'I'm a millennial who got sucked into the hype of 'fancy' skincare. Now I only use 3 things on my face.'

It was around 2018 when the skincare industry started having its 'moment,' with serums and acids pushing aside foundation and mascara as the 'it' products of the day.

In that year, skincare sales grew by 13 per cent, while makeup only grew one per cent during the same period.

The sell was, 'skincare is an investment', and it was all about looking younger, glowier and hotter without having to rely on makeup products to get you there.

I am by no means a cosmetics girlie. In fact, I am quite the opposite. I have been using the same 'techniques' since I was in my teens and I know nothing about that world. I rely heavily on others (looking at you, You Beauty), to just tell me please what to put on my face.

Watch: Zoë Foster Blake's routine. Post continues after video.

So, when the industry told me I needed to get a multi-step skincare regime stat, I dutifully did what I was told.

I started using hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, glycolic acid — all the 'it' products — which I paired with cleansers, toners and either morning or night moisturisers.

I felt on top of the world with my multi-step routine and spent quite a lot of money maintaining it. I was careful to listen to the warnings not to 'ruin my skin barrier' and introduce products slowly and carefully. I relished in the 'tingling' and 'zinging' feelings certain products gave me as I applied, because surely that meant they were working…

What I didn't take into consideration was my skin type.

I have very, very sensitive skin. I've had variations of eczema and dermatitis since I was young, and I've always been privvy to breakouts and hormonal pimples from hell.

In hindsight, someone like me should have seen a professional before just slapping serums willy-nilly on their face. Someone like me should have clocked onto the fact that not all skin needs this, that and the other.

When my new fancy routine did nothing to fix my breakouts and temperamental late-20s skin I… simply added more. *Sigh.* This, my friends, is what happens when a cosmetics novice tries to 'be hip' with the trends.

It wasn't until I fell pregnant in 2022, and consequently went on maternity leave and started wearing absolutely nothing (cries in sleep deprivation), that my skin finally got a good, solid break.

Honestly, my skin had never looked or felt better and all I used was water morning and night to keep myself feeling alive.

Maternity leave was the reset my skin had been craving. Image: Supplied.

It was exactly the reset I needed after years of haphazardly trying whatever serum or toner was new on the market.

For the past three years, I've continued to use just three products — water, QV Face Moisturising Day Cream (which is about as plain as they come) and sunscreen. If I am honest, I often forget even the moisturiser.

I have also massively reduced the amount of makeup I wear; day-to-day I often just opt for mascara, blush and a lick of eyebrow pencil.

I don't remember the last time I had a pimple, and not having to think about what I am putting on my face has been a welcome relief.

I was kidding myself to think I was a skincare gal. 33-year-old me knows I am not. I don't have the patience or dedicated interest, and to be honest, I'd rather spend money on clothes.

My skin thrives on less, so less is what I am going to give it for the foreseeable future.

It's easy to get sucked into the trends, and I feel myself grimacing watching the tweens of today getting sucked into multi-step regimes at a time when their skin probably (definitely) doesn't need it.

If it's your passion, go for your life. Do the research or invest in a professional to actually help you curate your routine.

But if you're like me, and you are perhaps just doing it to fit in.... nothing can be just as good as everything.

How many steps are in your skincare routine? Tell us in the comments section below.

Feature image: Gemma Bath.