For me, beautiful skin has long been an awkward, avoid-talking-about-it subject, mostly because I have suffered from acne almost my entire life. As a teenager, I had a few traumatic years where I turned to sports and books to feel accepted and wondered how girls my age had it so easy with flawless skin. Fortunately, my skin calmed down in my twenties, and I was finally able to enjoy it, with the help of a trusted sidekick—my concealer. Now in my early forties, I’m again struggling with hormonal acne. While stressful, I have learned important lessons about true self-care and beauty standards. It has been refreshing to see this shift in the global beauty industry. Embracing your natural beauty and ditching high-glam makeup and products is a much-needed ideology that is gaining momentum and shaping beauty trends.

A lot has changed over the past decades, from the pandemic and global warming to debilitating wars and AI dominance. Amid all this chaos, a slow and quiet revolution has come as a breath of fresh air. A growing number of people are focusing on rural, low-key ideals of life and beauty. Beauty that thrives on accepting imperfections and authenticity. Beauty that propagates the mantra: BeYOUtiful. So, when we talk about organic, holistic beauty, it’s about minimalistic beauty products, but it’s also about lifestyle changes that include authentic self-care inspired by slow, rural living.

“There is a deep beauty within each person. Modern culture is obsessed with cosmetic perfection. Beauty is standardized; it has become another product for sale. In its real sense, beauty is the illumination of the soul.” – John O’Donohue, Anam Cara.

It’s all connected. A slow lifestyle calls for self-reflection and challenges one to rethink everything. From how you live and love to what you buy, eat, and give space to in your life. Slow beauty is an integral part of this philosophy. It empowers people to love their authentic, true selves, without the pressure of looking a certain way. It liberates people from the shackles of consumerism and short-lived, unrealistic beauty trends. This includes holistic nutrition and wellness, skinimalism, eco-friendly products, sustainability, and decluttered skincare routines.

Redefining beauty starts by shifting the focus from how you look to how you feel. It also focuses on self-care that is not superficial but deeply intrinsic and adaptable. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be anything from adopting breathing exercises to a gratitude journal or humming to calm the nervous system. It’s about letting your body heal itself. Rural, authentic beauty means embracing your imperfections at every stage of life. However, it also means that you must continue to grow and adapt to life’s unpredictable rhythms, as that’s where growth occurs. Once you slow down and become mindful of everything you do in life, your concept of beauty begins to evolve into an all-encompassing aura of self-love, confidence, and freedom.

Easy, right? Not really.

But it’s worth it. I’ve been drilling these in my head for years, but I’ve been inconsistent. In my forties, I don’t care about what people think about how I look. However, acne sometimes takes me back to the scared, anxious thirteen-year-old. So this forty-two-year-old is now making changes for herself. Not because she has to fit into some beauty definition.

Skin minimalism, or skinimalism, has seen a significant surge in popularity over the past decade, particularly after the pandemic, when consumers began to prioritize quality over quantity, with a deeper focus on self-reflection and authenticity. Skinimalism is about the simplicity of beauty products and skincare routines. According to a 2024 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology, 72 percent of consumers preferred fewer skincare products with the most benefits.

Dermatologists agree, when it comes to skincare, less really is more. Fewer bottles, fewer worries. Strip it down to the essentials with natural, sustainable ingredients, and your skin will thank you. No more ingredient drama, no more guessing games. Just peace, clarity, and a routine you’ll stick to. No-makeup looks are all the rage. Every product has a purpose. Heroes like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides pull double (or triple) duty, hydrating, healing, and protecting your glow in just a few drops. That’s why products with multiple benefits are clear winners in the rural beauty hall of fame. Primally Pure is another notable brand that uses beef tallow and other natural ingredients to promote simple beauty routines as alternatives to Botox and retinol.

Skinimalism is not about doing more; it’s about doing it well with less, day after day. Consistency is key. Our skin loves rhythm, not chaos. And the magic happens when you show up simply and consistently. In the world of skincare, the quiet routine wins. This has been a hard lesson for me, but I will say that once you achieve consistency, you can conquer the world!

Another incredible aspect of the low-key lifestyle movement is the heightened awareness of many consumers nowadays. They question, rather than just joining the rat race. They choose sustainability over blind, reckless consumerism. An industry report from 2024 indicates that demand for eco-friendly skincare has increased by 35 percent over the past two years. It’s also no surprise when we see astounding numbers in the global clean beauty market, with a projected growth rate of around USD 21.29 billion by 2030.

Similarly, cluttered skincare and overwhelming beauty practices are now being replaced by simple steps. Rather than drowning in endless skincare products, it’s great to have a few, selective skincare products with multiple benefits. What we put on our skin should honor both our bodies and the earth by reducing waste. Choosing simple, sustainable ingredients is more than a trend; it’s an ode to the planet and a promise to tread lightly. Beauty should never come at the cost of what sustains us.

It’s 2025, but can we really stand proud and claim that women are no longer the center of crude objectification and sexualization? No. But we can say that women are increasingly rejecting unrealistic beauty standards and are defining beauty on their terms. These same women are not afraid of wrinkles, gray hair, or sagging skin. They are embracing imperfections and natural features at every stage of life. Whether it’s clothes that make them uncomfortable, imposed hair-removal expectations, or simply being a woman who draws her boundaries and prioritizes her well-being before anything else.

Beauty is meant to be sacred. It’s an expression of the mind and spirit and not a gaudy product on display. But the beauty we’re sold today feels hollow, laced with negativity, sexism, and an endless pressure to be watched, judged, and perfected. As Jean Kilbourne reminds us, the media’s portrayal of women hasn’t just failed to improve. It’s worsened, further sharpening the edges of objectification.

Here’s where we play our part. Here’s where we reclaim beauty.

We embrace ourselves for who we are. We laugh from the depth of our bellies, from a place of softness, strength, and acceptance. We show gratitude for our mind, body, and spirit. We find freedom by unlearning the gaze of comparison and control. We trade performance for presence, perfection for wholeness. We shift from commodifying our bodies to celebrating them as vessels of joy, care, and connection.

At TrooRa, we believe that true beauty blooms in unfiltered moments of self-love, in the freedom to be seen without fear. It is not something to win or wear, it is something to feel, to share, and to live.

You are Trooly Beautiful.