Same-day delivery. Products that offer instant results. Thousands of movies on demand through countless streaming platforms. So many of the moments in our everyday lives are about instant gratification and immediate payoffs. That’s because the limbic system in our brain literally craves the pleasure we receive from rewards and the dopamine hits we receive from those short-term wins.
Our world is designed to keep us in that pleasure loop. We’re not ones to judge; we’re the first to admit we love a good doom scroll and six-hour movie marathon on the couch ourselves.
But what about long-term pay-offs? Those things that may take a little extra effort, time or thought to put into action, but have long-term benefits to treat our future selves. Because the return on investment feels far off, they often get pushed down the priority pile. Next month, we’ll make the budget spreadsheet. Next month, we’ll do the wardrobe declutter.
But remember the times you’ve cleaned the house before bed, so you wake up to a clean apartment? Or when you fill up on petrol on the way home, so when you inevitably hit snooze the next morning, you don’t get into a car with an empty tank? Those are what we like to call future you favours.
The ultimate future you favour
Having built a platform around money hacks, shopping tips and life lessons learned the expensive way, we’ve learned that some of the things that truly make you feel rich in life are the ones that take time. Much like our attitude towards money, work and relationships with loved ones, skincare is something that doesn’t fall under the quick-fix banner, but will absolutely be a future you favour.
Just like finances, many of us approach our skincare with a pattern of delay, react and regret. We tell ourselves we’ll start later, then jump on a problem quickly when it pops up.
The stats back this up. According to the new research Neutrogena conducted with YouGov, 35% of Australian women say they put off starting a skincare routine, 54% react immediately when they see a skin issue, and 47% wish they’d started taking care of their skin sooner.
To add to this, 98% of women engage in three or more collagen-depleting behaviours each week, and only 2% of women can identify which listed habits are costing them their collagen. So we’re engaging in everyday behaviours that feel good in the moment, but may be damaging our skin health in the long run.
The research shows that late-night phone use, sugary treats and lack of adequate sleep top the list as the most frequent collagen costing habits. Honestly, we can put our hands up and say “that’s a bit of me” to all of these. And in moderation, they’re not skincare red flags.
So with that in mind, we don’t need a lecture; we just need a plan. This is where the idea of ‘skinvestment’ comes in.
Investing in your skin
With long-term money goals, we talk about assets, deposits and withdrawals. Your savings account grows because of the small, consistent, frankly boring things you do over time. Maybe we should look at our skincare with a similar lens. You don’t build a strong routine by sporadically doing a 12-step facial every time your skin starts sending an SOS. You build it through the small, everyday deposits: cleansing properly, moisturising, using collagen-promoting products and getting enough sleep.
Importantly, collagen can play a big part. We’ve all heard about it in skincare products, supplements and TikTok hooks. But still, a lot of us don’t understand what it is and how it works.
Collagen is one of the main things that helps skin look plump and healthy. Stronger collagen = plumper skin. And starting in your 20s, you can lose up to 1% of collagen each year. As two women in their 30s, that last part really hurt our feelings. But we’re not here to spiral. We’re here to help.
We like to think about skincare the same way we do about any of the future you favours that pay off in the long run. Make it simple, make it realistic and make it something that you’ll actually do.
That may mean choosing a few hardworking products, for example, the new Neutrogena Collagen Bank range pairs a moisturiser with an eye gel, penetrating ten layers deep to strengthen your collagen. Add your fave SPF, and that’s three products when used consistently that will give your skin what it actually needs.
@twobrokechicks_ File this under things that future you will luv ya for ✨ Thanks to @Neutrogena ANZ for hosting us at The Skinvestment Clinic to celebrate the launch of the new Collagen Bank Moisturiser & Reviving Eye Gel Cream! Our live podcast episode from the Neutrogena Skinvestment Clinic is live now wherever you get your pods 🎧 #lifelessons #LifeAdvice #skincare #beauty #tipsandtricks
♬ original sound – Sal & Al ✰ TWO BROKE CHICKS
Now is the perfect time to start
It’s also about starting before there’s a crisis. A little boring? Yes. Effective? Also yes. We’re calling it ‘compound interest’ but for your skin health.
That’s because the “small deposits” add up. Whether that’s using your simple combo of products every weekday or setting “no screen time” zones before you go to bed at least twice a week instead of never. None of this is about perfection. No one is going to appear behind you in the mirror with a clipboard if you forget to apply your eye cream one night. But, we’re officially done with treating our skin like a future problem that we’ll deal with later.
It may take a little more mindfulness and consistency in the moment, but it’s a favour that your future self will thank you for.
Love, Two Broke Chicks x
The post Your Future Skin Will Thank You For These Easy Wins From Two Broke Chicks appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
