I love makeup. I look forward to putting on makeup every single day, and I don’t just do the usual concealer, mascara, lip balm sorta thing. It’s a full 20-step process, give or take a few depending on how many times I snoozed. I decide my makeup before I pick out my outfit. I am a beauty girl, through-and-through, but I’ll be honest — skincare is the most time-consuming, boring thing to me.
I know what you’re thinking: how can I be so obsessed with my makeup and not the face underneath it?! I’ve been asking myself this question since I was young. I’ll buy a new product because my friends love it, get excited, use it for a few days, and it defaults to the back of my skincare cabinet behind the products I’ve deemed “easier.” As long as it’s easy and makes my face look good, I’m happy.
If you, too, struggle with the fuss of skincare but still want to look like a goddess (we can totally have our cake and eat it, too), here are my tips for getting the look without all the hassle. Lazy girls, I got you.
Try a sinkless routine
I have this terrible habit of never washing my face after a night out. I get home, and I just want some me-time with Taco Bell in my bed. The night gets the best of me, and I wake up in a panic, all to find a new breakout. I was over this cycle, so I decided to give myself a sinkless routine. I keep a couple of products in my nightstand so I never have an excuse to not take off my makeup before bed.
A lot of women keep makeup wipes in their nightstand, but I take it a little bit further. I use a micellar cleansing water with a cotton pad to remove makeup. Then, I go in with a cleansing oil, which I remove with a microfiber cloth spritzed with a little water from an old spray bottle. I go in with a toner, a moisturizer, and an eye cream to finish (because I do not want undereye bags tomorrow!).
Source: @skininthesky
Use products that serve more than one purpose
The key to having great skin without using product after product is investing in products that work overtime. Whether it’s an exfoliator that also has nourishing oils, a mask that doubles as an exfoliator, or a moisturizer that is rich enough to double as an eye cream, you’ll save time and money in the long run.
This product is formulated with glycolic, tartaric, lactic, and citric acids to exfoliate, but it contains matcha, milk thistle, and apple extracts to hydrate, soothe, and nourish the skin. Also, it's an Everygirl Editor favorite!
This mask has rose flower powder to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, and it contains argan, safflower, sesame, avocado, and grape seed oils to moisturize the skin.
This moisturizer contains hyaluronic acid, so it moisturizes like no other. It plumps the skin enough to act as an eye cream, too!
Try treatment pads
We’re all about swipe-and-go here. Putting a toner on a cotton pad just takes too much time. Instead, opt for a product with pads already soaked in the treatment.
Opt for an overnight mask
An overnight mask takes out the moisturization step, but I love them because they are easy to remove. I love a mud mask just as much as the next girl, but they are impossible to take off your face — don’t get me started on a peel-off mask because that is literally painful. An overnight mask gives you all the nourishment you’re craving, but it sinks into the skin and hydrates while you sleep. You literally don’t have to do anything, and you wake up with gorgeous, glowy skin. It’s the definition of a lazy girl hack.
READ: Our Editors’ All-Time Favorite Face Masks
Put your toner into a spray bottle
This hack has saved me so many times. Fed up with how many cotton pads I was using (so much waste!), I decided to funnel my toner into a travel size spray bottle. It is life-changing. When I go to apply my toner every night, instead of swiping it across my face, I spritz it on. Easy, takes a couple seconds, and the toner covers your entire face evenly. Genius, if I do say so myself.
Skip steps that don’t work for you
A 10-step routine is amazing for some people, but your skin might not need all of those steps to wake up flawless. Who has the time? Not me, Netflix is waiting in my bed.
Tailor your skincare routine to your actual skin. If you’re 22 years old and don’t necessarily feel like you need to start preventing wrinkles just yet, don’t assume you have to add a Retinol product to your routine. If you don’t have acne, an AHA/BHA might not benefit you as much. Pick your treatments based on what your skin actually needs.
You also don’t need to do the same thing every night. If my acne is looking good, I might skip my exfoliating peels and opt for something more hydrating or brightening. Don’t be afraid to switch up your routine for how your skin is feeling.
Source: @yunah.lee
Always use SPF
If there’s one step you should never skip, it’s your morning SPF. We’ve heard it all before, but keeping your skin protected from the skin is the best thing you can do for anti-aging, fading dark marks, and keeping your skin healthy. It’s the one step you should be doing every morning to see results in your skin long-term.
Get some sleep
Don’t skimp on sleep, ladies. While it can seem taunting to stay up watching Riverdale or just getting some last-minute work done (been there, done that), the No. 1 thing your skin needs is time to regenerate and renew while you sleep. There’s a reason we get dark spots under our eyes when our sleep cycle is off!
Make sure to especially pay attention to how many hours you’re getting around your period, particularly if you’re skin reacts hormonally. Your body needs even more time to rest during that time, so give up just a little bit of your Monday night Bachelor recap sesh with your BFF to hit the hay.
Tell us your favorite skincare hacks in the comments!