want to simplify your skin routine?
the basics I’d choose if I had to start over and keep it minimal, and is Vaseline natural? let's dive into it.
Hello!
Today we’ll dissect a famous beauty brand’s misleading marketing and I share my favourite skipcare products - but first let’s start with some beauty + wellness related media you don’t want to miss:
Interview magazine started a new beauty series called FACE CARD and its cute! here they interview model and icon Paloma Elsesser
in China, designer sun-protection face coverings known as “facekinis” are popularising a look previously favoured by bank robbers. The communist party is not a fan - The Economist
Allure just posted this GRWM video of Julia Fox. During a period where I focused on overcoming perfectionism, she grounded me, both as an emotional anchor and as an archetype of imperfection and authenticity I could look up to. She just has that aura of realness, no media training, unfiltered opinions on everything, embracing messy make-up. Not sure if I would vibe with her irl but she definitely still is an icon for the girls and the gays.
Some wisdom by ava perki - especially if the molecular structure is the same *crying emoji* - and before you start talking about sustainability: natural ingredients are often less sustainable than synthetic ones but that’s a talk for another day.
Pamela Anderson is SUCH an inspiration to me. I love listening to her, here’s a beautiful recent interview on beauty and self worth:
Everything about Peptides by Dr. Shereene Idriss - skip to 1:55 for the peptide talk:
Is Vaseline “natural”?
CREATING A MINIMAL SKIN ROUTINE FROM SCRATCH
I have been a big fan of many-step K-beauty inspired routines since 2016 but some seasons in my life, I looove keeping it minimal. This is how I would build a “skipcare” routine from scratch:
STEP 1: CLEANSE
For context: when I’m NOT practicing a minimal/skipcare routine, I do a 2 minute double cleanse in the evening and a 30 sec. single cleanse in the morning.
Double: We all know that double cleansing is amazing and can make ALL the difference when it comes to your skin goals. But the choice is personal, and it depends on your technique and how much time you think you have. Oil cleansers can worsen acne when they’re not rinsed off well enough, plus some people simply don’t have the time to double cleanse.
Depending on my skin’s needs, I still usually double cleanse even on my most minimal routine days.
Starting with an oil cleanser: apply directly to dry skin (this is key), massage for at least 30 seconds to dissolve excess oil, dirt, sunscreen and pollution before adding lukewarm water to rinse off.
Second cleanse: a water based cleanser with or without foam. Despite your beliefs (this one really got dragged through the skincare misinformation machine) SLS is totally fine, and despite brands doing it, it’s actually illegal to claim “free from SLS” on your cosmetics packaging in Europe. Why is SLS fine? yes in THEORY it can be drying in very high doses (which never happens) or in bad formulations but thank god we are blessed with strict dose restriction regulation. I have also encountered drying, skin stripping cleansers without SLS. As always, formulation says more about efficacy, safety and customer experience than a focus on a single ingredient - out of context. I hope you feel less fearful about SLS now. I am aware that I digress.
Single: If you want one product to cleanse with, you can search for rinse off micellar cleansers, like this one from La Roche Posay. Since micellar cleansers have tiny oily particles in them, this is basically a 2 in one cleanser. In my experience, most “2 in 1” oil cleansers don’t work that well, and are unable to remove their own oily residue. Since this can lead to blemishes, I tend to avoid most of those.
STEP 2: EXFOLIATE, NOT EVERY DAY PER SE
This will depend on your personal skin goals. But for everyone except for people with intense medical skin issues I would include a gentle chemical exfoliant with Mandelic acid, Lactic acid, PHA and/or fruit enzymes. If your skin is not sensitive like mine, you can also use Glycolic acid daily in a dose between 3-10% for max. efficacy.
Exfoliants speed up cell turn over, they work as tiny vacuum cleaners for dead skin cells and help reduce hyperpigmentation, blemishes and even wrinkles. They basically make skin more radiant and youthful, like the age you feel you are.
You can opt to go very minimal and use it only 1-3x a week in a higher dose. For example if your skin is not sensitive you can use products with between 10-20% glycolic acid or mandelic acid, some are rinse off and some are leave on products, please be aware of this before you use them.
Let me bless you with some exfoliating favourites:
For daily use with 4% lactic and 4% glycolic acid: Isntree Chestnut AHA 8% exfoliant
I would personally use this one 2-3 times a week: The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10%
A very gentle one with PHA and BHA by Geek & Gorgeous
if you like intense, potent formulations and love luxury skincare: U beauty’s relatively new (ok not thát new) Flash peel is meant to be used once a week.
STEP 3: TREAT
What are your main skin goals? This step is where you apply the 'medicine’ for your face. The ingredients with the most scientific evidence behind them are: