I'm a skin care enthusiast-obsessed-freak... should I go on? Even though I aspire to live a really simple and unattached/minimalist lifestyle, there are aspects of my life that I cannot bring myself to be simple about; those include my health care and skin care. I might not be (more like am not) the poster girl for minimalist skin care but I've educated myself so much that I have been able to conclude an answer to what are the best and most important steps to do towards achieving a well-rounded skin care routine without being too aggressive about the amount of products used in the process. Here's my list of recommended steps to follow:
Please keep in mind that I am not an expert and, although these are just my suggestions, each person is different
and should cater to their own personal needs. I do not intend to imply that this is the correct way to do skin care, at all.
+ Makeup removal: I probably sound like yet another one of those beauty bloggers that keeps nagging about this but removing your makeup *slash* cleansing your face at the end of the day is so essential for so many reasons: it prevents premature aging, it removes dead cells, it refreshes your face, it removes your makeup off your face, etc. There are many products that can get the job done as well as multiple steps that we can layer to get the thoroughest clean possible. However, it's up to you! Doesn't matter how lazy you are, how expensive the products are, how rare, holy grail, familiar or any-other-scenario the product is, there will be something for you.
+ Tone: Why do we tone? That's an amazing question. Cleansing usually strips our skin from a bunch of essential oils, and resets the natural pH level of our skin. In order to get everything back in track, a refresher (also known as toner) is in order. Refreshers are also really good to prevent acne, close open pores, rehydrate your previously-striped skin, and balance the pH of your skin (which is the essential trait of the toner). Some toners have the ability to reduce redness and sebum production, which is also really important for some people and further calms our souls and lets us know there's a product for everyone!
+ Serum/Spot treatment: This step is actually optional but, for anyone who is concerned with anti-aging or acne or dehydration, etc, this is a great time to include any extra special care to your complexion. Serums are an awesome way to boost up your complexion and add vitamins/antioxidants for a youthful, healthy skin.
+ Eye cream: Some wise person once said that the eyes are the gentlest, most delicate part of your face; with the same pickiness we should take care of them. As a sleepless college student, I am very concerned with puffiness and redness and tiredness and so forth... eye creams have helped me with that (along with improving my sleeping and eating habits, of course). Why should you add an eye cream to your routine? They have the potential to create a smooth canvas for your eye makeup, they can prevent wrinkles prematurely, they can brighten your complexion, they can add more vitamins to your skin, should I keep going?
+ Moisturise: I'm not the first person, nor the last one, to say that moisturising is the key to beautiful, healthy skin. The thing I love about moisturisers is that, well, they're amazing. After I experienced the harshness of New Jersey winter, my life changed and I have never been without a moisturiser again. Moisturiser can act as a "shield" in the sense that you should wear it last so that it locks everything you've done to your face so far but keeps other dirt away from entering this "coat".
+ SPF: Sun protection does not necessarily need to be included in a night-time routine but should be important, if not essential, in our everyday makeup/morning routines. Just as moisturiser is the key to healthy, glowy skin, SPF is the key to youthful, untouched, flawless skin. UV sun rays have the ability to mark our skin, along with potentially giving us skin cancer if we are exposed to them for too much. I've learned that UV rays are an amazing source of vitamin D, which is essential for bone strength and myelin synthesis for our neurons (I'm getting a little MD over here, let me get back on track), but there's nothing a little supplement can't do so it's completely worth protecting for!
As you can see, there is a way to make your skin care regime minimalistic. There are many ways in which you can personalise your skin care routine, skipping or adding steps from the ones mentioned above. Remember that everyone's skin is unique and you should find whatever fits best with your complexion, lifestyle and budget!
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