I’m In My Villain Era, But I Still Exfoliate

Everyone’s talking about their villain era, that beautifully reckless phase when you stop people-pleasing, set boundaries like booby traps, and finally start saying no. But here’s the thing no one tells you: even at your most chaotic, you still remove your makeup properly. You might ghost a date, but you’ll never go to bed without double-cleansing.

It’s funny, we’ll let our love lives implode, but not our barrier function. Because deep down, we know the real villain move is control. And what’s more controlled than a disciplined skincare routine in a messy emotional season?

1. Emotional Chaos, Routine Discipline

For all its cinematic drama, the villain era is mostly paperwork and boundary-setting. It’s quiet revenge. It’s knowing that exfoliating regularly and blocking exes have the same emotional payoff, both remove dead layers. When everything else is spiralling, routine becomes rebellion. You might not answer texts, but you’ll always answer your toner. You still use Paula’s Choice BHA like gospel and apply Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery as if it’s penance.

Because discipline is seductive. And the real plot twist is that Consistency ages better than rage.

2. The Psychology of Clean Skin During Messy Times

There’s science to this. When life is unstable, your brain looks for predictable rituals, things that soothe the nervous system. Skincare does that. Cleansing, layering, moisturising, these aren’t just surface acts; they’re sensory regulation.

A behavioural therapist once told me: “A skincare routine is the modern cigarette break.” It’s something to do with your hands while you process disappointment. So yes, maybe you’re unhinged. But your pores? Calm, composed, glowing.

3. The Aesthetic of the Anti-Heroine

We’ve all seen her, on screen, in mirror selfies, in that smudge of dark lipstick that says, “I’m fine, but don’t test it.”

She’s the one with slick hair, red nails, and resting-boss energy. Julia Fox. Zendaya in her Fenty face. Kareena Kapoor Khan, when she decides she’s too tired for nuance. The villain era aesthetic is restraint meets excess: the matte black liner, the gloss that looks like danger, the hair that doesn’t move.

It’s the Dior 999 red lip, Rhode Peptide Lip Tint, or a bottle of Maison Margiela Replica “By the Fireplace” — soft smoke and control issues in equal measure.

4. Redemptive Chaos (or: Why We’ll Always Moisturise)

Being a “villain” isn’t about destruction; it’s about detachment. You’re not trying to look perfect, you’re trying to feel powerful. And skincare gives you that illusion of order when everything else is emotional jazz. So, you exfoliate with Dr. Dennis Gross Peel Pads after crying. You slather on La Mer Crème like it’s armour. You wear SPF 50 because chaos is temporary, but pigmentation isn’t.

You’re not getting ready for anyone. You’re maintaining the version of yourself that’s still holding it together, serum by serum.

5. The Soft Power of Still Caring

The truth is, self-care isn’t cancelled just because you’re disillusioned.

Even villains hydrate.
Even villains cleanse.
Even villains go to therapy, or at least moisturise enough to fake emotional stability on Zoom.

Because the real villain era isn’t about revenge. It’s about retinol. Call it your anti-hero arc or your skincare redemption, either way, you’re doing better than you think.

You’re emotionally unavailable, slightly unstable, and very well exfoliated. And in 2025, that’s the only kind of balance that counts.

Also Read

The Beauty Editor’s Side Table: My AM–PM Rituals In All Their Chaotic Glory

Living In The 20-Year Nostalgia Loop (With Better Hair)