Reach your skin goals with a few simple shifts to your routine.
Let’s face it: Skincare can be confusing. From understanding the best way to combat dry skin to figuring out when, how, and with which product you should be exfoliating, there’s a lot of information to consider when it comes to perfecting the ideal skincare routine for any given season. Before your head starts spinning with the multitude of choices, though, please know that there’s a simple approach that can make doing so a straightforward (and potentially fun!) exercise.
The game is this: Make a vision board where, instead of focusing on what you perceive as a skin negative, you put out into the universe the final positive result you’d like to achieve. Let’s call it a skin goal. For example, if you have a dark spot, the end goal might be for your skin to be brighter and more even in tone. Bothered by pimples and general irritation? Set a target for calmer, blissfully balanced skin. You get the idea.
It may sound lofty, but making the switch to be solution-centric rather than problem-focused could have positive repercussions on your self-esteem, too.
“Thinking about that end result, and imagining how you’d like your skin to look and feel, makes it far easier to identify which products might meet your individual skin type’s needs, and has the added benefit of creating a more positive outlook in general which can only be healthy,” explains Youth To The People’s Senior Director of Product Development + Education, Laura Cline.
She adds that it also aids in empowering skincare newbies and seasoned pros alike to learn more about key ingredients and new innovations, and zero in on what is and isn’t working for them.
“Creating goals this way doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your entire routine at once,” she says, “but it does help create a structure so you can see what’s making an impact on your skin. As long as you pay attention to user instructions, it’s ok to layer or mix-and-match products to reach your skincare goals.”
To help ease you into this practice, here, Cline lines up a few examples of what a skin-happy vision board might look like for you.
Feeling this: Fine lines and wrinkles.
Aim for that: “Replenished, firm, plump-looking skin with lots of hydration. Look for products that support collagen production and promote skin structure, like the Triple Peptide + Cactus Oasis Serum. Most people first notice fine lines around the eyes, so you’ll want to add in a targeted eye cream, too,” like the Dream Eye Cream.
Feeling this: Post-blemish scars and hyperpigmentation
Aim for that: “Luminous, smooth skin–which can be achieved with diligent exfoliation and lots of vitamin C. Try adding in the Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner up to every other night, and the 15% Vitamin C + Caffeine Energy Serum every morning for 30 days and see if you notice a difference.”
Feeling this: Pimples and breakouts.
Aim for that: “Clear, clean, and calm skin. Try not to irritate your skin further with harsh products, and instead reach for those that are soothing. To help purify pores, adding in the Mandelic Acid + Superfood Unity Exfoliant in the AM and the Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask a few nights a week can really help.”
Feeling this: Irritable and sensitive.
Aim for that: “Harmony and balance, which can be achieved with all of the products in our adaptogen range–like the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream and Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist–which contain powerful soothing ingredients, like reishi and ashwagandha to address signs of stress. ”
Written by Elsa de Berker for Youth To The People
