By Lisa de-la-Plain, Co-founder and Professional Beauty Therapist, Beauty Flash
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ll have heard of the Korean Beauty ’10-step’ skincare routine. If you lack the time and energy to spend hours a day looking after your skin, you’ll be pleased to hear there is a much simpler trend coming through the ranks. Skip-care is all about giving your regime a much-needed detox; think Marie Kondo but for your beauty bag.
Beauty Flash has written a guide on how to embrace skip-care and reduce the number of products you use, giving you a faster (yet still effective) beauty regime.
Two become one
Multi-purpose beauty products are skip-care’s Holy Grail.
These one-stop wonder products are the answer to looking polished with little effort, serving two or more functions. Using a superstar multitasker like Amazing Cosmetics Illuminate Primer and Highlighter transforms skin from dull to radiant in a flash.
Apply as a makeup primer, mix it into foundation or wear over the top as a highlighter. It gives the skin a natural, low-gleam finish rather than a mega strobed, shimmering highlight.
Expiry dates
When was the last time you looked at the expiry dates on the products you use? If you can’t remember, now might be a good time to check.
Just like food, cosmetics can go bad and we all know how easy it is to get sucked in and make an impulse purchase, only to cast the product aside when a new one catches your eye.
Using a cosmetic product after its expiry date can cause havoc with your skin. Light, heat and humidity will make them under-perform or completely useless.
Most products have a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol printed on them, which indicates a typical shelf life. So, before you purchase the next ‘must-have’ item, check to see if you already have a similar product within its expiry date that will do the trick.
Double-cleansing
With double-cleansing hot on everyone’s radar at the moment, it’s easy to get sucked into buying more products than you actually need.
Cleansers today are formulated to break down the surface debris on your skin in a flash and you don’t need to use two different cleansing products to get the benefits of double-cleansing.
A light, creamy cleanser like Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Cleanser removes impurities while actively nourishing dry and tired skin. It features a lipid-enriched surfactant system that makes it twice as effective at removing long-wear makeup while nourishing the skin.
So, ensure you’re using the right product for your skin type and although one application of cleanser should be sufficient, if you feel the need to cleanse again, use the same cleanser twice. Cutting out the need for a second product.
Holiday prep
If you embrace skip-care and rely on a just a few quality products, you’ll also find it’s easier to follow your routine when you travel with small-size multi-use products.
The Medik8 Calmwise Colour Correct is particularly good, targeting multiple areas of concern, soothing and calming redness whilst reducing discomfort and shielding against environmental damage. The ultimate holiday product and at 50ml, it’s safe to take in your hand luggage.
Don’t skip SPF
The skip-care philosophy urges you to reduce the steps and products in your skincare routine, however, your sunscreen should be a standalone treatment which you use every day.
Although covering up is a great added measure for protection, experts say a t-shirt only provides the equivalent of SPF 8.
Sun protection is vital to looking after your skin, so apply a high factor sun cream daily, like Decleor Protective Hydrating Milk, taking extra care on your face, lips and hands as these are the areas of the body most exposed.
