On Being High Maintenance to Be Low Maintenance.

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Earlier this year, I referenced an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in which she commented: “What I strive for is really to feel beauty: connected to all the wisdom that came with my crow’s-feet, channeling a sort of Maine-woman-in-the-summer free spirit. I want to look in the mirror and see skin that looks taken care of; I want it to feel hydrated and nourished. I want it to look like the best skin I can have today, not 10 years ago. I want it to look how I feel: exactly my age and better than ever.”

I know Gwyneth is a polarizing figure, especially owing to her complicated participation in the “wellness”
space, but her casting of the “Maine-woman-in-the-summer” archetype lodged itself in my subconscious — in a good way. Her language lapped right up against an experience I had last summer in Colorado, when a naturalist named Rebecca took my sisters and I birding one July morning. Rebecca had the most gorgeous energy: calm, inquisitive, watchful. And of course her deep expertise in birding and botany won me over, too; she seemed to quietly know everything about everything around us. She also had luminous, make-up free skin, with delicate smile lines at her eyes, and a slight bronze on her nose from the summer sun. I kept thinking to myself: this is the kind of beauty that comes from the inside out, that is the result of thoughtful self-care in all its forms. You could just tell she spent a good portion of her day out in the woods, looking for birds but finding herself; that she had some sort of simple but nourishing skincare regimen she never deviated from; that she did yoga and ate whole foods and drank liters of water. I know I’m writing my own wishful narrative onto her, but these were the impressions that materialized after only an hour in her company. Perhaps it is strange to say that I have been thinking of her as I move through my own rituals this year, and that her avatar — so similar to Gwyneth’s “Maine-woman-in-the-summer” — led to me to a loose but ambitious goal for myself: to get more comfortable with my own bare skin.

In 2025, I — for probably the first time in my entire adult life (at least that I can remember / when not in a situation of emergency) — left the home with nothing but skincare on my face. And then it became routine. This was at first a function of pragmatism: I couldn’t figure out how else to drop the kids, exercise, and do my LED mask without having to remove my cosmetics post-carpool and pre-workout. Or I guess I just stopped wanting to have that step. Because as recently as last year, I would have put at least something on for drop-off — tinted moisturizer, swipe of blush or bronzer, mascara, a dab of concealer — and would then often go for my run with mascara dripping into my eyes. What a waste! Of product, of time, of displaced pride. I know this sounds like an outrageously trivial shift but I think it signals something important, something drawing me closer to an aspirational value: to feel truly at ease with myself. To adapt some of GP’s phrasing, I want to be able to look in the mirror and see someone who looks taken care of, who is still in her center, who is well in her own skin.

One of the things that has helped me in this pursuit has been the concept of “being high maintenance so I can be low maintenance.” Have you heard this phrase? It first bubbled up to me after I nosily asked about your grooming rituals and learned that some of you invest in routine skincare or haircare treatments so that you can do less in the intervening periods. For example, some Magpies book routine facials or brow tintings or keratin treatments so they spend less time on a daily basis with skincare/haircare/makeup/etc.

I really love this idea — it’s similar to Landon’s biases as an engineer. Why do the same thing daily if you can automate it with a little upfront investment? (I’m thinking specifically of the way our garage doors are programmed to open at a certain time each morning, and the car will automatically start one minute after, so it’s warm when you get in. A little upfront ingenuity brings ease to the morning.)

Anyway, I’ve been putting some thought into this in my own regimen, and a few things I have been doing to help me front-load the effort so I can do less later:

01. Habit-stacking my self-care and grooming activities. I hate to use a buzzy term, but this concept is truly helpful for me in this area. I almost always try to bundle two different “self-care” activities. This is both an effective mnemonic (i.e., I remember to do both things) and, obviously, a straight-forward way to get more done in less time. For example, I usually listen to a meditation while wearing my red light mask. I can’t tell you how fantastic I feel afterward — the combo is like a quick blitz of grounding energy. I also apply my hair tinctures and tonics (bonding treatment and/or hair oils) and let them soak in while I’m exercising. I’ll put on teeth whitening trays while doing a face mask. Etc.

02. My LED red light therapy mask more generally. I think this has been the single-most effective addition to my skincare regimen in years, and I’d even say this is 60 or 70% of why I feel more comfortable in my bare skin these days. (The other 30-40% being regular, attentive skincare.) The mask has led me to wear less makeup and be more at ease in bare skin. I’ve written about this product many times before and was thrilled when they offered to partner with me on this portion of the blog post because I deeply believe in its efficacy. (You may remember that porcelain skin queen Nellie Diamond was asked: “what are your skincare recs?” and she replied: “If you live in NYC: go to my dermatologist; if you live anywhere else, wear a red light mask.” Her conviction in this statement really led me to jump on board!). You can read all about red light therapy here, but the gist is that you put the mask on for ten minutes each day, and it emits three clinically recognized wavelengths: red (633nm), near-infrared (830nm) and deep near-infrared (1072nm) that collectively reduce redness and fine lines while boosting collagen production. You feel nothing at all while wearing it (it’s not hot; it doesn’t tingle or burn) and it’s portable — you don’t have to sit still wearing it. You charge it every week or so, and then you can just tuck the battery pack into a pocket and wear it around your house (I know some of you use this while folding laundry, making the bed, etc). The red light is bright and I personally don’t love doing stuff while I’m wearing it — although it does not in any way damage or irritate your eyes if you do — so I typically use the time to sit still on my floor and listen to a meditation — an incredible gift for me. Every time I sit down for this routine, I think, “Jen, these ten minutes are just for you.” It’s such an incredible way to create a little margin around yourself in the morning. As for results: my skin looks much brighter, smoother, and clearer, and blemishes clear up much more quickly than before. I can’t quite describe the effect, but when I look the mirror, my skin looks lucid, as though the clouds have cleared. And let this be the ultimate proof point: Mr. Magpie wears the mask daily, too. He started skeptically and is now just as hooked as I am. Lastly, and I know there is ongoing current research about this, but I think it has a noticeable mood-boosting effect. I feel energized, centered, cared-for afterwards.

