An Intentional Return to Beauty

In today’s fast-paced world, beauty routines are becoming more focused on health, balance, and holistic practices. Products and routines are progressively emphasising proactive, preventative measures, turning skincare into a ritual of self-care that nourishes both body and mind. In skincare, this has manifested in less invasive methods to improve appearance and a focus on hydrating ingredients. Simultaneously, the beauty world has seen new educational tools and services that help individuals understand their personal style and best features. These practices reflect purposeful additions to a daily routine, reflecting a more careful approach to beauty regimens. There is no definitive answer to “looking your best,” only new methods that can inspire and empower those looking to re-vamp their everyday routine.

Stimulate the Skin

As the body’s largest organ, the skin is often exposed to stressors on a daily basis. As a result, it is in a constant state of renewal to maintain a healthy state, with new cells forming in the deepest layers of the skin and gradually working their way to the surface. Stimulating cell regeneration is crucial in creating fresh, smooth skin as it helps to accelerate this natural process by shedding dead skin and encouraging the production of new, vibrant cells. This not only improves texture and tone but also enhances the skin’s ability to repair itself, fight off environmental damage and retain moisture.

While there is an abundance of topical treatments that can target uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, or acne, vitamin C is considered one of the best ingredients to stimulate cell production in the skin. According to Healthline, vitamin C acts as a chemical catalyst in the process of collagen production — the main protein that provides the skin with firmness and elasticity — which in turn supports the structure of new skin cells that have emerged. The SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic has been frequently declared as one of the best vitamin C serums on the market, by outlets such as Forbes, Byrdie and New York Magazine. Packed with a potent blend of 15 precent pure vitamin C, 1 percent vitamin E, and 0.5 percent ferulic acid, the serum creates an antioxidant shield on the face against skin-damaging factors like UV rays and diesel exhausts.

Another way to encourage skin cell regeneration is by physical processes — namely, microneedling. The procedure works by making small punctures in the skin with small stainless steel needles to activate the body’s natural healing process, resulting in refreshed skin. Health.com recommends the StackedSkincare Microneedling Tool, a beginner-friendly at-home dermaroller fitted with 0.2mm needles for gentle micro-exfoliation. However, since microneedling is considered a “minimally invasive” procedure, it is generally recommended to visit a dermatologist or licensed medical spas for regular treatments. Today, stimulating the skin has become a central focus within skincare, owing to the emphasis on preventative beauty routines. While products like hyaluronic acid and collagen face masks are still popular on the market, these ingredients ultimately deplete from the skin as we age and cannot be replenished with topical treatments. What is possible is taking proactive steps to enhance skin health over time, by training the body to renew itself from within.

Know Your Colour Palette

As beauty becomes increasingly personalised, a preference for tailored routines and styles have taken on new momentum. Colour analyses, in particular, helps individuals discover the hues that complement their natural skin tone, hair and eyes, and has gained immense popularity as people seek to optimise their everyday routines. Although the process of colour analysis has seen renewed interest, the concept is commonly attributed to the 1987 book “Color Me Beautiful” by professional colour consultant Carole Jackson, who grouped shades into seasonal palettes for the most ideal combination.

Modern day versions of Jackson’s concept are seen in various ways, from in-person beauty studios to online iterations. Seoul-based colour analysis studios are especially popular, as a result of kpop stars like Hyeri and Blackpink’s Jisoo posting about their private colour analysis consultations. Color Place in Gangnam is one of the most prolific consultation studios in Korea, with a range of famous clientele like Twice’s Nayeon and Exo’s Baekhyun. The studio offers a full-service package of colour analysis, hair style, brow shape and eyewear recommendations conducted by a professional. Alternatively, apps like StyleDNA utilises AI to analyse photographs of individuals to determine the optimum colour palette, prints, textures and cuts for outfits. Meanwhile, Four Seasons Studio is a virtual consultation, where three professional stylists will examine a series of selfies and photos to create a colour analysis. Results and recommendations are sent to customers within 24 to 72 hours.

A prominent trend of today’s beauty landscape is the focus on personalisation and customisation. New York City-based psychotherapist Dana Dorfman told Refinery29 that the desire to know one’s colour palette, face shape, and overall aesthetic could be connected to our innate need for a framework in life. “Given the complexity of the world, a simplification or a boxing in of things can sometimes make life easier,” Dorman said. “It also helps with decision fatigue because it does the deciding for you and you get the reassurance from an expert that it suits you.”

The benefits extend beyond decision-making by helping to streamline wardrobe and makeup choices, reducing carbon footprints and learning to make mindful choices about what products should be considered long-term investments and what are just fleeting trends.

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Incorporate Adaptogen Ingredients

With stress being a major culprit behind skin issues such as acne and premature aging, holistic beauty practices have begun to gain traction. Adaptogens are usually a group of plant-based compounds like ashwagandha, ginseng and mushrooms that are believed to restore balance to the body from physical and mental stressors. The concept stems from Asian traditional medicine practices, where ingredients are revered for their ability to enhance the body’s conditions as a whole instead of targeting specific issues. This — coupled with the common antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of natural plants — creates a solution for improving the skin and enhancing overall wellbeing.

