Breathe Some Life into Your Skincare Routine

Gwyneth Paltrow? I haven’t heard that name in years…

Aloe vera has long been hailed as the “Plant of Immortality” because of its ability to heal wounds and — in a way — suspend the aging process.

Simplify Your Life

With all the new skincare packages being touted as “The One,” I’ve recently found myself pining for simpler times. Looking back to my formative years, I can appreciate my Korean mother hammering the importance of daily skincare into the core of my being. To this day, the fear of waking up with mascara crumbs on my pillow never fails to jolt me awake. “Every time you sleep with your makeup on, you age seven days,” my mother whispers in my dreams.

Now at 30, I’ve been through countless skincare routines with zero surgery (yet!) in an attempt to reclaim my teen years spent at SunTanCity. Maybe I’m jaded, but my lack of motivation left little room for Korean “10 Step” Routines while my lack of funds left little room for Goopbeauty creams and exfoliators. Whether out of laziness or out of desperation, I decided to try a simple classic that is a favorite of ancient beauty queens: Aloe vera.

The healing properties of aloe vera are no secret — people of Egypt, China, and Greece have been utilizing aloe vera for centuries to achieve a youthful and effortless glow. Nefertiti and Cleopatra were said to have used aloe religiously in their beauty regimens. Anyone who has ever spent too…