How Slowing Down & Simplifying My Space Healed My Skin

It’s remarkable how easily life gets caught up in day-to-day dramas, pulling me away from our creative purpose and inner peace. 💭

I began to recognise the pattern—understanding exactly how and why it was getting so hard to balance my work and personal life. At the end of the day, all I wanted to do was come home, take a warm shower, order takeaway, and crash into bed. Even though I was all too familiar with this vicious cycle, I still found myself missing out on the simple joys of life and precious moments with my family.

This is something so many of us experience every single day as human beings. For me, it led to shutting myself off from the outside world or focusing on someone’s pain and suffering. My health and well-being suffered tremendously, to the point where I felt completely lost in my own world.

I hesitated to share this with anyone. Whenever I did, I was met with judgment: “This is just part of life, we all do it,” or “You need to be stronger—our generation didn’t complain, we just did what needed to be done.”

Those responses always made me feel out of place, no matter where I was or what I was doing. I carried a constant, heavy feeling that this wasn’t how I was meant to be living, or where I was meant to be. If you’ve ever felt this way, please know: you are not alone, and there is a way forward. 🌿

🏡 Step 1: Making the Shift (From Sydney to Simplicity)

When I finally asked myself what was stopping me from enjoying the simple things and spending time with my family, the honest answer was simple: I was stopping myself. It is so easy to justify constant stress by telling myself I had to pay bills, cover the mortgage, and contribute to having a comfortable life because “this is how it’s supposed to be.” But the truth was a much simpler reality—one that I often avoided, or forced myself to avoid—and I knew I needed to make a radical change.

We decided to eliminate what wasn’t serving us:

Eliminating the Mortgage: It took us eight months to sell our Sydney home, pay off the mortgage, and move out of the city. We transitioned from renting a three-bedroom house to a two-bedroom home with significantly cheaper rent—giving us more than enough space to breathe.

Decluttering & Donating: As we packed, we realised how many items had sat in corners gathering dust. We had accumulated unworn clothes, expired cupboard items, duplicate kitchenware, and endless linens. Donating everything we didn’t need showed us just how little we actually require to live a full, happy life. ✨

With minimal clutter, cleaning takes minutes, everything has a place, and my mind feels clear. Lightening my physical environment created the mental space I desperately needed to focus on family, self-care, and intentional living.

It’s worth remembering that simplifying your space isn’t a one-time destination—it is an ongoing process. Life happens, clutter naturally creeps back in, and that is completely normal. The beauty of this mindset is that you can reintroduce this system whenever you need to reset. You are never failing or “starting from scratch”—you are simply coming back to balance. 🌿

🧴 Step 2: Simplifying My Skincare Routine

Simplifying my life allowed me to move away from the continuous working cycle, spend a bit more money where necessary, and create a healthy, stress-free daily routine.

Living with cystic acne and pimple-prone skin, finding vegan and cruelty-free products that effectively treated my breakouts while complementing one another was certainly challenging. At first glance, building a new routine might sound like a lot, but compared to what I used to do, it gives me immense peace of mind. Through research, trial, and giving my skin time to adapt, I built a minimal, intentional routine that respects my skin barrier without unnecessary waste.

The best thing this journey taught me was that where there is a will, there is a way—driven by a deep love and care for animals as well as for myself.

Please keep in mind that there is a high chance my products and routines might change in the future as my skin continues to improve and as I discover even more compatible, budget-friendly options! 🌿

Here are the primary brands I rely on:

