How to Simplify Your Skincare Routine

Strip down to three essentials: cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF during the day.

Skincare marketing thrives on making you feel inadequate about doing less, but the most beautiful skin I've seen belongs to people who found their three products and stuck with them for years.

1. Audit what you actually use. Pull everything out of your bathroom cabinet and group products by when you last used them. If it's been more than two weeks, you don't need it. Most people use three products consistently and hoard seven others.
2. Choose one cleanser that works. Pick a gentle cleanser that removes makeup and doesn't leave your skin tight or greasy. Use it morning and night. One bottle, one job, zero decisions.
3. Find your baseline moisturizer. Choose a moisturizer that feels comfortable on your skin every day. Not the most exciting one or the most expensive—the one you'll actually reach for without thinking.
4. Add SPF in the morning. Use a separate sunscreen or a moisturizer with SPF 30 or higher every morning. This is non-negotiable and the only step that changes between day and night routines.
5. Set a two-week rule. Before adding anything new, use your simplified routine for two weeks. Your skin needs time to adjust, and you need time to see if you miss the extra steps.