What Would You Do #4: Skipping a Step in the Shower

What Would You Do #4: Skipping a Step in the Shower

Of all the series of blog posts I do on Beautyholics Anonymous, I like What Would You Do the best. I love coming up with scenarios for you to think about and find out what it is that you would you if you were placed in that situation. Today’s scenario is a simple one but something I’m sure you and I have experienced.

I’ll be coming up with more scenarios after today on women’s issues that I feel should be highlighted and discussed about. I’m definitely keen on knowing what you think.

Anyway, back to today’s scenario. It’s about what you do in the shower. Juicy, eh? 😉

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Today’s Scenario:

What Would You Do #4: Skipping a Step in the Shower

© Boston Public Library

You’re taking a shower. Halfway soaping yourself when you realised, you’ve run out of facial cleanser. You don’t have any left at home.

What would you do?

A. Use the bath soap on your face (even though it’s a drying one)
B. Skip cleanser altogether. Your face isn’t THAT dirty … is it?
C. Use your partner’s man cleanser. Smells musky but oh well, you need to clean your face!
D. None of the above. Your choice. What would YOU do?

My answer:
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve experienced this. Running out of facial cleanser and forgetting to bring facial cleanser with me when travelling are one of the top two things I’m always guilty of. When I’m in the shower and run out of the facial cleanser, I usually just do a very quick rinse of my face with a teeeny dollop of shower gel. I don’t like to use Tim’s cleansers because I’m not keen on the, er, manly scent it leaves behind on my skin. 😛

Call it a long-term habit if you will but I cannot not cleanse my skin in the shower even if I’ve run out of cleanser. I’ve tried just using makeup remover and toner but it just felt wrong skipping one step in between. Is it just me or do you feel weird skipping a step in your skincare routine like me? 😛

What about you? What would you do?

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40 comments… add one
  1. Gemma

    I’ve been in this situation, although my man doesn’t have special cleanser and just uses ordinary drying soap (despite years of suggestions otherwise!), so if I know it’s a once off, I’ll use a tiny amount of his soap (assuming my non-drying soap is all gone) for my face, and then do a super moisturise when I get out. I figure that if it’s only once in a blue moon, it’s no big deal.

    Like you, when travelling I’d use shower gel if that was what was available.

    I don’t think I could skip the face cleaning step entirely, cos I wouldn’t feel … clean?

    1. Tine

      Oh I know, right? I mean, I can use makeup removers and toners but if I skip that cleansing step in the shower, it just feels incomplete. My face could be very clean already yet I still won’t feel that way. 😛

  2. Chelsea

    I would skip it, unless I had been wearing makeup – in which case I’d just use man-cleanser. I find my toner is pretty good at getting gunk off in a pinch 🙂
    Chelsea recently posted..Travel Essentials From ManicareMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha I really should get regular girl cleansers for Tim; at least if I run out, I can use his without any problems! 😛

  3. sataa

    These are my favorite posts too 🙂 .O.K in this scenario I will go for option A . I have been in this situation when I forgot to take my cleanser with me in my travel bag so I use a tiny miny amount of bath soap and then moisturize my face 🙂
    sataa recently posted..Klair’s Illuminating Supple Blemish CreamMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha me too! Once I accidentally used shampoo to wash my face! You know what those hotel soaps are like; their packaging is almost the same. 😛

  4. Tegan @ Tegania's Thoughts

    My man doesn’t use man cleanser either, just soap or shower gel. So I guess what I would do (and have done in this situation actually) is use shower gel/soap and moisturise like a boss afterwards, I can’t skip washing my face either!
    Tegan @ Tegania’s Thoughts recently posted..My 10 favourite moments in Central AustraliaMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Bahahahaha I love how you said it: moisturise LIKE A BOSS 😉

  5. Issy

    I would absolutely use the soap or shower gel (man-cleanser isn’t an option as my other half doesn’t use it). I would then just focus on nourishing and rehydrating my skin after the shower – jojoba & rose hip oils before a heavy cream at home, extra serum and a thicker layer of cream if travelling. It’s easier for me to compensate for the harsh soap than deal with what not cleansing properly does to my skin.

    1. Tine

      Me too! Also including the fact that I don’t feel clean if I don’t wash my face. Water alone doesn’t cut it. I guess it’s a part of my routine for so long that I just have to put something on my face and wash it off 😛

  6. Claire Floyd

    I would also use a tiny bit of shower gel to cleanse my face. I wouldn’t feel clean if I didn’t use anything . Then I make sure I use a softening lotion , serum , oil and moisturiser… And hope that I haven’t forgotten those too 🙂

    1. Tine

      Hahahaha something would be wrong if I forget serum, moisturiser and so on too! 😛

  7. Cara

    C. If I had a partner 😛

    I’d use a lil’ bit to cleanse. Just have to make sure to rinse it off properly to get the smell out.
    Cara recently posted..Review: Kojie San Kojic Acid SoapMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hehehe I think I’ll just buy regular facial cleansers (ie “girl” cleansers) for the husband from now on. If I run out, I’ll just use his. No problem with man smell. Kakakakaka!

  8. gio

    I wish I could use my bf’s but he’s the one who nicks mine (when he doesn’t use a drying soap), which is probably the reason why I’d run out of it lol. I guess I would just use a tiny amount of shower gel and moisturize my skin well to compensate.
    gio recently posted..Know Your Ingredients: Magnesium CarbonateMy Profile

    1. Tine

      OMG mine nicks mine too! I give him his man cleansers ‘cos he complains that my usual cleansers don’t clean as well. And then he steals mine to use! Either that or pixies have been nicking my cleansers, they’re getting less and less, yet Tim’s supply doesn’t dwindle. Hmm…

  9. Veronica

    I use aquaeous cream to wash my body and face (I have dry body skin – same with face!).