Final note on the mask: I used their series 1 mask (has just the red and near-infrared wavelengths) for almost three months straight, and then they sent me their series 2 mask (has red, near-infrared, and deep near-infrared) to try. I am in the early days of testing it; it’s supposed to be more powerful. The first thing I noticed, though, was that the series 2 mask was more comfortable. I like the new strap — it holds the mask in place more effectively — and it’s slightly bigger so it just sits more easily on my face. This is not to say that series 1 is uncomfortable, but that I did find myself adjusting it more regularly to stay on my face, especially if I was doing chores/errands/etc. You can use code JEN10 for 10% off!

03. Regular professional blowouts. I usually have my hair blown out 2x a month, but the other week, I thought: “Maybe I’ll book a standing blow out every Monday morning.” I don’t know what it is about having great hair, but it just makes me feel like a million bucks, and I can usually get it to last for several days by using this incredible dry shampoo (and the other tips/tricks in this post). I often book my blowouts through Glamsquad (my code is still valid: $20 off for new users – JENNIFERS; $15 off for repeat users — JENNIFERS15) and have been doing this every Monday for the past few weeks. If you’re local, I really like the stylist Dyanna W.

04. Exercise more generally. This has been such a commitment this year, and if I’m honest, sometimes I long for the ease of just dropping the kids and clipping right into writing. But exercise is of course the ultimate “high maintenance to be low maintenance” habit. I don’t need to itemize all its benefits here but, I find it touches upon and improves literally every other part of my life. It’s like putting ten cents in and getting a dollar back. It makes my skin brighter, it makes me feel better in my own body, it helps me sleep better, it decreases anxiety and gives me the peace of mind that I’m taking care of my future self (my OBGYN always urges me to do weight-bearing exercises at this phase in my life, saying it’s the single most effective way to improve bone density, which usually declines for women after 40), it boosts my mood, it makes every day tasks easier (i.e., lifting groceries, sitting at my desk all day, etc). Yada yada.

OK, your turn. What are the “high maintenance things” you do to be low maintenance later?

And has anyone else embraced the “Maine-or-Colorado-woman-in-the-summer” energy?

Post-Scripts and Shopping Notes.

+Above, wearing my beloved Varley sweatshirt cardigan (and matching joggers). Really liking the look of their shorts sets as we head into warmer weather. I love these and my Frank and Eileen sets for at home lounge, carpool, lowkey hanging on the weekends. Elite athleisure!

+Two other important parts of my wellness and creativity rituals glimpsed above: reading something inspiring (I have been obsessed with this specific book of Mary Oliver poetry for the last two months; I’ve read each poem multiple times, coming away with new meaning on each visit) and keeping track of what I’ve done with this simple pen and paper habit tracker.

+More “energy multipliers” here.

+The hair treatments I referenced above that I like: this rosemary-mint oil mixed with this Anablue oil for hear strength, growth, and shine; and this bonding treatment. I just ordered the K18 treatment to try instead of the Epres on many, many Magpie recs and will report back after use!

+Another hair treatment I love: this scalp scrub. It’s the prelude to a great hair day, and I always think my hair looks better longer when I’m doing it at home when I start with this. My hair is so fine; basically any product weighs it down and makes it look dirty before it actually is. This reallllly helps, because it’s like starting with a fresh-scrubbed canvas. It feels appropriate to mention this product here, after borrowing from GP’s “Maine woman” avatar, too — reminder that SHOOP15 gets you 15% off of all of their house label products, including Goop Beauty.

+When we were at the spa at Inn at Perry Cabin, they gave us these delightful heated neck wraps while we were in the relaxation area. I was obsessed. I think I’m going to order this to follow suit. (Or does anyone have a specific rec?)

+My aforementioned current skincare regimen, in the a.m.: gentle face wash, vitamin c, serum (I rotate between several; currently loving this), moisturizer with bronzing drops mixed in, SPF. In the evening, I melt the day off with this balm (20% off with JEN20), cleanse with the same morning face wash, and usually apply one of these exfoliating pads. Sometimes I alternate day on / day off with the pads depending on how sensitive my skin is feeling and how tired I am – ha. I have to confess a very high maintenance end to my day, and I’ve gotten Landon roped into the routine, too. This uber-luxe brand called By Nacht sent us their nighttime tincture lineup and we use it every single night: this serum, this cream. It’s crazy expensive but we’re both obsessed with it. It leaves your skin looking like a luminous, glazed donut. Is it life changing? I don’t know. Could it be replicated with other serums and creams? Probably. But there’s something unique about the combo that I’d never quite landed on with any other set.