What is make-up free and skinimalism?
Make-up free and skinimalism are two inherently connected new trends. They are paired naturally as they both put emphasis on letting our inner beauty shine through.
What is skinimalism?
The term is coined as a combination of skin and minimalism. It reflects the idea that the best skincare routine is based on a minimalistic approach. We have all read about the Korean 10-step routine and many of us have practise it. Other trends also recommend incorporating numerous beauty products in our skincare, making it elaborate and time-consuming. Such an approach may have its charm and benefits but, like anything else, it also has its downsides. Sometimes ‘less is more’ especially when it comes to skin issues. Problems like acne and maskne breakouts, inflammation, sensitivity due to stress, redness and irritation, and allergic reactions may indicate that we overload our skin with more than it can handle. Sometimes the winning approach is, instead of wondering what else we can add, we should think about what we can start removing. In other words – less is more. Imagine having 10 different products in your daily routine. All of them have fragrances and preservatives which are among the most common triggers for allergic reactions and irritations. Our skin may tolerate well 2 to 3 of them but all the 10 at once? Or imagine putting a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid and layering a rich moisturizer with hyaluronic acid on top of it when you have oily skin prone to dehydration. The skin may get more that the needed hydration and definitely more than the needed emollients. Getting well-hydrated but clogged skin is not the best idea nor is cleansing the skin with oil-based followed by water-based cleanser every day. Does our skin have the chance to really get that dirty?
How to start practising skinimalism?
Many dermatologists have recently reported a significant number of patients suffering from skin problems caused by overusing beauty products. Their professional advice in such cases is to put our skin on a healthy diet. This is what skinimalism is about – reducing the number of products to the essential ones, keeping a simple routine and allowing our skin to regenerate itself. It is not an easy task in today’s world when we are constantly targeted by advertisements and information from influencers and beauty gurus. We need to keep in mind that whatever they might recommend can’t be “one size fits all”. One person can’t have oily, dry, sensitive, mature, young etc. skin at the same time. What works for them may not work for us. Their recommendations are based on their needs, and so should each individual skincare – personalized and adapted to our individual needs.
In order to find our personal needs, the elimination diet is a good approach – stop using all the products but a gentle cleanser, a simple moisturizer and a gentle sunscreen. Let your skin take a rest for a month and then start incorporating new products, one at a time, giving enough time for each to show its effect. We live in the era of instant gratification – we want it all and we want it now. But this is not how our skin works. Did you know that cosmetic active ingredients are tested on volunteers for 28 and 84 days to show effect? It is well known that it takes at least 4 weeks for any result to show and three months for a long-lasting effect. Based on that, how can we expect a product to perform a miracle in 1-2 days or a week? Consistency is key. We need to commit ourselves to a certain routine before we see it working.
The more we practise skinimalism and ensure we have healthy skincare, the less makeup we will need. Makeup is wonderful when used to highlight our best features but it is also used to conceal and fix skin flaws. If we can achieve flawless skin by removing unnecessary products and only keeping the right ones, we can let the world see our true selves with positivity and self-approval. The healthy natural skin glow is incomparable, it shines softly like a pearl. Mind you, trying new products and wearing makeup is fun and it’s fine. Overusing beauty products and makeup is what skinimalism and makeup-free trends suggest we should avoid. It’s all about balance. Sometimes it’s perfectly fine if we cleanse our face, spray some La Thea Rose Water and go to bed. Our skin will thank us for letting it breathe.