It’s no secret that skincare is very important to me. It’s not just about cleaning your face or putting on a moisturizer. To me, doing my skincare is a form of self-care. I love to put on some relaxing music, and even light some candles if I’m in the mood. I’ll do my double cleanse routine while screaming to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” 10-minute version, and then apply my serums and creams. However, as much as I love this ritualistic aspect of skincare, if there is one thing that I have learned in the past year, it’s that when it comes to skincare products, less truly is more.So, you may want to downsize your skincare routine.

First of all, do I have to remind you how expensive skincare products are? The prices went up, even for drugstore brands. In addition to that, the PAO (period after opening) for most of these products is between 6 and 12 months. Therefore, to get the most out of the money your invest into your skincare routine, it’s only rational to keep it as simple as possible. Because the more products you have, the less likely you are to use them all up in time. Here are my easiest tips to downsize your skincare routine.

The “two products rule”

There is something I call the “two products rule” that has helped me tremendously with downsizing my skincare routine. And it basically implies that I am allowed to only buy two products out of each category. I know, to some people this will still sound like I have too many products. However, I am someone who used to own 4 different serums and 6 different cleansers. These categories include cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, serums, exfoliators, eye creams, and retinol.

By owning only up to two different products of each category, I still have some variety, but I’m in no rush to use up the products that are currently on my skincare shelf. For example, when it comes to exfoliators, I have one “strong” exfoliator, with a high percentage of AHAs like glycolic acid, that can be used only occasionally. But I also have a gentler version available that I can use throughout the week whenever I like. If I felt lazy during the weekdays and didn’t use my gentle exfoliator at all, I will just compensate for that by using my stronger one during the weekend.

Don’t fall for trends

The one thing that kept me buying new skincare products during 2020 and 2021 was the numerous trending products on social media. I just felt like I would be missing out if I didn’t get my hands on them. Turns out that I threw out most of these products after they have been collecting dust in my bathroom for months. You shouldn’t ever follow trends when it comes to caring for your skin. Try out new fashion, makeup, or nail trends, but keep your skincare routine tailored to your own needs, and not the needs of the masses.

Our skin isn’t nearly as complicated as we think it is. Actually, there are only a handful of products that we actually need, like a cleanser, moisturizers, or sunscreen. Toners, essences, masks, and serums are great additions, however, you don’t actually need any of them. So stick to the products and ingredients that actually work for you, and don’t fall for the numerous marketing campaigns and magical trending products that claim to erase all of your pores and wrinkles.

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