2020 skin goals | inclusive beauty

There are so many intentions I have collected from all of you that I’ve been able to digest over the last month of introspective, post-holiday time. As the decade turned, I asked many of you what you were hoping for in 2020 in relation to your skin health. There were many beautiful commitments shared about breaking up with old fear-based beauty beliefs that perpetuate inflammatory habits such as negative self-talk and picking the skin. There were also enlightening commitments to practice love-based care by simply drinking more water or getting more supportive care. I was elated receiving all of the feedback and took a long time to come up with a way that I could help with these resolutions. Here’s what I came up with…

I have a very realistic understanding of the shallow and frightening areas that my industry lacks in. Where is the inclusion? Accessibility? Mindfulness of climate crisis? All of these factors are at the forefront of my mind yet I’m still unable to really tackle any major shifts in these important movements. For example, I get sent products all the time. Sometimes without my acknowledgment or consent, which leaves me to have to find a way for a product to not go to waste as I will most likely not use it other than just a quick read of ingredients and test on the back of my hand. I donate and gift A LOT. But it leaves me to wonder, why did we just create a paper trail of waste by sending me, someone with massive abundance in the product area, more product? Especially when women’s shelters are still struggling to have enough feminine care products let alone any skincare. But that feels like the best way to describe our current culture - the abundant are likely to become more abundant at the expense of the marginalized while creating more of a burden on our earth’s health. 

I know I’m going to get it wrong by potentially sounding tone-deaf with content that I will create throughout the year while 1 billion animals are killed by the bushfires in Australia and the US is bombing Iran. I often don’t know what’s appropriate to do because if I don’t acknowledge it, I’m ignoring the greater issues that affect us all. Making me one of the privileged idiots perpetuating the problem. But I also know people don’t necessarily want a politically-charged stance on each issue from someone with a platform for skin health. My platform is meant to serve the magical purpose of escapism for many.

My solution, for now, is this: 

I’m going to take the resolutions received and create actionable, sustainable, accessible paths of success for you. 

Why? Because skin CARE is not just products, procedures, or feeling less than because of a breakout or aging. To me, skincare is an act of self-love. It’s drinking water before coffee in the morning. It’s mantra work. It’s getting some vitamin D. It’s turning off your screens and getting more sleep. It’s receiving a compliment. It can be free and mindful acts that are not harmful to you, others, and the environment. 

Each month, I’ll create a small 21-day challenge to help you achieve your 2020 skin goals. I’ll be participating with you and encouraging you along the way. I hope to make it easy, inclusive, accessible, and not wasteful. So please send me feedback if my objective is missed in a challenge or two. Part of my resolution is to be better at receiving feedback because I’ve been quite sensitive in the past with even the most helpful of suggestions. 

While there is so much that I disagree with when it comes to my industry, I still have an optimistic view of what it can become. It’s all in the way we frame it, right? For as long as I’ve loved skincare, it took for me to let go of the expectation of products to change my skin in order to create space for the rituals to change my outlook for me to have such longevity in this industry. 

I can’t promise to always get it right. I’m definitely going to produce content that may seem frivolous and self-indulgent to some but still holds an important place within the TSC space. So just know that there is something for everyone, mute the noise that triggers you (I won’t be offended) and follow along with the content that helps you escape from the darkness of the world. We all need it (mine comes in the form of a healthy youtube and reality TV obsession) and that doesn’t take away all the accountability we still have. Donate, spread awareness, commit to conscious consumerism, and please VOTE.

Comment below with your thoughts, questions, and insights! Looking forward to sharing the first 21-day challenge on my instagram on January 10th. Thank you for reading!

xo- Hayley

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