10-Step Skincare Routines Can Get In The Bin
Plus, what I put on my super sensitive face featuring absolutely zero sponcon.
Let me preface this piece by stating the obvi - I am not a doctor or dermatologist. Overall, I’ve been blessed with lovely skin, though it still has served as a vessel for several maladies.
From childhood/teen eczema and psoriasis to allergic reactions. Hormonal breakouts and a chemical burn (I mixed up an antiseptic with detergent to clean a wound because I’m an idiot). That time I got bed bugs from sleeping on a boat in Croatia. Oh, I’ve recently been diagnosed with perioral dermatitis, which appears to be the cool girl skin condition (unfortunately, mine looked NOTHING like Hailey Bieber’s.) So, I do feel I have acquired some knowledge about what works best for me as someone with a super reactive and sensitive epidermis.
Now, everyone has the absolute right to do whatever they want with their face, idgaf. However, something that’s been rubbing me the wrong way as I've gotten older and am more susceptible to being targeted with anti-aging advertising is the beauty industry’s relentless push of lotions and potions to defy the inevitable fact that one day, we will all wither up and die. Let’s unpack this, shall we?
The Cult Of Skincare
Now, I wanted to be a ten-step skincare girlie. I really did. However, after much trial and error, I’ve discovered the simpler my routine is, the better my skin looks. Turns out, I’m not alone.
Not me plugging, but listening to this episode from the Sounds Like a Cult podcast in 2022 actually got me to start thinking about the insidiousness of skincare. It introduced me to the genius of Jessica DeFino, the woman the beauty industry fears, who writes the Review of Beauty (formally known as The Unpublishable) Substack. For those not familiar with her work, DeFino is an award-winning beauty journalist and former editor for the Kardashian-Jenner Official Apps (so you KNOW she’s got all the dirt) and her newsletter cuts through all the bullshit products and treatments being flogged to women.
In the episode, DeFino details several interesting points (more eloquently than I’m about to) about how any beauty or skincare standard can be traced back to patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, or capitalism. That the popular skin types (oily, dry combination) were invented by the Helena Rubinstein Cosmetics company as a marketing tactic to simply sell more products instead of addressing actual skin concerns, which became so influential that even today it remains the basis of dermatological studies.
Clinique was the first brand to sell the foundational three-step skincare system of cleansing, toning and moisturizing. This has reinforced the notion in dermatology that we should rely on products to treat our skin, rather than understanding the underlying reasons for skin behavior and exploring internal factors that could address issues without the need for expensive products.
We’re initially introduced to skincare by being sold overly harsh products to strip away oil for teenage acne. Then, it’s straight to anti-aging products, so we’re constantly putting stuff on our faces we may not actually need, with zero scientific backing.
Social media has then put beauty and skincare into hyperdrive, with new products and treatments constantly going viral. Then, after being convinced that we need these, we watch in dismay as trends shift direction or long-term effects are revealed. Some recent ones include:
What’s more, the reach of SkinTok has products and treatments appealing to even younger demographics. You’ve probably read the discourse that the use of tweakments and preventative botox has made Gen Zers appear older (see this TikTok of a dermatologist mistaking 20-year-old Love Island contestants for women in their mid-30s). Plus, you’ve got nine-year-olds wreaking havoc on Sephora to buy Dior lip oils, Drunk Elephant glow drops and, worryingly, retinol (why are preteens using retinol? I don’t even use retinol).
Already, I’ve noticed SkinTok-caution content bubbling up in my feed, proving that just because a product is trending, it doesn't make it effective. For instance, this user mentioned that buying the viral snail mucin caused an infection that took eight months to clear.
Look, I’ve been there. Not with snail mucin, but several other products that have been highlighted in Reels and Shelfies or that all my friends have been buying. Then when you have a reaction, the first thing you do is go online and try to find more products to fix it. It turns into an endless cycle of consumption when often going cold turkey does way less damage than slapping on even more overpriced skincare.
Again what works for me might not work on someone else’s face. With that being said, here is what actually works for me and what I do not, under any circumstances, fuck with.