    I sometimes alternate this with sorbolene cream i.e. to shower with and wash my face, and then moisturise my skin. You are probably thinking what!! Sorbolene cream – eeek!

    I am at the pool four to five times a week. The chlorine is very drying to my already dry skin, so I focus on putting moisture back while I am cleansing. After being 45 minutes in the water, it’s not like I am incredibly dirty! I just need to get rid of the chlorine – and sorbolene and aqueaous cream do it perfectly! Plus I believe we over cleanse our skin. And the other reason why I use sorbolene is that I try to minimise the amount of stuff I carry around with me in my backpack. One tube handles two needs. 🙂
    Veronica recently posted..Photoshoot – Wolf – Exhibition to Support McGrath FoundationMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Nothing wrong with sorbolene cream at all! It’s highly moisturising and since you swim regularly, it’s good to keep your skin properly hydrated. Plus sorbolene cream is a lot more affordable. 🙂

  10. Veronica

    Oh, and if I had to choose between A,B or C – I would do A – and make sure I slap on a lot of moisturiser – and not do it again!!
    Veronica recently posted..Photoshoot – Wolf – Exhibition to Support McGrath FoundationMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha agree! 😛

  11. Jessica W

    I can’t get outta the shower if I haven’t cleansed my face. Just a no-no to me and when I do run out of cleansers, good ol’ soap would do. At least my face’s all clean 🙂
    Jessica W recently posted..Cupcake loveMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Me too! It just doesn’t feel right to skip a step in the shower, right? 😛

  12. Jessica J

    I would either use the tiniest amount of my partners cleanser or skip the step altogether. I don’t like the way body wash or soap leaves my face feeling so I just wouldnt use either of those products on my face.

    1. Tine

      Thanks for your comment, Jessica. The tiniest amount of your partner’s cleanser would work too 🙂

  13. Michelle Beh

    Hmm..I will usually just skip the facial cleansing part and rinse my face with purely water first. Sometimes I ll put on toner as well even though not cleaning with facial cleanser . However, I’m also felt wrong if I skip facial cleansing part.

    1. Tine

      Me too! Feels like it’s not a complete shower routine, don’t you think? 🙂

  14. Karen C

    I’d just use hubbys cleanser or like you, if I had a shower gel, would use a small amount of that on my face. Soap is too drying, unless it’s a natural soap with moisturising oils in it.

    1. Tine

      I know what you mean. I wouldn’t use a bar of soap on my face either. It’s too drying. If I have no choice, then yeah I’ll have to use a man cleanser 🙂

  15. Jess @ Miss J. Shopaholic

    Um you’re a beauty blogger, how do you run out of facial cleanser? 😛

    And to answer your question, nope can’t skip it, so would do the shower gel thing if I was desperate lol
    Jess @ Miss J. Shopaholic recently posted..Blog Sale – June 2013!My Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahahha darlin, I’m a beauty blogger, not Priceline. Of course I run out of them! 😛

      Plus if I do have extra cleansers, I keep them in another room, not the bathroom. So when I’m already in the shower, I don’t want to step out, go to the room, take the cleanser, come back and cleanse my face. Too lazy. 😛

  16. Beauty Box

    This is fun! Hmmm… I would use my bath soap. I tend to buy pretty gentle formulas for body wash so I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on my face, e.g. Caudalie shower gel, Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap, Weleda Shower Cream etc. My man doesn’t really use facial wash regularly (gasp! – just water) I only found out last night – lol! I thought he was using mine when he used up his Nivea Men’s facial wash that was a gift.
    Beauty Box recently posted..Do You Use More Than One Mascara At A Time?My Profile

    1. Tine

      That’s good! I’ve stopped using harsh soaps and shower creams so using them shouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, Tim has oily skin so just water wouldn’t suffice. I wish it did, ‘cos I find him nicking my cleansers too, especially the expensive ones! 😛

  17. Sabine

    Argh, conundrum! I wash my face in the shower so I would feel very odd if I didn’t. I am using ground oats at the moment to cleanse so as long as I have enough food for breakfast then I can technically wash my face 😉

    If I completely ran out of options, I would use warm water + a face cloth and a few drops of that amazing essential oil: lavender!
    Sabine recently posted..Weleda lavender creamy body wash: on special!My Profile

    1. Tine

      Bahahahahaha very clever!! Ooh speaking of lavender, can you actually use essential oil + water + cloth to wash your face then? Does it really clean your face?

      1. Sabine

        Yes you can! I wouldn’t wash my own face just with a warm compress of lavender every day because my skin likes change and a bit more exfoliation than a bamboo face cloth provides, but the lavender is antiseptic and helps decongest so you’ll end up with cleaner skin than when you started! It’s not a bad choice when you want to give your face a light/emergency wash (or you just want to take a few deep lavender-scented breaths) 😀

        1. Tine

          Oooh thanks for the tip! x

  18. kathy

    I would just rinse with warm water. I find my skin has a pretty good balance if I don’t always strip away all of its natural oils. Sounds gross now that I say it. 🙂

    1. Tine

      Hahaha no no, that’s a good thing! It’s not gross at all. If your skin doesn’t need that much cleansing, that’s a good thing. For me, I think it’s just a matter of habit that I need to have that extra step. I don’t think my skin’s that gunky either 😛

  19. Kay

    I would use a soap bar and dilute the foam in lukewarm water and use wash towel to wash my face with the soapy water. In this way I can ensure my face is cleaned using minimal soap so there’s minimal drying of skin. Then moisturise my face with plenty of stuff and step out of my place to get facial cleanser.

    1. Tine

      Good one, Kay. Good idea to dilute the foam first because soap bars are pretty drying to the skin. Then, as one of the commenters say, moisturise like a BOSS. 😛

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