Confession: I’m low-maintenance, and I’m finally okay admitting that.

True, there were times in my life that were more high-maintenance than others—especially in my beauty routine. This happened mostly in my 20s when I kept up with consistent pedis, extensive skincare routines, facials and more. My skin was fine, but it was a focus I never truly enjoyed. I remember walking into a department store and dropping a lot of money on a full line of makeup, only to go home and immediately wash it off. I simply didn’t recognize myself. I’ve never mastered the smokey eye, seamless self-tanner application—or, let’s be honest, how to style my hair.

If you’re anything like me, it’s time to come clean. It wasn’t until I became an exhausted mom of four to finally realize enough is enough. The truth? Even when I had downtime, I didn’t enjoy traditional “self-care.”

Turns out, none of it was necessary to achieve healthy skin, anyway.

I soon realized the benefits of using only a few quality activities on your skin. In fact, I created my skincare line with a low-maintenance routine at heart. Let’s be effortless, but still beautiful. I’m in my 40s and wear less makeup now than ever before—not because of an elaborate skincare routine, but because I consistently use quality, science-backed skincare ingredients. Simplified formulas. No layering. Cleansing only once a day.

Maybe you’ve always been low-maintenance and are looking for a reason to finally embrace it. Maybe you want to switch gears and try scaling back on your beauty routine! Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Keep scrolling for reasons why low-maintenance can lead to effortless confidence and your best skin yet…

1. Better Skincare, Less Makeup

By becoming more intentional with your skincare and the ingredients you use, your skin will become healthier—ergo (hopefully!) requiring less time applying makeup. After all, isn’t “better skin” the goal of skincare? Layering products and overusing active ingredients is costly and harmful to your skin, thus requiring more makeup. Simplifying your routine will allow your complexion to breathe and revive. Then, makeup becomes optional!

2. Reclaimed Time & Energy

Pairing down an elaborate skincare routine significantly frees up your mornings and evenings, allowing you to spend more time on things you actually want to do. A fringe benefit? By spending less time in front of the mirror, I find myself focusing less on my appearance. If you feel you’re in an unhealthy mindset, constantly obsessing over your appearance—simplifying your routine may prove helpful.

3. More Confidence

Speaking of obsessing over your appearance, the best benefit of embracing a low-maintenance lifestyle is that you tend to become more genuine. You start focusing on what really matters instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing. Keeping up with the Joneses in the beauty space often trickles into other aspects of your life—from clothing to home decor, elaborate vacations and more. When you finally pull out of the race, you’re left with “good enough.” While that may not be perfection, it’s contentment.

4. Cost Effective

Let’s face it: Skincare isn’t cheap, and there are many factors that play into this cost—from quality ingredients to sustainable packaging, small batch production and more. That being said, it makes more sense to spend money on quality, effective skincare and less on the cheap, trendy products and makeup items that only cover up real issues you should be tackling instead. One way to scale back is to only use ingredients you actually need (we can help with that). This includes in-office and spa procedures, light therapy, botox, facials and treatments. Find what works best for you and spend money where it matters—but don’t feel like you have to keep up with everything.

5. Slowly Embrace Simplicity

Maybe this is the year you finally want to embrace simplicity. If so, start with beauty. Scale back and see how it affects other parts of your life. You may find yourself feeling more grateful for the little things and less frustrated by what you can’t control. I’ve learned to give myself more grace with my home, cleaning, parenting and even friendships. You can, too. Keep it simple and always go for quality over quantity!