Let’s have some fun this week + talk about the latest skincare trend - Skinstreaming! What is it? Why should you care? How can it save you time + money - while also improving results?
Welcome to The LIFT
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EMBRACING SKINIMALISM
As a woman in her 50s working in the skincare industry for the last eight years, I can assure you that I’ve tried a LOT of products.
It’s funny because I used to be such a ‘minimalist’. Most of my adult life, my daily skincare routine consisted of two steps - a bar of Dove soap + an Aveeno moisturizer with SPF. My sensitive skin made me fearful of products. If it didn’t come from my dermatologist, I didn’t touch it.
Fast forward to my 50s, when all of those years of sun damage caught up with me + I finally learned the value of a simple, but quality, skin care regimen. That’s when I started learning about harmful ingredients in skin care + the lack of regulation in the industry. I started to connect the dots between body burden + menopause. More importantly, I started to learn the true cost of beauty + how to love my aging face.
Isn’t it amazing what we will try + how much we will spend to get rid of a wrinkle on our forehead or dark circles under our eyes?
Most of us rarely make the effort to understand ingredients or to consider their impact on our long-term health. We just want something that makes us look younger NOW. You can’t even visit your dermatologist's office these days without a barrage of advertising for treatment options to ‘erase time’ + ‘bring out your inner beauty’.
This whole topic is one of the reasons I named this publication ‘The LIFT’. It’s a nod to the fact that we all want to lift something - the sags + bags of time. We are all looking for ways to ‘perk’ things up at this stage of life.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Whether you are the type of person who tries every serum + magic potion you can afford or you are a person who is totally overwhelmed by all of the options, there is probably a happy medium in there somewhere.
This new skincare trend - skinstreaming - just might be the answer. It’s the idea of streamlining your skincare routine to just a few products that you swear by + love. It’s about investing in just those core quality products that really work for you - the same way you would build a wardrobe of classic, timeless pieces.
Like anything, it might take some time to really get it dialed in for yourself, but once you do, you can set it + forget it.
The best part is that you can stop the constant pursuit of chasing something better + just enjoy the results that only good ingredients + consistency can deliver.
If you haven’t dialed in your routine just yet or you are struggling with specific skincare concerns like dryness, redness, sensitivity, dullness, sagging, etc. - hopefully these tips will help you get on a solid path to happy skin.
And, if you are already buried in bottles of serums + creams that you have given up on or rarely use, it might be time to start fresh + streamline your routine.
THE CORE FOUR
To keep it super simple, I always think of skincare in four steps:
Cleanse - Getting rid of the grime, makeup, etc.
Prep - Balancing the skin to absorb nutrients
Treat - Serums or special treatments to nourish + repair
Protect - Moisturizer to seal in everything + protect. And, don’t forget SPF!
If four steps is too many for you, step 1 + 4 are the most important: cleanse + protect.
If you like adding serums or treatments, you won’t want to miss steps 2 + 3.
Once you figure these out + know what works best for your skin, you can focus on what really matters - quality + consistency.
SKIN HEALTH
Your skin is your largest organ. And, just like every other organ in your body, it needs nutrition, hydration + oxygen. On the regular!
What it does NOT need is ingredients that add to your body burden - things like parabens, pthlathates, fragrance/parfum, petrolatum/mineral oil, BHT, PEG compounds, formaldehyde, oxybenzone, octinoxate, retinyl palmitate + retinol.
Think of all our skin does for us:
protects us from things in our outside world, like germs, toxins, sun + cold
regulates our body temperature
allows us to feel sensations like heat, itching + pain
stores things like water + fat
produces hormones
We tend to think of our skin as a ‘wrap’ rather than a living, breathing organ. We see it as part of our appearance. Not our health. Like it’s just there to hold everything in place, not serving a real function in contributing to our overall health.
Just like the rest of your organs, if you want your skin to perform at its best, you have to give it what it needs - clean, purposeful nutrients, hydration + oxygen.
Think about how you feed yourself. When you eat clean, your body works better, looks better + feels better. The same is true for your skin.
When you feed your skin well + remove the toxins, it performs better, looks better + feels better. Healthy skin has a healthy glow.
And, just like food – ingredients matter.
You want skin care products that are designed to provide the nourishment, hydration + protection your skin needs. But, none of the junk that it doesn’t need.
How do you know if your skin is getting what it needs?
Well, it’s pretty easy to tell. If your skin feels taut, dry, oily or irritated…it’s telling you something. It’s looking for something.
When I advise people about their skin care regimen, I usually recommend that you start with the core basics from the list above. You can always build + customize from there. Kind of like nutrition. You need vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, legumes, nuts + seeds. From there, you can customize based on what you demand from your body on a daily basis + the environment you live in.
SOLUTIONS TO SKINSTREAMING
I love helping put together individual skincare regimens, so reach out if you’d like some input or personalized recommendations.
I’m a huge fan + brand advocate for Beautycounter + their products. If you haven’t tried them yet, check out my recommendations below. They are having a sitewide sale right now (20% off). First time customers also get a FREE Clean Deo with their purchase by using the promo code CLEANFORALL20.
If you decide to do any shopping, feel free to reach out to me directly. I can help curate products based on your specific skin concerns + budget. Plus, I can usually save you a few extra bucks!
Check out the SKINSTREAMING solutions I have assembled below based on skin type + approach. You can take your pick to start simplifying + streamlining your routine to improve results (plus, save time + money in the process).
The Ultra Minimalist: For Sensitive Skin (Super gentle ingredients, effective + budget-friendly)
Skinstreaming Basics: For Normal Skin (Clean, effective, brightens + nourishes)
Skinstreaming without Compromise: For Aging/Dry Skin (High performance, results-driven, transformative & rejuvenating)
And yes, when you shop with my links, you are helping support me + my work because I get a small commission. You are also helping support a larger mission to ensure the beauty industry is cleaner for everyone. Most importantly, you’re getting some amazing products that are safer for you + the planet. And, you have a full 60 days to try them out + make sure they are right for you with a full refund policy.
If you need recommendations for other clean brands, don’t hesitate to ask. I am happy to point you to other options + brands. These just happen to be my favorites + on sale right now!
Happy Skinstreaming!
YOUR MISSION:
Take a look at your current skincare routine. It is on point? Is it lost at sea? Are you happy with the results? Is something missing? Do you have questions you’d like to ask? Are you taking good care of your skin?
RESOURCES:
IN SUMMARY:
If you need help filling in some of the gaps in your routine or deciding how to address specific skincare concerns you have, please reach out. I’m happy to make some recommendations or hook you up with some free samples.
And, if you are looking for ways to improve your health overall - especially around menopause - visit my website or follow me on Instagram: @itMayBeMenopause.
See you next week?
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@itmaybemenopause.com
Instagram: @itmaybemenopause
Oh, the agony of aging and skincare. I simply want to soften the aging process, not erase it. Easier said than done. Thank you for the recommendations and the great article.
Loving this advice! I have my one all-in-one go to that I’ve used for years with amazing results, but I do love to add BeautyCounter in such as the Vitamin C serum and Bamboo Buff Polish which are my favorites! I also just recently tried the hyaluronic acid lipstick which is bomb!