You’re Allowed to Make Time for Yourself Too
Earlier this year, we asked 1,502 of our customers what gets in the way of looking after their skin and themselves.
We expected the answers to be about products. Instead, so many of them were about permission.
“Having enough money to spend on myself instead of paying the utilities!”
“I find I am last on the list.”
“Feeling guilty about spending money on it.”
“I wish that it didn’t feel expensive to try to look good.”
That stayed with us.
Because for a lot of women, the question isn’t simply “Do I want this?”
It’s “Am I allowed to spend the time, money or energy on myself?”
When you’re always last on your own list
When we asked our customers about their biggest priorities, family and health understandably came first.
For some women, time for themselves barely featured at all.
“Hahaha I’m a single mum... no such thing as time to myself.”
“I make out like I complete self-care but in all honesty there is just too much cleaning to do or things for the boys I have to attend.”
And some responses came from women navigating much bigger things, health challenges, major life changes and difficult seasons.
It was a reminder that beauty and self-care sit inside real lives.
Sometimes busy ones. Sometimes messy ones. Sometimes incredibly hard ones.
Sometimes five minutes is enough
One thing we noticed when reading the responses was that women rarely described feeling their best as being perfectly made up.
It was much simpler than that.
“I feel my best when I’ve had a shower and brushed my hair and teeth.”
“Like I’m taking care of myself and my skin and it’s not a chore.”
“I’ve done something small for myself.”
Sometimes skincare isn’t about chasing a result. Sometimes it’s just five minutes at the bathroom sink that belong to you.
A cleanser. A moisturiser. Putting your hair up. Applying the foundation you love. Something small that makes you feel a little more like yourself.
Self-care doesn’t need to be elaborate
It doesn’t have to be a ten-step routine, an hour-long ritual or a bathroom shelf full of products.
It can be three minutes.
It can be three products.
It can simply be using what you already have consistently. The goal isn’t to add another thing to your to-do list. It’s to make looking after yourself feel achievable enough that it actually becomes part of your day.
And sometimes spending isn’t the priority
There are also times when money is genuinely tight.
If that’s where you are right now, there is nothing you need to “reframe”.
Use what you have. Keep things simple. Skip the extras.
You do not need a new product every month to take care of yourself, and we never want Lust to make you feel like you’re falling behind because you’re not buying something new.
A small routine that works for you is enough.
The sentence we keep coming back to
One customer wrote:
“Self care by pouring into my own cup so I can be the best mum, wife, daughter etc.”
We love the sentiment.
But we’d add one thing.
You don’t have to earn those few minutes by being better for everyone else.
You’re allowed to want to feel good in your own skin simply because you do.
You’re allowed to take five minutes.
You’re allowed to enjoy putting on makeup on a Tuesday.
You’re allowed to choose something for yourself too.
Need help making your routine simpler?
You don’t need to buy anything.
If you want help working out what you actually need, what you can skip, or how to use the products you already own, our team is always here to help.
