Setting Realistic Skin Goals: How to Achieve Your Best Skin (Not Someone Else’s)

We know it’s hard not to look in the mirror and wonder why our skin doesn’t look like that celeb/influencer/skincare guru. But you know what’s harder? Trying to meet some unattainable goal that was probably achieved by Photoshop, way too much money, or DNA. So don’t do that to yourself! Let’s be our best selves this year — from our skin to our self-esteem.

Glass skin. Milk skin. Mirror skin. All different ways to describe the type of skin we see on celebrities and supermodels. Skin so clear it’s nearly translucent (glass skin), skin so smooth it looks like milk (milk skin), skin so radiant and glowy you can see yourself in it (mirror skin).

But listen. As someone who has been coveting clear, glassy, milky skin nearly my entire life (I mean, don’t we all, tbh), I am here to tell you that sometimes these skin goals are not realistic. The majority of people we see with extremely good skin have or are one or a combination of the following things:

1. excellent genetics

2. a celebrity

3. rich AF

4. scamming people by using deceiving filters or excessive Photoshop and Facetune

Of course, it is not bad to want “nice” skin (whatever that means for you, but we’ll get to that later). Just keep in mind that a lot of the time the people who might have #skingoals are either paid to have beautiful skin or spend a lot of money achieving it. It’s important to set realistic skin goals for yourself so you’re not chasing this possibly unattainable goal, spending countless dollars and time. It’s 2019, and we’re here to level up, OK! Let’s talk about how we can set these realistic skin goals into motion.

Identify specific goals

All too frequently I hear or read about people who say they want “good” skin. But what does this mean? I encourage you to get specific about what goals you want to achieve — that way you can put your plan into action. My current skincare goals are:

1. To balance my hormonal acne

2. Fade my PIH around my chin and jawline

And really, that’s it (for now). My skin is already pretty firm and plump, and I feel like I have a good glow going on. With these two goals in mind, I can take actionable steps. For example, I’ve learned that my hormonal acne is triggered by dairy. I found this out my eliminating it for three weeks, then trying to ease it back into my diet, and BOOM. The hormonal acne returned. So now I’ve sought out dairy-free alternatives for my coffee creamer, protein powder, and milk. I no longer eat cheese, and honestly, I don’t miss it AT ALL (thank god for living in Asia for five years).

Since I got the hormonal acne mostly under control, I’ve started to tackle my PIH, using tried-and-true ingredients like AHAs, which slough off dead skin cells from the surface, and the new AZN Labs Afterglow Ampoule, made with astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant that’s more powerful than vitamin C. I’ve already seen some pretty remarkable results, but PIH is a beast to fade and I know it will take at least three months, if not longer, for it to fade.

Buy products for your goals

Now that you’ve identified the goals you want to achieve, you can make a list of the products that target your concerns. I don’t know about you, but I am TOTALLY about buying products because they are the “new” thing or are hyped in the beauty community. But this isn’t the smartest thing to do because they may not be the most effective products to address my skincare concerns.

On the Beautytap homepage, under “skincare,” you can actually shop by skin concern, which is pretty genius. There’s a section for everything — oily skin, acne, sensitive skin, etc. Take the guesswork out!

Don’t compare yourself

Former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and what a quote that is. I myself am guilty of scrolling through Instagram beauty posts wishing I had glossy, clear skin like XYZ. But one day I took a hard look at these people I admired with beautiful skin. One is the daughter of a literal billionaire. Another is a famous Victoria’s Secret supermodel. Another is a makeup artist famous for her skin. LIKE?! I am a freelancer and cannot afford the types of treatments and facials and products that they use. It is unrealistic of me to compare myself to them.

So I stopped. I unfollowed the people who lowered my self-esteem. Remember, social media should be used to inspire you, not make you feel bad.

Ready to tackle your realistic skin goals? Because we had such a positive response to our last AZN giveaway, we're gonna give you one more chance to win a FULL-SIZE AZN Labs Afterglow Ampoule to help get you started on your skin goals journey.

All you have to do is comment below and let us know what your specific realistic skin goals are and what you're doing to reach that goal. We'll pick one random user, but hurry! This giveaway ends Monday, April 1, 2019 at 11:59 pm PST! Good luck!