All about Purposeful Beauty & Why it is Trending?

The pandemic had a profound effect on most of our lives. It changed the way we eat, live and socialise. Though things today are going back to how they were pre-COVID, there are several aspects of our day-to-day life that have been altered for the better. It’s no surprise that self-care saw a massive boom during COVID. Influencers too were constantly putting out skincare and beauty-related content. One buzzword that did the rounds then and is here to stay now is purposeful beauty. During the pandemic, women began to experience a sense of freedom from a troublesome and long makeup routine. They soon realised – less is more.

What is Purposeful Beauty?

As the name implies, purposeful beauty is beauty with a purpose. Be it a skincare or beauty routine, it’s all about making every step count. Most of us blindly follow 10-step routines without even delving deep into what our skin actually wants. Just like minimalism is taking over the interior design space, skinmalism is conquering the beauty space. Just like mindful eating is a thing, mindful beauty is a new trend. You open Insta and you’ll see skinfluencers talking about niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, retinoids and so on. But have you asked yourself if you really need it all? Is skincare really a one-size-fits-all deal? Honestly, it’s not. It’s great to follow a beauty regime if you desire a glowing complexion. However, at the end of the day, a skincare routine is just a routine, and nothing else. It’s a mundane and rushed exercise you blindly follow only to tick it off your daily checklist.

Wake up, women!

The renewed focus to streamline our everyday routines gave rise to purposeful or intentional beauty.

How to Create a Purposeful Beauty Ritual?

Creating a purposeful beauty ritual isn’t rocket science. The idea behind adding intention to your beauty routine is to derive maximum results while minimising wastage of time and product quantity. Honestly, you don’t need so many products for your skin to look and feel better. Instead, when you focus on each product, you will be able to understand what your skin wants and your relationship with it will improve too.

Change your Skincare Routine to a Skincare Ritual

After a shower, most of us simply cleanse, massage and moisturise our skin. We do the same thing almost every day like robots. What if we told you, adding one more thing can elevate your skincare experience? It’s not an expensive ingredient or treatment. It’s just doing each step with intent. When you perform a ritual too, it’s a sacred and purposeful experience. Apply the same thought process to skincare too. Savour and enjoy the entire ritual. When you gain a sensory experience, you will be able to give a moment back to yourself. This is what self-care truly is. A skincare ritual is also a great way to connect with your mind and body. Just because your skincare routine is long, it doesn’t mean it’s effective. Even if the routine is 5-minutes but is performed with intent, it can be helpful.

There are countless skincare reels and videos on YouTube. However, the best skincare routine is the one that benefits you, not the one an influencer is following. For example, Alia Bhatt recently shared her skincare secrets on YouTube after which a lot of people started buying the same/similar products. Here’s where the problem lies. Just because a certain product is working for her, it doesn’t mean it will work for you too. Purposeful beauty is all about creating a goal-driven approach in your routine. Don’t get a moisturiser just because it smells good. Instead, assess if it tackles the skin concern you have. When you start doing this, you will really glow inside-out.

Tips to create a purposeful skincare ritual:

• Set an Intention

Start by setting an intention. When you do so, you set the tone for what you want to achieve through the ritual. Do a quick scan of you’re feeling that day. Not every day will be the same. If you want to take off any extra stress or tension of your body, tweak your skincare ritual as per that. Your morning ritual will set the tone of the day whereas your night ritual will help you unwind and relax.

• Look at the Positives

Whenever we look at ourselves in the mirror, we only focus on the negatives and our flaws. That’s because our mind is conditioned to see the things we lack. For once, look at yourself in the mirror and examine the features that truly make you unique. Let your imperfections not define you.

• Go Slow

Mindful beauty, intentional beauty and purposeful beauty are all the same with different names. The whole point of this is not to rush into the process. It’s all about going slow. Focus on each part of the ritual, even the texture and fragrance of the product.

• Make it a Sensory Experience

You can actually turn your skincare ritual into a multi-sensory experience. Focus on how each act feels. It might sound a bit time-consuming. However, all you need to do is devote five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night. Different motions, movements, tools and aromas can be extremely pleasurable. You can even use a gua-sha massage tool.

• Accompany your Routine with Affirmations

Have you ever thought of combining your skincare routine with positive affirmations? It might sound amusing but it works wonders. It’s a great way to remind yourself why you’re doing the ritual in the first place. For example, as you massage, you can say out loud “I am massaging my skin to make it radiant and release toxins and dirt”.

• Consistency is Key

Lastly, consistency is the most important part of a beauty ritual. You can’t follow it one day and rush into the process the next. Purposeful beauty is a habit that might take some time to get cultivated. However, once it does, there’s no looking back.

You will soon realise how this wonderful practice will provide you joy and peace, and keep your skin looking young and radiant.