A new year is often synonymous with new beginnings, and what better way to mark that than to shake up your beauty vanity and add some much-needed updates to it. A minimal skincare routine seems to be the go-to brief for many, and there is a smart way to go about it. For many, minimal often means less, but for us – it means switching to minimalist methods than cutting out crucial steps from your routine. Yep, you can still say you are minimal with your routine, even if it goes beyond the basics of CTM.
The idea is to clean up your outdated, messy routine. RN, we bet your vanity looks like a mix of trendy products that are influencer-approved picks, the essentials, and a motley mix of sale hauls. The result is an inconsistent skincare routine that barely shows the expected results.
1. Get Rid Of Empties And Expires
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First things first, open up your beauty cabinet and take stock of everything you have. Toss the empties in a reusable bag and ship them to platforms that will recycle them for you. As for expired skincare products, do not dump them down the drain. Many brands will take your expired products back. If you cannot access returns, there are ways of repurposing them. Toners can be used as cleaning solutions for surfaces, cleansers can in handy to wash makeup brushes, and lotions can polish up your old leather!
2. Skip The AM Foam
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Skip the foamy cleansers in your morning skincare routine; chances are you don’t even need them. Regardless of the cleanser formula, washing your face will strip it of moisture levels, which you will have to compensate by applying more products. Morning skin does not have a lot of dirt or oil buildup, so a gentle swipe with cleansing water is all you need to freshen up the skin. Some ‘skinfluencers’ even swear by just washing their face with cold water in the AM.
3. Tools For Your Minimal Skincare Routine
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Instead of piling up one product on the other, use tools to make the best use of the few products you do have. For instance, regular dry brushing helps with exfoliation and skin smoothening, two products you might need to splurge otherwise. Similarly, use facial tools to offer deep massage on your skin to optimise your beauty products. All you need is a little bit of patience to do it regularly.
4. Look For Multipurpose Products
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Cut down on layering too many products as it can lead to pilling. Opt for multi-ingredient and multipurpose formulations that offer a range of benefits for your skin. Serums, essences, and moisturisers are the perfect picks for this. They stay on your skin for longer compared to cleansers and toners. Look for ingredient combos in exfoliators, hydrators and SPF so that you can shorten the application time and increase the efficacy of your daily minimal skincare routine.
5. Space Out Your Actives
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Active ingredients are essential in a minimal skincare routine, but they are often overdone. This can reduce their efficacy and cause damage to your skin. Use an active in your routine every 12 hours. For instance, if your routine includes both vitamin C and retinol, apply the vit C in the daytime and save the retinol for the night. Do not use two potent active ingredients infused products in the same routine.
6. Settle The Toner Debate
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The argument that toners have no place in a minimal skincare routine does not vibe with us. It completely depends on the skin type. While dry and sensitive skin types can do without a toner; combination, oily and acne-prone skin benefits from it. But make sure you pick the right one – when in doubt, any alcohol-free formulation will do wonders for your skin without irritating it.
7. Build Your Routine According To Skin Needs
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Speaking of skin type, refer to them in terms of building your whole minimal skincare routine. Essentials vary – for instance, sensitive skin types can benefit from replacing weekly facial masks with a daily anti-inflammatory balm for better results. Put together your essential skincare steps according to the exact needs of your skin and you will never go overboard.
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