With the progression of time and resources, make-up trends changed as much as the time we live in. Just in the last century, they varied from those requiring minimal effort to those requiring hours of your time, taking all of your patience and sanity away. With different perceptions of beauty, ideas about what your make-up and skincare routines should look like changed drastically. Take a deep look at why minimalism in cosmetics is a valuable concept.
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Why is Minimalism Important for Cosmetics?
The main reason why simplicity is back in style is because of the idea that if you do not need to wear make-up, you must be naturally beautiful. And having in mind that the main purpose of make-up and other cosmetics is amplification or even total change of your real features, those who did not require it were considered to be people of great beauty.
It also seems as if society became sick and tired of having to look at these fake, almost mask-like faces of women and men trying to hide their natural beauty. The need to take the mask off became stronger than the need to hide our imperfections. We went from doing the most to doing the bare minimum.
By keeping your routines simple, you give yourself enough time and space to do other things which might make you a better person. Whether that be walking, meditating, painting, or doing your chores – whatever your soul and body feel drawn to, you can do, because there is no more need for spending hours in front of the mirror.
We can, finally, show our true faces and not be threatened by them because we became more than our physical appearance – we became our actions.
In the sphere of cosmetics, many have a lot of doubts about minimalism, because past times programmed us into believing that more is less. Questions like: “Is that enough?”, “Am I only doing the bare minimum?”, “Am I trying hard enough?” arose in the minds of many cosmetics users.
But with the progression of science, a lot of researchers came up with results that indicate that using only a few quality products is doing much more for your appearance than the usage of many different ones.
A lot of doctors joined the race and they stated the same thing: using fewer products on your skin gives more and better results than using a lot of them. When it comes to skin minimalism, the newest trends dictate the usage of only essential and primary products that will not change your skin or damage it. Instead, recommended products should only help nurture your skin and give back its natural glow.
Minimalism became very popular in quite a short time in the make-up industry. Many celebrities started promoting more simple and natural looks. The goal is to wear make-up so that it seems you have nothing on your face.
That means that even though you consider yourself to be minimalist, you still wear make-up, but only enough to hide little imperfections and amplify your natural beauty.
Do Minimalists Wear Makeup?
When we say that minimalists wear minimal makeup, we mean that they apply regular make-up products, only they use a lot less of them. In other words, they don’t do heavy foundation with concealer, contour, blush, and highlight in a way where you can’t see the skin anymore.
Even if they do use all of these products, they put on small amounts, and blend them out so they become invisible and one with the skin. When it comes to eyes and lips, again they use only small amounts that will point out the natural lip color or slightly amplify their eyes. That being said, a person who is a make-up minimalist would use only mild coverage foundation, lip gloss, and a hint of mascara in their make-up routine.
How Can I Make My Makeup Look Natural?
If you wonder what is the best way to make your make-up routine simpler, you can try several tricks. For example, instead of using heavy full coverage foundation, try using milder ones, with only a hint of concealer in some spots.
Try blending your foundation as much as you can by gently pressing it into the skin, so it becomes smoother and less apparent. Cover your foundation with light translucent powder, only to mattify, but don’t bake. When you apply contour, use the slightest amounts and make sure to blend it profoundly, so it becomes one with the foundation and natural shades of your face.
Apply a bit of blush and do not highlight too excessively. Try brushing your eyebrows upwards, so they lift your eyes and face and if you are using an eyebrow pencil, try finding a shade that is the most similar to your natural eyebrow color. When it comes to eyes, go with light shades that will shape the eye. Try using only mascara and a bit of eye pencil, but keep the tones as nude as they get.
When using eyeliner, make sure your lines are thin and soft. You can even try using brown or grey eyeliner. That way you will not put a mask over your face, your skin can breathe, and your natural features stand out.
If you are used to using heavy make-up, and you wish to change your routine, there are a few things you can do to adapt to a minimalist wave. You can, for a start, declutter your make-up bag. Get rid of everything that is too excessive or old. Make room for new, milder, and more natural products that you will investigate online or at your nearest cosmetics store.
Try finding the products that best suit your skin complexion, eye color, and overall style, but keep it simple and remember that we are talking about minimalism and in that case, less is more. You can also try diving your make-up into day and night segments, or everyday and special occasions. And the most important thing to remember is not to try too hard. You are naturally beautiful and makeup is there only to amplify already existing beauty.
What is a Simple Skincare Routine?
If you want to make your makeup routine even simpler, start from within, with healthy, fresh foods, and take care of your skin. Your skincare routine should be as simple as your makeup. If you are using too many products, there is a big chance that your skin will not like it. Too much exfoliation and the excessive appliance of cleansers will only destroy your skin’s natural defense mechanisms.
As a result, your skin could become greasier or you can develop acne. If you want to prevent that, keep your skincare routine as simple as you can. That means that facial cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen are enough to keep your skin healthy, clean, and happy.
Even though many-step routines are becoming more popular in the mainstream media and on social networks, dermatologists and other professionals are having different thoughts. They say that keeping things simple can lead you further than exaggeration. When your skincare routine consists of many steps, it’s quite easy to forget or skip some of the steps, and those kinds of frequent mini changes in the routine skin won’t react well.
Our bodies like simplicity, they like using only basic actions and are very good at pulling out the best from simplicity. Don’t confuse your skin with too many different products that are essentially doing the same thing. If you keep things simple, your skin will thank you for it.
Minimalist 3-Step Skin Care Routine
If you are wondering what are some of the good and simple ways to keep your skin happy, you can try a fewer-step routine. For example, find a cleanser that soothes your skin that you can use daily, but not more than two times a day. Some dermatologists say that once-a-day usage is enough to keep your skin clean and satisfied.
- Excessive usage can lead to dryness or even make things worse because it can overstimulate your skin and cause it to release more and more oils to protest itself. If you keep removing the oil you remove the skin’s natural barrier. That way you leave your skin unprotected. So, keep your cleanser mild and don’t use it too much. The next step in this simple routine example is exfoliation.
- You should be extra careful with this step because this is the one that can damage your skin the most. Try not to use your exfoliants daily, and keep an eye out for sandy exfoliants, because they scrub the skin too much, and remove its natural protective barriers. By doing this too often, the skin could become prone to acne.
- The final step is the appliance of moisturizer. Depending on your skin type, you could use more watery or oily moisturizers. They will feed the skin and give it a healthy glow.
Make sure that you are feeding your skin the right way, and are finding the best products for your skin type. Keep things simple and your skin will be grateful.
