Image source: Merlina McGovern
I haven’t been getting very good sleep lately (damn you, TikTok). After a long day of editing, cleaning, exercising, and writing, I’m pretty exhausted when 6pm rolls around. And after dinner? Forget about it; I have absolutely zero energy to do anything. OK, I have just enough energy to maybe write a somewhat coherent blog post, but that’s about it.
I recently wrote about the book I was reading about the vast Korean skin care industry. While the book is informative, it also serves as an eye-opening warning about a dangerous fixation on external “improvement,” no matter the costs. But the book also touched on the reason why beauty regimens and makeup routines have always been so enticing to so many over the years. There is a strong element of self-care in spending time on yourself. When I talk about “self-care,” I’m not talking about binging on junk food or TikTok videos until your brain has turned into a bowl full of mush. As Psychology Today notes, the term “self-care” has become a catchall and moved away from its original meaning, which focuses more on care you can provide to yourself (rather than going in for a doctor’s visit) that can improve your physical, mental, and financial health. Think more about exercise and meditation and less about “treat yo’self” days.
So, given that I’ve been so stressed and tired lately, I decided to try out a new skin care regimen (inspired, no lie, by the Flawless book). I’m almost embarrassed to admit what my current cleansing regimen is—I don’t have one, basically. I take a daily shower, and that’s it. I brush my teeth twice a day, but that is the only thing that I do when I wake up in the morning. Maybe, if I can be bothered, I’ll splash my face with a bit of water, maybe.
After I eat and work and workout in the afternoon, I then take my one shower of the day and shampoo my hair. I know, I know, let the judgment begin (How could you not wash your face when you wake up? Ew, you only shower once a day? Ew, you shower every single day? And, by far, the worst: How can you not put on daily sunblock?). But, that’s me. That’s all I have energy to do. Everything else seems much too time-consuming.
But, that’s all going to change. Today, I shall begin the rest of my skin-care life, well at least for as long as I have energy to do it. Now, I certainly won’t be doing the 10-step Korean cleansing routine that the book outlined—oil cleanser, foam cleanser, SPF, mask, serums, exfoliator, eye creams, face creams, toners, and essence (what the heck is an essence anyway?). I think I’m going to start off a bit small. I purchased a Korean cleansing “kit,” and you can see in the picture above just a few of the items in it. For now, I’ll start off with the foaming cleanser (I don’t wear any makeup during the day, so I figure I don’t need to go the double cleansing route) and then the wine tea (what the heck?) toner. I don’t know what wine tea is, but at least the bottle is pretty.
I’ll finish up with the “Guacamole Face Mask.” Even just typing this, it feels like this is satire. But, I’m thinking that maybe there is a little bit lost in translation. Apparently the mask has tomato and avocado, both deeply hydrating products. For me, I’m not too concerned with the actual science (if there really is any) behind the products. It’s more about taking a bit of time to pamper myself. Finding time to lie down for 15 minutes to allow the mask to work seems like a little bit of heaven to me. Finally, I’ll find some time during the day to put on a bit of sunblock before I go on my daily walks/jogs.
To start, I’ll do the full routine only at night. I’ll do just a quick wash in the mornings to wake myself up. I can’t really imagine myself doing a full multi-step routine in the mornings and the evenings, I simply don’t have the time to devote to that many steps focused just on me.
So, we’ll see how this bit of self-care helps improve my mental outlook!
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