My Favorite Affordable Skincare Routine As a Minimalist
PC: Florré
I don’t love beauty like I love fashion. With fashion, I think spending over $1,000 on a coat makes total sense, but in beauty, I want only the best affordable skincare. I flinch when anything costs over $30. I’m hesitant to accept freebies from fashion brands, preferring to spend my own money if it means picking something that feels 100% like me. But in beauty, I say give me all the free stuff. I don’t care what’s “in”, I just don’t want to buy it myself.
Luckily, in my job, beauty and fashion typically run under the same roof. So if the beauty team is testing products in a skincare category, I’m usually a part of that study. Throughout my five years in the fashion and beauty space, I’ve tested dozens of products and am pleased to say: some of this shi* really works.
I don’t want my bathroom to house a million products. I don’t want to spend more than 10 minutes every morning on my face. I want a handful of the good stuff that’s efficient, non-irritating, not obscenely expensive, and sans all the unnecessary marketing fluff. And I still want my skin to look like a smooth egg. So here’s what I found out really works, and I would be willing to (or have already) spend my own money to buy again.
I’m also including my non-negotiables from Japan. These are beauty products I can get at my local Japanese supermarket (and I’ve found online for you) and usually cost $15 or less. They work better than many of the more expensive US products I’ve tried and therefore are a no-brainer for me. So without further ado, here are all the best beauty products I’ve tried as someone who can’t be arsed.
At Night
Switched from Neutrogena’s makeup-removing wipes to this cleansing balm, which melts away all my makeup without the need to pull or tug at my skin. This one bottle lasted me just under a year, which feels like a steal.
This is the only face wash you’ll ever need. It smells amazing, lasts forever, and costs under $10. You only need a tiny dollop to cleanse away the day’s grime.
Japan’s best retinol cream! It includes both pure retinol and retinyl palmitate as well as fermented soymilk and ceramides. It’s fragrance-free and feels delightfully gentle.
I stopped using creams at night in favor of this moisturizing gel. It feels 10x more hydrating, and I wake up looking rejuvenated and youthful. When I wash my face in the morning, I can still feel the effects of the gel on my skin. Truly a wonderful product.
In The Morning
Been really into using PDRN in the mornings. I highly recommend this one from Medicube—this, combined with a vitamin C serum, really makes your skin glow.
Speaking of vitamin C serums, this is the one I use! It really helped make some of my dark spots disappear; couldn’t recommend it enough.
Moisturizers are probably one of the things I test the most. So when I say this is the best one—and the one I always go back to when I’m not testing—believe me. It has a delightful (and gentle) aroma and feels extremely friendly, almost like whipped butter. There’s a visible difference in how tight and smooth my skin looks when I’m using this.
Gua Sha, $29
I have to gua sha every morning. I’m very puffy in the AM and have terrible lymphatic drainage, so I need to do it manually. I personally like the stainless steel ones because I can keep them in the fridge for a cool touch.
Skin Aqua Sunscreen, $13
Last but not least, sunscreen! I use Japanese sunscreens because they don’t feel tacky or heavy. I also like the Supergoop Unseen sunscreen if you’re looking for something available at your local beauty store.
Bonus
Borboleta Lash Serum, $39
Not an everyday necessity, but if you’re looking for a good lash growth serum, I really recommend this one. I wrote a full review on my blog a while ago if you’re interested in my experience and want to see pics
Mutha Body Scrub, $30
As I’ve gotten older, I realized my legs don’t feel as smooth as they used to. Part of it is sun damage; the other is (I guess) how my leg hair grows back after I shave… it made me want to start using a body scrub to help recover my youthful texture. This body scrub solved the problem for me!!! It’s grainy, so it can feel a little bit rough. I’m not sure how this would perform on super sensitive skin, but for me, it worked like a dream.
