Despite having a very simple beauty routine compared to some, I sometimes wonder why I struggle a bit with acne while Boyfriend enjoys largely clear skin, despite the fact that he does absolutely nothing for it. A few weeks ago, I decided to change things in a rather large way.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve gone without any face or eye makeup at all and I wash my face only with water and a clean washcloth in the evening and water only in the mornings. It’s a lovely simple routine and I don’t have to worry if I occasionally forget to wash up at night because I’m not wearing makeup to clog things.
Going without products has taught me about my skin. I’ve realized that I actually have patches of dry skin when I put nothing on my skin. To avoid this, I use five drops of rosehip seed oil patted into my skin at night and Badger Balm rose-scented sunscreen during the day. It sinks in and prevents dryness without giving me greasy skin and it smells lovely.
Other than that, I wear my red lipstick. And that’s it.
Obviously, when I act, I still have to wear some makeup. As one show is in tech right now, I’ve been experimenting with using grapeseed oil followed by my homemade soap to remove the makeup. I think because I only wear makeup for a few hours at a time instead of all day, it doesn’t irritate my skin as much.
Perhaps I shall stick to this, or perhaps I shall need more come summer when the heat makes me sweat, but for now, I’m enjoying my simple routine.
Very interesting! Isn’t it fascinating (and helpful) what one can learn about themselves by altering an element of their usual routine. I really can’t explain this (unless perhaps it works as a barrier against environmental pollutants and the like and/or locks in moisture), but my dry, sensitive skin is often happier and better looking when I wear makeup (I don’t mean that I look more attractive, but rather that the health of my skin often is better, so long as the products I’m using are ones that my skin is currently happy with). I don’t wear it everyday by any means though, especially if I’m not leaving the house. When I don’t (wear it), I make a point to use a gentle scrub, followed by a good (gentle) moisturizer, and find that often helps counter not wearing makeup (which we should all do at least sometimes – skin needs to breath fresh, unencumbered air!).
Big hugs & happy start of December wishes!
♥ Jessica
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I imagine for very dry skin, certain makeup products would help keep the skin from losing moisture throughout the day. I was actually quite surprised to find dryness in my own skin because I’ve always thought of it as oily, but perhaps that was just the makeup I used. It is fascinating. Lovely December wishes to you, too!
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After reading Skin Cleanse by the founder of S.W. Basics (simple skin care), I’ve cut back on the number of products I use. I do love nice products — and the pampering process of caring for my skin, so I cannot imagine streamlining my routine to the point of washcloth and water.
However, I do think it’s important to do just that from time to time. Please share the results of your new routine after a few months.
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I actually agree. I love the idea behind S.W. Basics, but since my skin hates shea butter, I can’t use their skin cream. I’ve actually wrapped up my experiment. I thought of it kind of like a cleanse, to get an idea of my skin’s baseline. I realized that I need moisture during the day, the rosehip oil was working for me, and I needed a gentle cleanser and some exfoliation a couple times a week. I’ve started using a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser and rosehip oil in the evening, and rinsing with water and following with a light moisturizer in the mornings. Once a week in the evening, I exfoliate before I cleanse. Thankes for commenting!
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