Let’s be honest for a second.
If you take a look at all the skincare routines circulating on TikTok and Instagram right now, it can sometimes feel like you need a whole loan or a mortgage on your house, just to wash your face.
There’s a five-step routine for your serums.
Then a base layer for your night cream.
Which is only the base layer for your gua sha treatment.
And somehow… your skin still doesn’t really look better.
At least, that’s exactly how it was for me.
When More Skincare Only Made Things Worse
I invested a lot of money into skincare products. And in the end, they did absolutely nothing for me, except irritate my skin even more and make it break out.
I truly believed that more products would result in better skin.
But what I actually got was:
- more irritation
- more breakouts
- more money wasted
At some point I realized: something had to change.
So I started minimizing my skincare routine ,not just to save money, but to calm my skin down.
And it worked.
Today, my skincare routine costs me around $15 a month instead of $50 or even $100. The average american woman spends more than 700$ a year on make up and skincare.
My skin is now calm, clear, and stable. And as a bonus: I buy way less makeup now because my skin doesn’t need to be “covered” anymore.
In this post, I’ll show you exactly what I use, how often I use it — and we’ll also talk about something slightly uncomfortable: how the beauty industry actually works and why a lot of brands don’t want you to know certain things.
Skincare and Moneyalism
As you might already know, this channel (and blog) is about moneyalism:
being intentional with spending, consuming consciously, and investing smart.
And skincare can be a huge expense if you’re not careful.
If you’re anything like me three years ago, you probably think:
“More products = better skin.”
But in reality, more products often just mean:
- more irritation
- more breakouts
- more clutter
- more money wasted
So let’s start with my actual routine.
My Simplified Morning Skincare Routine
In my latest Youtube Video I don’t show a full “washing my face” routine because the light in my bathroom is terrible. But I show you the products I use and here I´ve written down exactly what I do.
Morning cleansing
I shower every morning, so I simply wash my face with plain water in the shower.
That’s it.
I go to bed with a clean face, so my skin doesn’t really get dirty overnight. I honestly don’t see a reason to add a whole cleansing routine in the morning and irritate my skin even more when water is enough.
Sometimes I still have a bit of mascara residue under my eyes. For that, I use a microfiber towel that I bought years ago.
I completely switched from cotton pads to microfiber towels. You just throw them in the washing machine, they last forever, and they saved me so much money. I’m pretty sure mine will last another five years at least.
Moisturizer
After washing my face, I apply a very simple moisturizer for irritated skin.
It hydrates my skin extremely well and reduced my breakouts to zero. I used to have a dry, irritated spot near my eye — it’s completely gone.
I’m almost 33 years old. Of course I have pores. But I have no breakouts, nothing. And this cream played a huge role in that.
It’s Vanicream (affiliate link). I discovered it after moving to the US, and it completely changed my skincare routine.
It costs about $12 and lasts me two months, so roughly $6 per month.
If you have sensitive skin, I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
Vitamin C & Sunscreen
After moisturizing, I add a few drops of vitamin C serum.
It’s from a German drugstore, costs around €3, and lasts me two to three months.
In the sunnier months, especially since moving to the South of the US, I add sunscreen. I usually mix a small drop directly into my moisturizer.
The SPF is 60, which is quite high, but for me this is one of the few real necessities.
So in the morning, it’s:
- vitamin C
- moisturizer
- sunscreen
That’s it.
How My Makeup Simplified Automatically
Because my skin improved so much, my makeup routine simplified by itself.
I have about five minutes in the morning while getting my sons ready, so my makeup is very basic:
- a concealer/foundation hybrid (only under my eyes)
- a brow pencil (I bought it six months ago and only use it for one tiny spot)
- mascara
- lip gloss (usually hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law or my mom)
- a little bronzer
That’s it.
I still own an eyeshadow palette I bought in 2016. You can see how rarely I use it.
Since my skin got better, I don’t feel the need for makeup anymore. And reducing my skincare routine reduced my makeup needs by about 80%.
Good foundation is expensive. It can clog pores. Then you break out more. Then you buy more skincare.
It’s a cycle.
Evening Skincare: Even Simpler
In the evening, I wash my face with water and a black charcoal soap.
I bought two bars for about $6 — and I’ve had them for two years.
It’s the cheapest cleanser you can imagine, and one of the best things that ever happened to my skin. It’s not aggressive, doesn’t strip my skin, and still removes makeup thoroughly.
I remove any remaining mascara or lipstick with my microfiber towel.
Then:
- hyaluronic acid serum
- the same moisturizer
Once a week, I use a chemical peeling from a German drugstore. It costs about €4 and lasts half a year.
What I Actually Spend
When I calculate everything and break it down monthly, my skincare costs about $15 per month.
My makeup maybe $3–4 per month.
That’s it.
And this simplicity contributed massively to my financial freedom — and to a calm, uncluttered bathroom.
If a product didn’t work for my face, I’d repurpose it. A face cream that wasn’t right for me? Body lotion. Nothing gets wasted.
The Uncomfortable Truth About the Beauty Industry
Here’s the part that really bothers me.
The beauty industry is not interested in making you feel beautiful.
They make money by making you feel insecure.
There are studies showing that women feel least attractive on Monday mornings, and beauty and fitness brands are often advised to run ads exactly then, because people are more vulnerable.
I studied marketing. I’ve seen this from the inside.
I also used to have a side business in the cosmetics and perfume industry. Most brands source their products from the same six or seven suppliers. Same formulas. Same licenses. Same base ingredients.
They slightly tweak a formula, add one trendy ingredient, change the packaging, and suddenly it’s a “luxury product.”
Most raw ingredients are not expensive, especially when bought in bulk.
There is almost no skincare product worth more than $50.
Everything above that is branding, influencer budgets, and ads.
There’s a very high chance that your store-brand or drugstore skincare has the exact same formula as a high-end brand.
When you buy expensive skincare, you’re not buying better quality.
You’re buying the marketing.
You Don’t Need More Products
You need fewer, better products, chosen intentionally.
Once your skin improves, your makeup naturally simplifies.
Your expenses drop.
Your bathroom gets calmer.
And you stop chasing the next miracle product.
If this post was helpful, I’d love to hear:
- what your skincare routine looks like
- what you’ve simplified
- and what actually worked for your skin
And if you’re into frugal living, investing as a woman, financial freedom, retiring early, and realistic minimalism, you know what to do.
See you next time 🤍