7 Products I Rate
Botox at No Filter Skin Clinic, London - This is often my first stop as soon as I get off the plane. I typically get injected around my eyes and the side of my nose as apparently, my powerful smile muscles pull the skin down. Dr Sindhu is a genius with a needle and the results are never frozen - just awake, glowy and refreshed. If I’m not in the UK and want a top-up, I go to Clear Skincare Clinic.
Muihood Good Chi Cleansing Balm - This is my amazing friend Char’s brand, which is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The cleanser melts away makeup, dirt, and all your problems and is a savior for sensitive skin. Honestly, if I had to use only one product for the rest of my life, this would be it.
Muihood Tao Rice Water Essence - From the same beautiful brand, this is a very welcome new product in my skincare routine. I’m obsessed with its subtle scent enriched with fermented rice water, prickly pear and snow mushroom. It does exactly what it says on the bottle - gives you bouncy mochi skin and who doesn’t want that?
Contour Cube Ice Facial Tool - You may have seen this Aussie brand on Shark Tank and for good reason - I’d invest too! I’m useless at waking up in the morning, but this nifty little tool makes de-puffing my face quick and easy. Plus, like all hot girls, I’m super prone to cold sores and this helps nip them in the bud.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Rich Moisturizer - Any big French pharma brand is a godsend for my sensitive skin as they usually have no fragrance which helps keep breakouts at bay. This particular moisturizer and Avene SPF50 sunscreen are my daily go-tos.
Go-To Transformazing Sheet Masks - Speaking of go-tos, these masks from another Aussie brand are among the first things I put on my face when I get off a plane or before an event. They’re non-irritating and make my skin so luminous that I don’t even bother with bronzer.
Fenty Skin Cookies & Clean Face Masks - As if I needed an excuse to love Rihanna more, she delivers this whipped clay and charcoal mask. I don’t often exfoliate; it’s maybe a fortnightly/monthly treat, or if I’m feeling especially grotty and need an Everything Shower.
7 Products I Hate
Anything with tea tree oil - This was what set off the perioral dermatitis. At the time of writing this, I’m on antibiotics after a reaction to a pimple patch and using a steroid cream that my doctor prescribed, even though I knew it was dicey. Never trust steroid cream. Also, tea tree oil, it seems, is far too harsh for my stupid weak baby skin, so I guess I’ll stick to icing pimples. Or putting toothpaste on them; yes, I know that’s a skincare red flag, but it has always seemed to work, so don’t at me.
Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer - I have a particular vendetta against this product as it was once my everyday moisturizer and it broke my heart. One day, I woke up and my face was covered in red bumps. My doctor seemed to think it was an allergic reaction, so I changed my foundation, detergent, soap and dishwashing liquid. I bought all new bedding, bathed in oatmeal and stopped consuming dairy. Nothing seemed to work. I figured after using Khiel’s for seven years, my trusty moisturizer would never betray me so it remained a constant in my routine. I finally decided to switch it up with something from Avene, and overnight, the breakouts that shattered my self-esteem for three months magically vanished and Kiehl’s has been on my shit list ever since.
Glossier Super Glow Vitamin C Serum - While I’m stoked Glossier finally came to Australia, I won’t be buying its Vitamin C serum again. In fact, my experience with this product has turned me off using Vitamin C serums altogether. Far too harsh and not great with the Peri Derms.
Dr. Barbara Strum Face Cream Light - For 290 AUD, I didn’t make the decision to buy this lightly. I did my homework and patch-tested samples. After finally making the investment, my skin broke out in red patches one week in, proving that expensive products don’t always equal the best results. Maybe my skin was purging but at that price it was swiftly returned to Mecca.
Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment - Now I love Aesop products. At home we use the handwashes, creams and the famous poo drops (we are poo-positive people). I love their Ginger In Flight Therapy. Yet, I can’t use any of their face products. I tried a sample of this (to try and calm the Kihel’s induced rash) and it was just more angry red patches!
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream - Another expensive mishap. During lockdowns, I did what everyone else did and invested heavily in my skincare routine for something to do. I thought I’d buy into the Drunk Elephant hype only to react severely to it. The damage it did to my 30-year-old skin makes me balk at the fact that nine-year-olds are so obsessed with this brand.
Go-To Face Hero Lightweight Oil - Despite their Transformazing Masks being an all-time fave, their Face Hero turned out to be the villain. Another return to Mecca purchase. Nope.
