Skincare summary

Before doctors graduate from medical school, they need to know their femurs from their humeruses, their tibia from their fibula, much as trainee lawyers need to wrap their heads around terms ranging from alimony to writs. 

The point is, if you want to be a professional, you need to learn the lingo. If you want to be a skincare pro, the same rule applies.

Have you ever read an article in which a glowing celebrity reveals her skincare secrets? 

It can be disheartening to find out that the so-called secret to that luminous skin is an expensive product only sold in one Parisian boutique. Or a cream packed with rare ingredients. Or access to the latest treatment from the world’s best facialists.

What does your morning look like? Do you ease into the day with yoga and journaling, or do you frantically rush out the door and get your commute underway?

What about your evenings? Are you out socializing with friends, or do you kick back on the couch with the latest television show? 

Back in the day, most people cared for their skin with little more than facial cleanser and moisturizing cream. Now, beauty and skincare retailers have shelf after shelf of acids, serums, retinoids, and more. 

Many people find it too overwhelming, and prefer to stick to their two-step cleanse-and-moisturize routine. But if you want to level up your skincare, you have to go beyond the basics.

No matter how diligent you are with your skincare routine, one thing’s for sure: You’ll have good skin days and you’ll have bad skin days. But why do the clear-skinned days always seem to coincide with a rainy weekend spent at home, while the days you wake up with a throbbing pimple invariably coincide with that important presentation at work?

Here’s the truth: blemishes are part of life. Breakouts can occur due to fluctuations in your stress levels, your hormones, and many other factors. Also, everyone gets them, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed or to cover them up if you don’t want to. 

As we grow, we change. You might go from collecting beanie babies to collecting prize bottles of wine. From listening to teeny-bopper-pop to enjoying mellow jazz. From eating pizza to . . . well, probably still eating pizza. 

The point is, you don’t stay exactly the same throughout your life. And neither does your skin. 

The luxury automobile industry would like you to believe that purchasing a sportscar is a shortcut to good looks and sexual charisma. The diamond industry would like you to believe that presenting your beloved with a massive gem will ensure a long, happy, and faithful marriage. And the fashion industry would like you to believe that this season’s hot item is all you need to be your best self.

All of these claims are, of course, nonsense. And yet we still fall for them, time and time again.