• Asap skin products: An Australian-made, high-performance range that is certified cruelty-free (PETA approved) and 100% vegan.
• Ego QV Ceramides: An accessible, budget-friendly Australian brand available in local pharmacies and supermarkets. (Note: While Ego Pharmaceuticals confirms their formulations are vegan and free from animal testing, they do not currently hold independent third-party certifications like Leaping Bunny).
• The Ordinary: A clean, science-backed brand offering active formulas for acne-prone skin that are 100% vegan and PETA certified cruelty-free at an affordable price point.
  (Note: Its parent company is Estée Lauder – which is not vegan and cruelty free).
• DermaVeen: An Australian-made brand formulated with natural colloidal oatmeal to soothe sensitive skin and scalp. All formulations are 100% vegan-friendly and cruelty-free (except their sunscreen). I rely on their body lotion to keep my arms and legs hydrated, as well as their gentle, sensitive-skin shampoo and conditioner in the shower.
• Natio: An Australian-made, PETA-certified cruelty-free brand offering a broad range of vegan-friendly body sunscreens. Their broad-spectrum formulas feel light on the skin, making daily sun protection easy without feeling heavy or greasy.
• Yours Only: An Australian, sensitive-skin-friendly range that is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. I use their hair mask twice a week when I wash my hair—it’s a essential for deep hydration without harsh additives.
• bareMinerals tineted moisturiser: A clean beauty pioneer that is 100% cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. Their Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturiser gives a light, dewy coverage with built-in mineral SPF 30, perfect for an effortless 5-minute everyday look.
• Eco Style hair gel: A budget-friendly, cruelty-free and vegan-certified haircare staple. Their Olive Oil Professional Styling Gel is alcohol-free and provides weightless, flake-free hold for slicking back hair or taming flyaway without drying out the scalp.
• Koi: A budget-friendly supermarket staple available at Coles. Their hydrating tinted lip balm with hemp seed oil and jojoba oil is my go-to for quick daily nourishment and a hint of natural colour.
• Essence- all eyes on me: A budget-friendly, 100% cruelty-free and vegan-certified mascara range. Their All Eyes On Me waterproof multi-effect mascara delivers lightweight, all-day wear that comes off easily at night without irritating the eyes.
• Nude by Nature Blush: An Australian mineral beauty brand that is PETA-certified 100% cruelty-free and vegan-friendly (except the Hydra Stick Lip & Cheek Colour). Formulated with 100% natural ingredients and Australian botanicals (like Lilly Pilly and Shea Butter), their makeup and lip care nourish the skin without synthetic additives, silicones, or harsh chemicals.
  
  

☀️ My Daily Skincare Routine

Morning Routine

• Cleanser: asap Gentle Cleansing Gel or Ego QV Ceramides Cleanser. Both are non-comedogenic, soap-free, and work double as a gentle makeup remover and body wash.
  • Cost Comparison: A 1L pump of Ego QV Ceramides Cleanser costs around $25–$33 AUD, whereas 300ml of asap Gentle Cleansing Gel retails for around $50–$60 AUD.
• Sunscreen: asap face moisturising daily defense SPF 50+ (acts as a primer, moisturiser, and broad-spectrum sunscreen).
  Natio Body Sunscreen on exposed arms and legs for outdoor days alongside my face sunscreen.
• Minimal Makeup: A light layer of BareMinerals Tinted Moisturiser, a swipe of Koi Lip Balm, and Essence All Eyes On Me Waterproof Mascara for a quick 5-minute look. Nude by Nature blush for occasional use. 🌿
• Hair– Cold press olive oil with drops of essential oil, Eco olive oil styling gel (for occasional use).
  

Night Routine

I rotate active treatments depending on what my skin needs:

• Cleanser: asap Gentle Cleansing Gel or Ego QV Ceramides Cleanser.
• Moisturiser Choice:
  1. Option 1: Ego QV Ceramides Lotion (affordable, non-comedogenic, and multi-purpose for face and body).
  2. Option 2: The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA (rich in skin-identical amino acids and hyaluronic acid).
     

Weekly Night Routine

• Monday: Cleanser > asap liquid platinum (exfoliating AHA treatment applied with a cotton pad) > Moisturiser.
• Tuesday: Cleanser > asap soothing gel (kept in the fridge and used as a cooling mask; rinsed with water the following morning).
• Wednesday: Cleanser > Moisturiser > asap clearing gel (spot treatment for active breakout areas).
• Thursday: Cleanser > Moisturiser.
• Friday: Cleanser > Moisturiser > asap clearing gel.
• Saturday: Cleanser > asap soothing gel mask.
• Sunday: Cleanser > Moisturiser.

(For body hydration, I also keep a 500ml bottle of DermaVeen Daily Nourish Moisturising Lotion, which is Australian-made, vegan-friendly, and formulated with natural colloidal oatmeal to soothe sensitive skin).

💧Minimal Skincare Storage

By streamlining my products, my physical footprint is incredibly small:

• Shower: 1x Face/Body Cleanser, 1x Shampoo and 1x Conditioner, 1x body scrub
• Bathroom Sink: 1x Face/Body Lotion
• Drawer: 2x Active Targeted Products, 1x Tinted Moisturiser, Mascara & Blush, 2x Sunscreen, 1x Body Spray, 1x Eye makeup remover, 1x Hair Gel, 1x Hair Oil + Essentials (as shown in the image).
• Fridge: 1x Soothing Gel Mask

Less truly is more. Clearing your physical environment clears your mental space, giving you the energy to focus on what you love. 🌸

💬 Over to You

Do you wash your face with cleanser twice a day, or do you prefer rinsing with plain water in the morning to preserve natural oils? What are your favourite vegan and cruelty-free skincare staples? Let me know in the comments below!