Return To Innocence?

You’ve heard of the hemline index (its theory: the better the economy, the shorter the skirts). Now what about the beauty index? From a simplification of routines to a renewed focus on some of the most time-honoured ingredients (nothing fancy-schmancy here, guys), Moh Shuying looks at how some of the latest trends in makeup and skincare might reflect today’s state of the world.

THE RETURN OF THE 3-STEP

More and more women are going on a skincare diet – a reminder that sometimes more can indeed be too much.

K-beauty swept the world about a decade ago and with it came the normalisation of the multi-step regime: toner, lotion, essence, ampoule, serum, moisturiser, facial oil… The list goes on. Over the past year though, experts have been noticing a rise in women streamlining their beauty routines. Aptly dubbed the skincare diet, the trend sees the return to a simpler tripartite approach: toner, serum, moisturiser, done (uhm, cleansing ought to be a given).

Socialists might attribute it to the resurgence of feminism – you know, modern, busy women have much better things to do than waste an hour or more on prettifying their faces. But as with how many are pushing back against today’s culture of oversaturation by stripping back, this beauty detox so to speak might have to do with the effects of application overload – actual physical ones.

Recent studies have shown an increase in the number of women seeking help for skin sensitivity, redness or inflammation. While our dedicated/extensive/time-consuming quest for Song Hye Kyo’s complexion might not be the only cause, it could certainly be a factor. “Putting excessive stuff on your face is not beneficial for skin,” says makeup artist Larry Yeo. “I find that it results in build-up and can cause some people to break out more, especially in our humid weather.”