If there is one collective lesson that has been forced upon us in 2020, it’s that it’s okay to do less.
Where timeout was once associated with laziness, something worthy of guilt, this year is evidence to the contrary. 2020, thus far, has proven that doing less is sometimes necessary and often paramount to our overall wellbeing.
Admittedly, my preferred state of being is a busy one, but I am acutely aware that pulling back is essential and that doing so isn’t at all unproductive- in fact, paring our routine back is one of the most productive things we can do.
While I may not have fully embraced a less is more approach day to day, I have applied a similar ethos to my skincare regimen. “Skip-care” and the “skincare diet” are two trends, both originating from Korea (as most skincare trends do), that reached mainstream popularity in 2018 and have experienced a resurgence in 2020 as we collectively move towards a more minimalist approach to beauty. On researching both trends, it dawned on me that I had, unknowingly, been following the principles of the latter for some years now.
The practice itself is simple- doing less, to focus on the elements of our routine that are of real, lasting importance.
What is “skip-care?”
Skip-care is a routine involving less steps than your regular skincare routine with the intention of seeing the same skincare benefits as you ordinarily would. Think less physical products but more multitaskers, to deliver results comparable to a 10 step routine. To truly master skip-care, you must begin by identifying which ingredients in your routine are really having a positive impact on your skin. From there, you can cull any products that aren’t pulling their weight- like Marie Kondo, but for your beauty routine.
Rather than double cleansing, cocktailing your serums, adding drops of oil into your moisturiser and adding an eye cream into the mix, skip-care entails you carefully selecting only a few products, all formulated to deliver the results you’re after- think one multi-benefit facial serum formulated to brighten, hydrate and exfoliate, rather than layering a handful single-ingredient serums or oils, each designed to do one of the above. The idea is that the simpler and more manageable your skincare routine, the more likely you are to actually follow it.
What is a “skincare diet?”
Much like those who choose to embrace skip-care, followers of the skincare diet are also required to pare back their routine. Rather than focusing on multi-taskers, however, the skincare diet is all about stripping things back to the absolute bare minimum for healthy skin.
The skincare diet is all about minimalism, eliminating any potential irritants from your routine (yes, that means the bulk of your actives), making cleansing an evening exclusive and focusing solely on products formulated to restore your skin’s lip barrier- a great cleanser, a moisturiser and a sunscreen.
Although I find most diets and detoxes to be of detriment to a person’s health, I can say in complete confidence that the skincare diet actually works- when it’s executed properly. Akin to a lemon detox, the skincare diet isn’t designed to be undertaken for life. Instead, the skincare diet has been devised to help you hit “reset” on your skin, healing irritations (hence eliminating any irritants from your routine) and restoring your skin to its optimal function and health. From there, you can slowly and gradually add active ingredients and more potent formulas back into your routine.
I, unknowingly, have eased in and out of a similar skincare diet for years now, instead referring to it as my “skin reset” period- the time between product trials during which I revert to a slightly more stripped back routine consisting only of products that I know my skin reacts well to in an attempt to restore my skin to its factory (read: baby skin) settings before I undergo my next trial. I apply similar principles to my trials, too, sticking to a minimalist routine where possible, one that I know will deliver the same results time and time again, so that I can isolate any changes in my skin and link them back to the trial product I have added into the mix. I have found this approach to skincare to be far more beneficial than trialling a number of new products at once, and although it limits the number of trials I have capacity for each year, it has ensured that my skin can bounce back to full health quickly should it come into contact with an ingredient that might sensitise it.
Where most traditional detoxes do very little for our overall health, occasionally dipping into a less-is-more skincare diet may well be the secret to optimal skin function.
Photography: Melissa Cowan
Hair & Makeup: Sophia Pafitis
Model: Kate Mogg at Precision MGMT
Styling & Art Direction: Gemma Watts
This article is not sponsored and all views are the author’s own.
