Granted this product isn’t part of my daily makeup routine, but brow shaping certainly features every other day (much to my husband’s annoyance as I hog precious bathroom time). If you find you never have time for brow shaping, now’s the time to give it a go.

6. Create a fragrance wardrobe

What is your fragrance personality? One bottle at a time only? A stash of your signature scent under the bed, enough to last the next 15 years? Spare time at home can be occupied by bringing out all the fragrances you’ve amassed, from duty free purchases to Christmas gifts, and sorting through them to create a fragrance wardrobe to suit the occasion, the season or your mood.

7. Clean those makeup brushes!

If you’re stuck at home with free time there’s no excuse not to clean those makeup brushes. I’d made this one of my new year beauty resolutions last year, and although it wasn’t a complete success, it was still a definite improvement on previous years. I was aiming for a weekly clean of my brushes but only managed a bi-monthly clean. You can buy specific makeup brush cleaner but I prefer a gentle rub with shampoo, rinsed in warm water and air dried on kitchen towel.

8. Try a new eyeshadow colour

That eye palette where you only use 3 out of the 75 available shades? Give that fuschia shade a go. I promise it looks stunning paired with blue eyes and a navy-blue liner. As you experiment in the safety of your home with no one to comment or judge, be creative, and if you don’t like it there’s always a swipe of Diadermine’s Micellar Lotion.

9. Read a beauty book

Aaaah the joys of an empty Sunday afternoon stretched ahead of you. A spare moment in the week is my cue to start reading a new book. Agreed this is not a beauty treatment as such, but accompanied by a scented candle (try Comfort Zone’s Tranquillity aromatic one) and a fragrant tea it can quickly become one. One of my recent reads was Rodial founder Maria Hatzistefanis’ latest punchy offering, Make it Happen, where the beautypreneur spells out how to motivate yourself and focus your drive and energy to make things happen. Fun, upbeat, motivating and inspiring, you can devour this over a weekend.

10. Sleep

If at a loose end, sleep. Chances are your body and mind could do with it if you’re one of the 16 million UK adults who suffer from sleepless nights. With sleep deprivation (less than 7 hours’ sleep) negatively impacting our waking life (poor concentration, poor memory, increased sickness), it’s more important than ever to improve our sleep hygiene. I should be the first to heed my own advice as I write this at 23h50. Especially as more sleep is one of my new year resolutions. I haven’t tackled this one yet but I have been applying ILoveSkin Face Oil+ every evening which includes lavender essential oil, known for its calming properties and ideal to prepare your body and mind to a restful night’s sleep.

What do you get up to when you’re stuck at home or with a freed-up schedule? Please share your tips and advice by leaving a comment below to let me know.

Includes gifted items