This one is for the "Skincare Girlies" who are currently choosing between buying a tiny bottle of Niacinamide and buying half a bag of rice. Let’s talk about it.

I love a good glow. There is nothing like that feeling when you finish your routine, your face is looking like freshly peeled boiled egg, and the sunlight hits you just right. But we need to stop the cap. Skincare has become the new "Gold." If you look at the price of a basic sunscreen today, you will start wondering if they mixed gold dust inside the bottle.

I’m tired of seeing influencers with 15-step routines telling us that we "need" seven different serums just to look human. One serum for "brightening," one for "hydrating," one for "pore-shrinking," and another one for "just because." Meanwhile, the economy is doing what I don't know and the price of eggs is going to the moon.

We’ve been conditioned to think that if we aren't spending 50k a month on products, we are "neglecting" ourselves. But let me tell you the truth: skincare is a luxury. If you have to choose between a 15k serum and a decent meal, please go and eat. Your skin will survive, but your stomach will not.

The "Aesthetic" Guilt

The problem is that skincare has moved from "hygiene" to "status symbol." You see people on TikTok showing off their "shelfies" with brands that cost a whole month's salary. And suddenly, you look at your one bottle of Nivea or Pears and you feel like you are failing.

We are literally stressing our faces because we can't afford the products that are supposed to remove the stress. Does that even make sense? Half of the breakouts we have are probably from the anxiety of trying to afford a 25-step routine.

The Real Gist

Here is what nobody wants to say: Your skin is a living organ, not a project. It actually knows how to take care of itself to an extent. You don't need a "toner" if your cleanser is good. You don't need "essence" if you’re actually drinking water and sleeping.

The industry wants us to believe that aging is a crime and that a pimple is a disaster. But for most of us, a simple soap, a basic moisturizer, and a decent sunscreen (if you can afford it) is more than enough. Everything else is just "jara." If you can afford the extras, great! Enjoy the luxury. But if you can't, don't let anyone make you feel like your face is a disaster just because it doesn't have 10 layers of product on it.

The Bottom Line

Stop letting these "Skin-fluencers" gaslight you. You are not "dirty" or "lazy" because you don't have a 100k skincare budget.

Focus on the basics and focus on your peace of mind. Stress is the biggest enemy of glowing skin anyway. You can buy all the Vitamin C in the world, but if you are constantly worrying about how to pay for it, that "glow" will remain a dream.

Save your money. Eat well. Sleep. Use your "unserious" moisturizer and move on with your day.