One of the easiest ways to own fewer products is to need fewer products. I’ve leaned into the “beauty from the inside out” mentality as well as semi-permanent solutions that have simplified my daily routine. Here are some of my essentials.
Stay hydrated. And no, that doesn’t mean I’m walking around with a gallon of water and chugging 128 ounces of tap water a day. I’m hydrating. Properly. And that requires a combination of drinking water, eating water, and moving water in order to help your body absorb and utilize it at the cellular level. This deep hydration is what helps you experience more of the cognitive benefits of hydration (thinking faster, more creativity, better focus!) but also amplifies the physical impact that hydration is known for like glowing skin and bright eyes! Hydration also plays a vital role in preventing dry nails and brittle hair, something few of us connect to how much water we’re drinking. Once I was properly hydrating a lot of the things I had previously tried to “fix” with beauty products became irrelevant. Even my preference for $100 anti-aging serums was replaced by understanding how hydration can help slow, and even reverse, the aging process. (if you want to learn more about proper hydration I recommend the book Quench).
Take a collagen supplement. Proper hydration isn’t possible without this funny, saran-wrap like material found throughout our body called fascia. It surrounds every ligament, muscle, and cell, and the fascial system helps move water throughout our body to all the systems that need it. It also plays a vital role in helping our brain communicate with the rest of our body. The more hydrated this tissue is, the more efficiently and effectively our brain can communicate, clear cellular waste, and disperse water. Fascial tissue is made up almost entirely of a protein called collagen (the most prevalent protein in the human body!) and we start to produce less collagen after the age of 25. Taking a collagen supplement can help replenish your supply so that your fascial tissue stays supple and it also has the added benefit of helping your skin, hair, lashes, and nails look their absolute best! I take Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides and love them as a quick morning shot or in agua fresca.
My preference for $100 anti-aging serums was replaced by understanding how hydration can help slow, and even reverse, the aging process.
Get your eyebrows microbladed. I have embraced that low-maintenance life the past few years, and while eyebrow microblading might be considered a luxury service it has really helped me with that “I woke up like this” simplicity that I was chasing. I shaved my eyebrows entirely off when I was 7 and then didn’t stop torturing them for two decades. So just trust me when I say that they were a problem area. I invested in microblading and never looked back. Microblading gave me the courage to stop plucking them which allowed them to grow in much thicker. Now I have my dream brows and spend way less time and money filling them in or going to the salon for a shape + tint, and also feel fine with less eye makeup because my brows are bangin’!
Find your holy grail products. A lot of the clutter in our makeup bags comes from constantly trying out new products hoping to find the thing that will finally make our skin glow or our lashes look longer. So let me just remind you that you’re better off making lifestyle changes that will actually support that, like proper hydration and a collagen supplement! From there, find products that not only work, but continue to promote that natural beauty. Two of my longtime favorites are Complexion Rescue by Bare Minerals. I’ve used this for years and love the semi-transparent wash of color it gives you, while also evening out your complexion and treating your skin with a bit of hyaluronic acid and SPF 50. It’s truly a multi-tasking product that improves your skin while you wear it. My other ride-or-die product is Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara. Yes, it really is as amazing as your Instagram feed says it is! It is 99% natural and the formula is infused with shea butter and arginine to help build strong, long lashes. I noticed much longer lashes within two months of switching to it.
While my routine is far from “roll out of bed and get out the door” it’s far simpler than it used to be and that feels like a step in the right direction. Not only does my new routine take up less space, it also takes up less of my mental energy and time—and has a smaller imprint on our planet.