The beauty of simplifying
The question I get most when I get to meet with people at the markets is about my skin-care routine. I am an uncomplicated person and my skin-care routine is even more so. And I am not at all missing the days when I used to cleanse, scrub, tone and moisturise my skin with patience every night only to find it patchy and pore-clogged the next day.
One thing I’ve changed is the time when I put something on my face, always in the morning as the best moisturiser we have already built-in (aka the sebum) is produced at night. This way, in the morning I only top-up the natural reserves. Just because nothing beats nature. (I’ll talk about the illogic of rich night creams soon, promise!)
The other thing I’ve changed is the number of things I put on my skin. From many to just a couple. The first I ditched were the cleansers and scrubs. I used honey instead. Until I didn’t feel the need for it either. I just have a few splashes of water at night and in the morning. Then a spritz of sandalwood hydrosol which is totally optional, but I love the scent and it actually helps the oils to absorb deeper into the skin. And, at last, a few drops of facial oil massaged nicely for a couple of minutes onto my face and neck. Eyes included, of course. I don’t need to have a separate eye cream or serum, my facial oil is more than gentle to take care of the delicate skin around my eyes too.
Another important shift is the frequency of “pampering” the skin. While I moisturise my face and neck every morning and my whole body once or twice a week (we live in a dry area, so my skin gets thirsty, particularly in summer), it’s only once a month or even less often that I use a treatment that does all the nourishing, exfoliating and deep cleansing at once. However this is rather a treat than a real need for happy and healthy skin.
I know I’ve said it before, but I really believe “less is more”.
Much love,
Stefania
