Finding the perfect face mask - Liam Rudden

Like me, if that is your ‘new normal’ routine for leaving the house in these ‘unprecedented’ times, you too may have faced the challenge of finding a mask to suit your face.

As someone said to me the other day, however, masks may be in, but do you really need your wallet? They are so 2019. It’s true. When I think about it, there’s no real reason to carry one anymore. Having cancelled the bus pass when I started working from home and, like many, paying as I go with my phone for everything from the weekly shop to take away deliveries, my wallet is basically redundant. And to think, a cashless society was something that frustrated me as recently as February (when I reviewed my first card only hotel), yet now I find it strange to find cash in my pockets.

The biggest change, however, is the need for a face covering, be it a snood, scarf or mask. Already, the new must-have accessory, the collection is growing by the day. My first instinct was to kill two birds with one stone and get a couple of masks in my team colours, blue and gold. A simple enough task in principal, in practice it turned into a nightmare.

No matter how many Esty shops I scrolled through, not one had the right shades. Instead, I made the rookie mistake of ordering a couple of snoods from an online store, which appeared to be in the US, but, as I discovered, dispatched from China. Needless to say, some weeks on and one Paypal dispute later I’m still waiting for Hermes to deliver.

In the meantime, my first face mask came courtesy of a kind neighbour who, having made a couple of masks for herself, then made one for everyone in the stair. Leaving them with a note in the communal stairwell, she invited everyone to help themselves. Who said community spirit is dead? Thank you Flat 6.

Of course, as masks must be cleaned regularly, another stand-by is a must - that’ll be my cosmic mask. Spotted online, it depicts, well, the cosmos, as the name suggests. Since buying it, however, every advert on both my Facebook and Instagram feeds since has been for masks. Mmm?

Earlier this week, I was tipped off to a local ‘mask-maker’ by a friend. Her pal was making just the masks I’d been searching for in the Monarchs colours.

Jen, at Wren and Thistle, turned her hand to making face coverings when the closure of Edinburgh’s theatres saw her forced to find something to fill her time as demand for her skills in costume and wardrobe dried up over night.

Ordering two of each colour, Jen delivered in a couple of days - they’re a great fit, comfortable and at £6 each, reasonable too. If you’d like to support a talented local maker, check out her work at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WrenandThistle

Of course, as sod’s law dictates, now that I’ve tracked down the colours I was after, Edinburgh Monarchs have produced their own face coverings, branded and sporting their very own tartan.

So now I have a mask for every occasion, just have get used to wearing the darned things.

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