I tried simplifying my skincare routine to three products

Mar 20, 2024

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL & SUNDRY

WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT

Will this change my beauty-maximalist ways?

If you’re an avid consumer of beauty-related content (like me), you’ve probably accumulated a generous shelf worth of ‘must-have’ products. My TikTok algorithm is often my worst enemy when it comes to makeup and skincare, with a new trend cropping up almost every week.

Cloud skin, strawberry makeup, glazed doughnut complexion – each comes with its own set of hyped new products to achieve that FYP-worthy result. It’s easy to forget when it comes to your face, less is often more.

It’s all in the name, really. A skincare routine should be consistent, reliable and effective. When you’re switching out serums every week, it’s difficult to really see the results of your products.

Plus, too many active ingredients can overcomplicate your routine, delivering adverse results. After a recent experience with skin purging after layering one too many samples, I decided it was time to pare back my products. I’d like to think between a bar of soap and a 10-step marathon, there’s a happy skincare medium.

Australian-born beauty brand All & Sundry is helping to simplify the skincare experience. Offering just three products – a cleaner, oil serum and moisturiser – All & Sundry believes in using less, using better and going back to basics. Exactly what my tired skin needed.

In an effort to hit reset on my routine, I tried the brand’s $150 Trio Set. Each Melbourne-made product has been carefully formulated with all skin types in mind, supported by an ingredients list you’ll actually be able to read.

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The goal of my stripped-back skincare trial was to heal my breakouts while keeping everything feeling moisturised and soft. I popped the Clean Cleanser in the shower and the Treat Oil and Restore Moisturiser on my vanity, surrendering all other products for a two-week period. Read on for my experience.

Right off the bat, I’m obsessed with the packaging. Simple, clean and high-quality, the products look perfectly sleek in my bathroom, and the clink of the glass bottles is tickling something in my brain (in a good way). Surprisingly, I’m also really enjoying the lack of decision fatigue. Along with sunscreen, I can pack my whole morning and night routine in one makeup bag.

It also feels less wasteful, and my skin seems to be loving it. I’m using the Clean Cleanser and Restore Moisturiser morning and night, and applying Treat Oil before bed using a gua sha. While the formulas aren’t completely all-natural (it’s a mix of plant-derived and bioengineered ingredients), the ingredients list is significantly simpler than most of my other products. My skin is feeling nourished and calm.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty. The Cream Cleanser is a super-hydrating, gentle formula, with a velvety consistency that does a great job of taking stubborn makeup off. It’s soap-free with a light, botanical scent, developed for ‘anti-aging and anti-redness’, ‘skin luminescence’ and ‘physiological hydration’.

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The Restore Moisturiser, in its sophisticated packaging, offers the same benefits as The Cream Cleanser, all while soothing and locking in hydration. For my skin, it’s the ideal in-between weight – not serum-thin, but not too thick either. Like all All & Sundry products, it’s a great all-rounder, enriched by shea butter, camellia nut oil and Betaine.

I love the Treat Oil first for its name because I have a penchant for a little treat. Housed in a frosted glass bottle, it’s the final step in the trio and helps to support long-lasting hydration. I’m always a little wary of oils because of my combination skin, but this one is lightweight and calming. A fusion of jojoba, marula and sweet almond oil, it helps to soften without leaving a shine.

Minimalism isn’t in my nature, but I’m beginning to think it should be. Over the two weeks, my skin responded resoundingly well to the simplified routine. It felt stable – no surprise pimples, random dry patches or excessive redness. The Trio Set gets my beauty-maximalist stamp of approval.

Shop the All & Sundry Trio Set for yourself here.

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