Beauty – Information And More

Beauty – I mean, the thing is, I am just going to say that beauty should not be that difficult. You get up, scroll through your phone, and before you know it, everyone has glass skin, a snatched jawline, and eyelashes that are able to do the duty of ceiling fans. In the meantime, you are here, not knowing whether it is that you washed your face with the same bar soap that you had been using since high school, and it is that which is causing you to break out. Actual question – when has considered yourself become a full-time job?

I’ve been there. I had the notion that a beauty routine involved mascara and Chapstick and calling it a day. Then I got to my latter twenties and my skin started having tantrums with each shift in the weather. And that was when I learned: beauty does not consist in the pursuit of perfection. It is about trying to figure out what really works with YOU and still supports your family, and does not make you jobless at the same time.

The One Beauty Truth Nobody Wants to Admit

Here’s the thing they don’t tell you in those 47-step Korean skincare videos: 80% of how you look comes down to the basics. Sleep, water, not picking at your face, sunscreen. Yeah, I know — boring. But I’ve wasted hundreds of dollars on serums that promised to “change my life” only to end up with the same tired eyes and hormonal acne.

Last year, I experimented. For 60 days, I ditched everything fancy and went back to basics:

• 8 hours of sleep (or as close as my dog would allow)
• 80+ ounces of water a day
• Double cleanse + moisturizer + sunscreen
• No picking, no squeezing, no “just one more extraction video” at 2 a.m.

Result? My skin looked better than it ever had with a 10-step routine. Crazy, right?

Building a Beauty Routine That Doesn’t Own Your Life

The trick is keeping it stupid simple but still effective. Here’s exactly what I do now — nothing here takes more than 10 minutes total:

Morning (4 minutes tops)

• Rinse with water or a gentle cleanser if I’m sweaty
• Vitamin C serum (brightens and fights pollution damage)
• Lightweight moisturizer with hyaluronic acid
• Sunscreen (the non-negotiable — I like the Korean ones that don’t feel like wall spackle)

Night (6 minutes because I’m chatty with myself in the mirror)

• Oil cleanse (takes off sunscreen and makeup like magic)
• Gentle foam cleanser
• Retinol 2-3 nights a week (started with the weakest strength — trust me)
• Snail mucin or just a thick moisturizer to lock everything in
• Lip mask because dry lips make me look like I’ve been lost in the desert

That’s it. No acids every night. No 17 layers. Just consistency with stuff that actually does something.

The Beauty Products I’d Fight Someone Over

I’m picky now. My bathroom counter used to look like Sephora exploded. These are the only things I repurchase religiously:

• Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence — sounds gross, works insanely well. Calms redness overnight.
• Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun — sunscreen that feels like nothing but blocks everything.
• The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane — gentle enough that I didn’t peel like a snake my first month.
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask — the berry one. I panic if I’m running low.

Everything else? I’ll try it once, but I’m not married to it.

Real Talk About “Flawless” Skin on Social Media

Half the people you see with perfect skin either have: a) A filter, b) A dermatologist on speed dial, c) Great lighting and good genes, d) All of the above.

I unfollowed every influencer who made me feel like garbage about my hormonal chin acne. Life-changing. Now I follow normal people who show their texture, their breakouts, their “I only washed my face with water for a week” experiments. Way more useful.

The Beauty Mistakes I Wish I Could Slap My Younger Self For

• Sleeping in makeup “just this once” approximately 487 times
• Thinking “natural” meant I didn’t need sunscreen (hello sun spots)
• Exfoliating every day because “smoother = better” (spoiler: it’s not)
• Buying every product a TikTok girl with perfect skin told me to
• Using 47 different activities at once and wondering why my face was on fire

Learn from me. Your skin barrier is not your enemy.

How to Look “Put Together” Even When You’re Falling Apart

Some days I have 5 minutes and negative energy. On those days:

• Tinted moisturizer or a cushion foundation (slap it on with fingers)
• Cream blush on cheeks and lips
• Curl lashes, one coat of mascara
• Brow gel (the difference is stupid)
• Tinted lip balm

Done. Takes 3 minutes, and nobody knows I cried in the car.

The Mental Side of Beauty Nobody Talks About

Here’s the part that actually matters: beauty feels better when you’re not hating yourself in the mirror. I spent years nitpicking every “flaw,” and guess what? People didn’t notice half the stuff I was obsessed with.

Now? I do my little routine because it feels good. Not because I’m trying to fix myself. There’s a huge difference.

Some days I wear zero makeup and still feel hot. Some days I do the full thing and still feel meh. That’s life. The goal isn’t to look perfect — it’s to look like the best version of whatever mood you’re in that day.

So What Does Beauty Actually Mean in 2025?

To me? It’s showing up as yourself without apology. It’s figuring out what makes YOU feel good — not what some algorithm says you should want. It’s having one good skincare day after ten bad ones and still calling it a win.

Beauty isn’t the product. It isn’t the trends. It’s the confidence to say, “This is my face, these are my stretch marks, this is my gray hair at 32, whatever.”

Do the basics. Experiment when you feel like it. Ignore the rest.

Because at the end of the day, the most beautiful thing you can wear is the version of you that isn’t exhausted from trying to be someone else.