You know what's funny? I used to think having a bathroom counter covered in skincare products made me look like I had my life together. Twenty-seven different serums, three types of cleanser, vitamin C this, retinol that… my morning routine took forty-five minutes and I still broke out constantly. It wasn't until I moved to Seattle with basically nothing that I accidentally discovered what actually works.
I mean, I literally couldn't fit all my beauty products in my car when I moved cross-country after graduation, so I grabbed the essentials and figured I'd replace everything else once I got settled. Plot twist: I never did. And my skin started looking better than it had in years.
Here's the thing about minimalist beauty routines – they're not just about having fewer bottles cluttering your bathroom (though that's nice too). It's more like… okay, imagine you're trying to listen to your favorite song but there's twenty other songs playing at the same time. That's what we do to our skin with complicated routines. Too much noise, not enough signal.
When I first started simplifying – and I'm talking like, cutting my routine down to three products total – people thought I'd lost my mind. My mom literally asked if I was depressed when she visited and saw my bathroom. "Where's all your stuff?" she kept asking. But honestly? Those three products were doing more for my skin than the previous twenty-seven ever did.
The environmental angle was what really sold me on this approach though. Do you know how much plastic waste the average person generates just from beauty products? It's insane. Every empty bottle, every tube of foundation, every single-use face mask – it all adds up. And most of it's completely unnecessary anyway.
I started reading ingredient lists (boring, I know, but stick with me) and realized most products contain the same five active ingredients just packaged differently. You're paying for marketing and fancy packaging, not better results. That $80 serum and the $15 one from the drugstore? Probably identical formulas.
My current routine is embarrassingly simple. Gentle cleanser, moisturizer with SPF, and a basic retinol three times a week. That's it. Total cost: under sixty bucks. Total time: maybe three minutes morning and night. And I get more compliments on my skin now than I ever did with my complicated routine.
The best part is how much mental energy it freed up. I used to spend so much time researching new products, reading reviews, trying to figure out what order to apply everything. Now I just… wash my face and move on with my life. Revolutionary concept, right?
But here's what nobody tells you about switching to a minimal routine – your skin might freak out initially. Mine went through this weird adjustment period where it was like, "Wait, where are all the products? What am I supposed to do with myself?" I almost gave up and went back to my old ways, but I'm glad I stuck it out.
The thing is, our skin is actually pretty good at taking care of itself when we're not constantly interfering. All those products I was using were probably making problems worse, not better. Over-cleansing, over-exfoliating, layering incompatible ingredients… no wonder I was always dealing with irritation.
Starting this process felt a lot like decluttering my apartment, actually. First step was dumping everything out and really looking at what I had. Half the stuff was expired (gross), another quarter I'd used maybe twice, and the rest was just… redundant. Three different vitamin C serums? Really, past me?
I kept only the things that I knew worked and that I actually used regularly. Everything else got donated or tossed. It was weirdly emotional – like, I'd spent so much money on all that stuff, and admitting it was useless felt like admitting I'd been scammed. Which, let's be honest, I kind of had been.
Quality over quantity became my new motto. Instead of buying five cheap products, I'd invest in one really good one. Turns out when you're only buying three items total, you can afford to get the nice versions. My skin definitely noticed the difference.
Multi-purpose products are your best friend in this world. That tinted moisturizer with SPF I mentioned? Game changer. Moisturizes, evens out my skin tone, protects from sun damage – three steps in one. I don't miss having separate products for each function at all.
The makeup side was harder for me to minimize, honestly. I went through this phase where I felt naked without full coverage foundation and concealer. But gradually I started appreciating what my actual skin looked like when it was healthy and well-cared for. Turns out I didn't need to hide it under layers of product.
Now I mostly just use that tinted moisturizer, maybe some mascara if I'm feeling fancy. For special occasions I'll add lipstick or whatever, but day-to-day? I'm good. And I feel more like myself, if that makes sense. Not like I'm wearing a costume.
One thing that surprised me was how much more I started paying attention to the basics once I simplified everything else. Drinking enough water, getting decent sleep, eating actual vegetables – stuff that actually affects how your skin looks but that gets ignored when you're focused on finding the perfect serum.
My friends think I'm crazy, but in a good way I think? Like, they're always asking for product recommendations and I'm just like, "Have you tried… not using so many products?" It's not the answer they want to hear, but it's the one that actually works.
The environmental impact thing still motivates me every day. When I do need to replace something, I look for brands with minimal packaging, refillable containers, sustainable ingredients. It's so much easier to research and make good choices when you're only buying three products instead of thirty.
My parents still don't totally get it – they keep offering to take me shopping for "proper" skincare, like I'm depriving myself somehow. But I'm not depriving myself of anything useful, just of stress and clutter and wasted money and environmental guilt.
The confidence boost was unexpected but real. There's something powerful about knowing exactly what works for you and not being swayed by every new trend or product launch. I don't even browse the skincare aisles anymore – I know what I need, I buy it, done.
This whole approach isn't about being anti-beauty or anti-self-care. It's about actual self-care, which includes not overwhelming your skin with unnecessary products and not stressing yourself out with complicated routines you can't maintain. Less really is more, as cheesy as that sounds. My skin is proof.
Nicholas’s a sustainability worker in Seattle who sees minimalism as climate activism. He writes about consuming less, living simply, and building a life that aligns with environmental values rather than material ones
