Capsule Beauty Is Minimalism: the New Luxury

Sprawled across your bathroom counter are dozens of products: half-used bottles of toners, serums, moisturizers, primers, foundations, concealers, creams, and powders in that order. No rhyme or reason to what brands you buy, rely on, or actually use because each one was a "holy grail product" recommended to you by someone on TikTok named Nikita —or was it Nicky? Natalie? It didn't matter because they had beautiful, filter-like skin, so of course you bought it through their affiliate link, thinking to yourself, If it works for them, it has to work for me! Your skin doesn't match their flawlessness just yet, but you hold out hope that the next product will be the one to get you to their level.

Western culture is wildly obsessed with the idea of more. More steps, more "must-have" products, more "holy grails that completely transformed my skin." Overconsumption hallmarks the beauty industry, convincing consumers that perfect, glass skin only exists at the tail end of a never-ending shopping cart. You buy product after product, hoping to maximize your beauty, only to end up leaving your skin suffocated and your wallet dry. Consumers like you and I are left navigating a socioeconomic climate where “more” is marketed as essential despite its diminishing returns. In other words, it deliberately keeps you broke… and with irritated skin.

But what if I told you that—in the midst of this maximalist fatigue—a new trend is rising against overproductification? What if it's no longer luxurious to have every product under the sun in your routine?

What if I told you that less is somehow more?

Image Courtesy: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/725009240049693345/

Meet capsule beauty routines: routines focused solely on quality rather than quantity. The term originated as an extension of the capsule wardrobe concept, adapting a minimalist philosophy to skincare and beauty routines. The core principle involves curating a small, high-quality collection of essential products that you consistently use, rather than investing in a sea of products you seldom use.

Across the board, skin typically thanks you for minimalism when it comes to skincare and makeup. Too many products doing too many things is a recipe for an irritable disaster on your face. Nobody's skin is perfect or flawless—even filtered skin online—but your skin is more intuitive than you'd think, operating on an internal system that is slow and steady. While yes, more advanced routines could get your skin damn near perfect, that doesn't mean it will. A capsule beauty routine is as slow and methodical as your skin is; each product is introduced gradually, giving them enough time for your skin to produce results. A holy grail is not synonymous for a miracle worker, at least not instantly. Your skin needs time to breathe, heal, renew, and glow; drowning it in a million and one products lets it do nothing of the sort.

But how is a capsule beauty routine luxury?

Luxury is all about abundance—abundance of money, beauty, pleasure—but most of all it is about comfort. It's not about having it all per se, instead about having just above enough. Sure, it is a sign of luxury to be able to afford every new skincare drop or makeup launch, but there is a clear distinction between fad luxury and real, authentic luxury. There is a difference between aligning your routine with each new skincare/makeup trend with minimal results versus aligning your routine to what your skin actually needs and benefits from. Think of it like the difference between having a new faux holy grail each month versus having a real set of holy grails for life. That's value. That's real luxury.

And real luxury is patently marketable. Instead of the rhetoric of "you have to try our product", brands can say "here is a product you can trust". Sustainability—both economically and environmentally—plays well in building consumer trust and loyalty. Not only is so-and-so product good to use, it meshes well with your ethics on spending money or not wasting products you won't use. In other words, you get to use your hard-earned cash on products that actually work for you. It simultaneously builds trust between you and the brand, between you and the product, and most importantly, between you and yourself.

The best part about a capsule beauty routine is that it doesn't have to consist of expensive products. You can avoid breaking the bank buying a thousand products by investing in the ones you know work for your skin. The products individually can be as expensive as your wallet can stretch, but the beauty of a capsule routine is that it doesn't have to. It just has to work.

Image Courtesy: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/725009240051734241/ 

So how can you build a capsule beauty routine?

First things first, you need to declutter. Any products that have found themselves in the deepest regions of your medicine cabinet? Toss it. Those makeup products you avoid using unless you're running low on your other products? Donate it! Or toss it. Just find a better use for it than letting it collect dust in your valuable space. 

Next, refine. Take note of the products in your routine that you naturally gravitate towards; much like your skin, you are also more intuitive than you think. Simplify your routine down to its bare necessities. You don't have to do any heavy lifting to convince yourself a product is for you; if the product feels right, you will know. Lean into that! A sunscreen you love, an active serum that your skin eats up, a concealer that marries into your skin, trust what works for you. Prioritize the products that are effective and versatile, and keep it simple. These will be the foundation of your capsule beauty routine.

If those products alone are not enough to get the results you want, then follow this rule strictly: slow and steady, one at a time. Don't go adding a million and one products expecting to instantaneously get to where you want to be. The Sistine Chapel wasn't painted in one night, so treat your skin with the same amount of grace and patience as one of the greatest artworks in the world. Do your research, introduce products slowly, and watch for results at the 4-6 week mark. If you can consult a dermatologist or esthetician, that would be the most ideal because they are the experts at getting your skin from point A to point B.

You deserve a routine you can trust, and you deserve to feel beautiful in your own skin. Beauty is not about filling up a shopping cart, it's about feeling like you— your most authentic you. Build your routines with purpose, intentionality, and genuine alignment. You will find yourself at the height of luxury when you do.

Oh, and don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Strike out, 

Orlando

Written by Erick Matosinho

Edited by Delaney Gunnell
Erick Matosinho is a Staff Writer for Strike Magazine Orlando. A senior at UCF majoring in Business Communications with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric and a Brazilian Studies certificate, Erick blends his passion for storytelling and creating with his Brazilian-American background. Beyond writing, he loves to model, swim, and drink coffee! Anything that will help him with his aspirations to change the world… or become a stay-at-home novelist who knows. You can connect with him on Instagram @_erixk.m_ or through his email matosinhoerick.irms@gmail.com.