No Time for Yourself? Here’s What Your Skin Needs Most

Ciao, Beautiful!

Have you ever gone through one of those seasons where taking care of yourself somehow becomes the first thing to go? You’re busy, you’re tired, work is crazy, someone needs something from you, and suddenly even the things you normally enjoy doing for yourself can feel like one more thing on the list!

I’ve definitely been there, and the older I get, the more I realize that taking care of your face often starts with things that have very little to do with skincare. Sometimes what you really need is sleep, to move your body, eat something nourishing, drink more water, get outside for a little while, or simply have ten minutes when no one is asking you for anything. There's no one right way to do things. 

And sometimes, yes, you need a little concealer, blush and mascara because looking a little more awake somehow makes you feel a little more awake and I fully support that, too. :)

The interesting thing about stress is that it has a way of showing up on our skin very quickly. You may notice more dryness, sensitivity, breakouts, redness or just that overall tired, dull look that makes you wonder what happened to your glow. As an esthetician, I can give you all kinds of things to put on your skin, but I also know that no serum can completely make up for being exhausted, stressed and depleted.

And that's where I think we need to be a little kinder to ourselves because we're already doing so much... and sometimes even adding one more thing feels like a chore. 

When life gets particularly busy or difficult, we tend to do something that makes absolutely no sense: we start judging ourselves for not doing a better job of taking care of ourselves. Now we're tired and feeling guilty because we skipped our skincare routine, haven't worked out enough, ordered takeout again or haven't had time to do all the things we know are supposedly "good for us."

But that's not helping. :)

So if you're in one of those seasons right now, instead of asking yourself how you can squeeze ten more things into your day, maybe ask what you can simplify.

In example, if you only have five minutes for your skin, start with your barrier. This is something I talk about a lot because when your skin barrier isn't happy, piling more and more products on top of it isn't necessarily going to make things better.

At night, gently cleanse your skin and give it moisture. In the morning, cleanse or rinse depending on what your skin needs, add hydration or moisturizer and finish with sunscreen. You don't need a lot of products or to exfoliate just because the calendar says it's exfoliation night. And you certainly don't need to stand at the bathroom sink doing an elaborate routine when what your body is really begging you to do is go to bed.

Sometimes less is the treatment.

When you have a little more time and energy, then add some of your extras back in. Use the serum you love. Incorporate your retinoid. Exfoliate when your skin needs it. Put on a mask while you're folding laundry or watching TV. Spend an extra minute massaging your moisturizer into your face instead of quickly slapping it on and running out of the room.

Beauty should fit into your life and your life shouldn't have to revolve around your beauty routine.

I think the same thing is true about makeup. There are days when taking five minutes to put myself together genuinely makes me feel better. It isn't about believing I need makeup in order to leave the house but sometimes a little mascara and brow highlighter can give me the psychological equivalent of a good night's sleep! haha

Then there are days when I don't want to bother with any of it. That's okay, too.

Which brings me to something I'm genuinely curious about: What's your non-negotiable when it comes to your beauty routine?

Is there one thing you almost always do because you know it makes you feel better? Maybe it's washing your face before bed, wearing sunscreen every morning or putting on lipstick before you leave the house. Or maybe your beauty non-negotiable isn't actually a beauty product at all. Maybe it's a walk, a workout, eight hours of sleep, your morning coffee in peace or a few minutes outside.

I actually love the idea that our beauty routines don't necessarily have to begin in the bathroom.

So much of how we look is connected to how we feel. When we haven't had any time for ourselves for too long, it starts to show up everywhere. We can feel more tired, more irritable, a little down and, ironically, even more stressed. Then we look in the mirror and start criticizing the person staring back at us when she may actually just need a little care.

I think there's an important difference between taking care of yourself and constantly trying to improve yourself.

We live in a world that likes to blur those two things. There's always another product we should supposedly be using, another supplement we should be taking, another workout we should be doing and another way we could apparently be optimizing ourselves. But sometimes you don't need to be optimized, you just need to be supported.

If life is tougher than usual right now, give yourself permission to meet yourself where you are. Protect your skin barrier. Wear your SPF. Drink some water or tea. Move your body when you can. Try to get some sleep. Put on lipstick (if it makes you happy). And please don't spend the little energy you have left judging yourself because you're not doing everything perfectly!

There'll be other seasons when you have more time so you'll bring the serums back and generally feel like you've got your act together.

But then life will probably happen again and that's part of it.

We're all going through this life together, and none of us has every area figured out at the same time. Some weeks we may have the skincare, the workouts, the vegetables and eight hours of sleep.

Other weeks, washing our face and getting ourselves into bed is a win.

The more you know, the more you glow!

With love,

Jentri 

P.S. If your skin has been feeling dry, tight or harder to keep happy lately, give your barrier a little attention. Not sure where to start? Read why your skin barrier matters—and how to give it some extra support. You don’t need a complicated routine to show your skin a little love. :)