Although the use of mushrooms in Chinese medical practices has been ongoing for centuries, the ingredient has only now found its way into global skincare lines. Research firm Innova Market Insights estimated that there was 50 percent annual growth in the use of mushrooms in beauty and skincare launches from April 2019 to March 2024. Out of all mushroom types, snow mushroom (also known as tremella) proved to be the top ingredient, touted for its ability to outperform hyaluronic acid in moisturising the skin. For those suffering from dry skin, the Thayers Hydrating Milky Toner actually contains a blend of both snow mushroom and hyaluronic acid, which the company claims can increase moisture levels by 35 percent.

In the 2020s, the beauty and wellness industry continues to overlap. As the modern world grows more fast-paced and stress-driven, people are seeking ways to nourish not just their skin but their entire wellbeing — adaptogens fit this new outlook on beauty. Since adaptogens are rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is limited research in the efficacy of certain ingredients. The key to incorporating adaptogens is to do so in moderation, and pair these holistic ingredients with tried-and-true ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C. Adaptogens align with a broader movement toward purposeful beauty routines, where every product is chosen with intention to improve both skin and long-term health.

Maintain Healthy Hair

Recently, haircare has followed the same ideology as skincare, with an emphasis on nourishing ingredients and consistent care. Yet facial hair like brows and lashes can often get overlooked, especially when they are subject to beauty and makeup procedures. While consistent use of brow gels or mascara should be safe for the health of facial hair, human error is usually the cause of thinning eyebrows or eyelash loss. L’Oréal points out a number of mistakes many makeup users fall victim to, including using eyelash curlers roughly, using false lashes too often and improperly removing makeup at night. When not done carefully, all of these practices can damage the hair follicles by exposing them to chemicals and leaving them dehydrated.

In response, an increasing number of brow gels and mascaras have followed the hybrid-makeup formulation, which fuses skincare ingredients into makeup products to deliver skincare benefits during use. Typology’s Serum Mascara utilises an oil-in-water emulsion formula, designed to hydrate and nourish while also enhancing the lashes’ appearance. Castor oil and pea peptides are infused into the formula to help stimulate lash growth, while keratin prevents breakage and promote healthy growth. Additionally, the formula is vegan and eco-friendly, with its black tint derived from vegetable and mineral origins. Hybrid formulas have also resulted in multi-use brow and lash serums. The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum contains four specialised peptides for hair growth, panthenol for moisturising, and red clover extract for fuller, thicker hair.

Investing in a brow or lash serum allows a more low-maintenance-high-impact type of approach to beauty routines. However, it is important to note that over-the-counter serums cannot make hair grow longer, they simply aid the existing processes and provide strengthening ingredients to the hair. Still, hair serums remain popular for its natural look, associated with the “clean girl” beauty trend that many prefer. Most importantly, lash and brow serums are a move towards products that help the hair and skin, rather than just masking imperfections.

Find Your Facial Features

Similar to colour analysis, finding and understanding your unique facial features has become a staple in the beauty community. It is not a new phenomenon, going back to the familiar ethos of knowing what styles, colours and haircuts would suit oneself. It has, however, gained more attention in recent years owing to an embrace of individuality, moving away from a one-size-fits-all ideal. Highlighting specific facial features — through methods like tailored makeup techniques, skincare, or haircuts — offers a way to create a beauty routine that feels authentic and effective.

@gracemchoi How to find your face shape! New filter and series on how to find your face shape as well as makeup and hairstyles guides for each face shape. #faceshape #faceshapefilter #faceshape #faceshapeanalysis #beauty ♬ original sound – gracemchoi

Although a well-known practice among professional makeup artists, advancements in technology have helped educate the masses on how to create a makeup routine that is distinctive to them. Augmented reality (AR) designer and Mink Beauty founder Grace Choi has gone viral multiple times for her creation of TikTok filters like “Cheek Contour, “Face Shape” and even skin “Undertone.” Speaking to Glamour, Choi said that the filters were meant to serve as “a personalised stencil for every viewer, [telling] them exactly where to place products on their face to achieve [the] desired result.”

The filters work by overlaying the face with a diagram of sorts, pinpointing parts of the face where makeup should be applied or drawn. A crucial aspect of Choi’s filters — which differ from beauty routines and hacks of the past, are the way in which the overlays fit to a person’s exact face — ensuring that every individual is seeing how the makeup would look applied to them.

@alieenor Réponse à @Ashleyvdk The best way you can feel like yourself when wearing makeup is understanding your contrast level #contrastlevel #highcontrast #annehathaway #maralafontan #inestazi #monicabellucci #highcontrastmakeup #darkhair #contrast #colorseasonanalysis @Mara Lafontan @INES TAZI Read More