Not very long ago, I sat down with a few girls and we got round to talking about skincare – what else eh? 😀 As we chatted, I was asked what I did for my skin care and what I used. Now, having a new found love for skincare, I have been doing a lot of homework and messing around and I was quite happy to talk about what I’d learned and what I did.
So, happily I started by saying “Ok, let’s start with cleansing. On makeup days, I cleanse 3 times and I use… ” and I started explaining how I would go at it with a micellar water and then onto a cleansing balm… and I noticed that their eyes had glazed over. I could have said “…and I finish off by applying nightingale poop all over and sealing with whale blubber” and no one would have batted an eyelid at this point.
But when they woke up from their reverie, they exclaimed at how long the process took and how troublesome it was and wasn’t there an easier, quicker way? Couldn’t they just use an all in one product, wash their face in one step, apply one cream and go off to bed? It was just too tiring and too much work applying potions and lotions and oils and creams…
And I got to wondering. Do you consider your skin care a routine or a chore?
Do you try to find quicker ways to cleanse your face each day, hoping to be able to settle with just 1 product and be done with it? For some, the cleansing oil serves the best purpose for this. It removes makeup and cleanses your face in one go. For others, a cleansing wipe does an even better job – they don’t even have to touch a drop of water!
Do you prefer using just 1 face cream day and night, to suit most if not all your needs? I find that many girls who have good skin tend to go down this route. Because they have little to no problems with their skin, they fancy that a quick wash and cream will do the job. Anything longer than a cleanse and moisturise is a chore. It takes too long! I’m too tired! I want to sleep! I’m too lazy!
I personally enjoy my skincare routines, both morning and evening. In the mornings, it is shorter but I do still put on more products than many people I know. The evening routine is much longer. As I have said, my makeup removal and cleansing process alone takes 3 steps and I savour each and every one of them.
I don’t rush, and I take my time. I could be exhausted or I could have just returned home after midnight, my Cinderella ballgown turned to rags, my coach turned into a pumpkin, but I never stint on my skincare time. I go through my whole routine from start to finish, cleansing, massaging, oiling, mixing, matching my potions and lotions and creams as I go.
I’ve never found it a chore, personally. Skincare has always been a personal interest for me and realising just how well my skin responds to certain techniques, routines and combinations of products gives me that impetus to stick to the routine day or night, early or late. My whole routine including taking my shower (as part of my face cleansing happens in the shower) could take up to half an hour with just 10-15 minutes alone spent with my lotions, potions, oils and creams like a mad scientist 😀 For me, that isn’t very long at all but to some, that’s eternity!
I find the few minutes I spend with my skin care calming and relaxing and it helps put me in the right frame of mind, whether to start the day or to end it. It is my time and I never ever find that a chore.
However, I would be very interested to know what you think – be honest now! There’s no harm admitting you find using skincare a chore because I know many people do! 😀
Do you find putting on skin care a comfortable routine or a chore? Do you wish there was a quicker, easier way to better skin?
Be honest! You don’t have to feel intimidated that people might laugh because if you do find using skin care a chore, I’d love to know why 😀
Paris B
Jennifer says
Love your family and friends, and they will love you back. Similarly, love your skin and it will love you back. I know I have definitely seen and experience better state of skin now than before. I used to have flaky skin and rashes on my face, thinking that I have food allergy and stress. These days, I have quite smooth and clear skin. There are some days which I skip my night skin routine due to work fatigue but I still cleanse my face thoroughly. Another way is, I try to incorporate skincare routine which I know that I can follow through, e.g.
– I am not a cleansing balm person yet, so I use cleansing oil and cleanser instead
– Hada Labo toner requires patting which can be a drag but I am ok with it, so no excuses not to pat pat pat 🙂
What I have learnt is, the more I spend time with my face in the evenings for cleansing and skincare routine, it is surprisingly therapeutic (but ok, I do get lazy syndrome once in a while). Some days, I massage my face with cleansing oil and feel my cheekbone, scrub the area around my T-zone or peel off the Kose mask. I think the key is to incorporate skincare routine that we are comfortable with, otherwise it will turn into a chore, in turn reducing the pleasure of what’s supposed to be good for our skin.
Paris B says
Good advice Jennifer! We have to love our skin for it to look its best 🙂 It’s good to know that you’ve worked out what works for you and how best to incorporate it into your lifestyle which is ultimately what it’s all about. Nothing good was achieved without a little hard work and that applies to skincare too 😀
Emy Shin says
I guess I’m in the minority here, because I find my skincare routine to be a chore. I do have a proper — and entirely too long — routine, with double cleansing and multiple serums / oils / moisturizers; however, I always have to force myself to go through it every day.
The problem for me isn’t how many products I’m using, but rather the steps I have to break my routine down into. For example, if I’m using Retin-A on a certain night, I’d have to wash my face and put on some toner, wait half an hour for my skin to be completely dry, put on Retin-A, wait another hour or two, and THEN proceed with the rest of my skincare routine (especially if I’m using a serum/oil with Vit C). Some days, I’d forget or fall asleep before going through all the steps.
Paris B says
Hey Emy, in the minority but not alone! 😀 I like though that despite finding it a chore, you do it anyway and that’s discipline. I didn’t know about waiting between applying products. I don’t usually do so (but I don’t use Retin-A) as I layer each of them over the other.
Seraph says
Quite an interesting read you got there Paris… For most days its a routine coz its just cleanser, occassional scrub, toner, serum & moisturiser, oh and the occational masks, as i dont use a drop of make up… part of the reason why i dont use make up is coz thats when i find it a chore… O.o vicious cycle there… hahaha…
on special occassions when i do use make up, most of the time it is when i come home at midnite dead tired… and yet i will make it a point to use make up remover, cleanser, scrub, cleanse again, double masks, toner, serum then moisturiser… by the time i’m done, 2 hrs have gone by… i have this paranoia in me that my skin will breakout if i dont clean out the make up…
at 1 point of time where i wore make up everyday, i did this everyday to the point of being fed up with skin care… i know its not neccessary to do each step everyday, but thats just me… hahaha… so i just gave up putting make up everyday…
*sings* “let my natural beauty *cough cough* shine”
Nowadays, i find skincare product of more relevance to me as compared to make up… especially when i find 1 that does what it says AND suits my skin… 😀 and i’m just enjoying my short & sweet daily routine… ^^
trah says
This topic caught my eyes because it’s 50-50 for me.
Morning routine (takes about 5 mins excluding cleansing):
1. Antipodes Grace gentle cleanser
2. Caudalie moisturing toner with cotton
3. Sulwhasoo First care activating serum (pre-serum)
4. Antipodes Apostle skin Brightening & Tone correcting serum
5. Eye cream or gel (not particular abt the brand or texture)
6. Sulwhasoo Balancing Water (gentle presses on skin)
7. Sulwhasoo Balancing Emulsion
8. Fresh Black Tea Age-delay Cream
9. Sun screen
For night routine, I’m using a facial massager device called Hitachi Hada Crie CM-N810-P with my skin care to clean my pores and maximize product absorption. I was looking for a gentler option to Clarisonic and this one fits the bill. You won’t believe how dirty the cotton is after the cleanse step (after double cleansing in shower). This is hands-down my favourite beauty splurge ever. I bought it on sale from Amazon Japan tho, so I got it pretty cheap for RM300+ (retail price is around 19000 yen)
Product description:
http://www.japantrendymall.com/product/68
Evening routine:
– Sofymo deep cleansing oil (big haul from Osaka trip in 2013 lol)
– Innisfree Brightening foam cleanser (Korean brand) or Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser
Then the ‘part’ where I feel lazy to do sometimes…. Using the Hada Crie – each mode is 5 mins excluding product application time
1. cleanse mode using Caudalie moisturing toner (cringe at dirty cotton)
2. micro-pat mode after applying item 3-7 (no cotton)
3. moisturize mode with item 8 on cotton (less dirty but skin feels soooo clean)
So my night routine takes around 20 minutes. I usually do it while watching TV series as the device is cordless and I keep my skin care in a box.
Conclusion: Morning routine is not a chore, it’s a necessity. Night routine is a chore when I’m tired. I will skip the Hada Crie usage for toner and sleeping mask only. The only step I will not skip no matter what is the cleansing process, even if it means returning home at 4am after partying hard with friends xD