Fashion

Can A Skin Serum Solve Your Quarter Life Crisis?

by Ko Im

There's no magic wand or fairy godmother trust fund to immediately solve your quarter life crisis, but Origins has a new beauty product targeting Millennial women who may be anxious and in need of more tips for how to survive the tumultuous twenties. Even if I don't feel it all the time, I could use a little help getting my "daily glow back," as Original Skin Removal Serum promises to do. Any extra hand in self-pampering is much appreciated when trying to prevent falling apart during a quarter life crisis, no? It's all about prevention before exhaustion.

At this age, getting into a rut-routine is totally understandable. Cheese and moisturizer aren't enough to help you get through a rough life patch. Take Emily McCarthy, 30-year-old global copy director for Origins and Ojon, who says that a few years ago her "skin got a serious case of the blahs. Every slice of pizza and glass of wine and late night started showing up on my face the next day."

Doesn't mean we can't bounce back or reset, though. Quite the opposite, as companies want to reach this digitally savvy group full of potential who may be a little lost or crazed on direction temporarily. The money-makers believe we're worth it; a bunch of brands have rolled out products specifically for our demographic dealing with the inevitable (and totally natural) gravity-induced aging process and early socio-emotional career evaluation still willing to spend time and money on the superficial. The perkiness and the radiance fades but data shows we're still concerned about our appearances. Our faces will slowly dull with expression lines formed from frowning and FOMO, but if there's one thing we can do right twice a day, it's take care of our skin. Easier done than, say, dealing with stress and expectations.

Origins' solution (for an arguably respectable $39) pumps out a subtle scent with apparent pore-minimizing capabilities. It's another small step to add onto the skin care routine. The serum doesn't feel too sticky or heavy like the burden of keeping up with your "successful" girlfriends on Facebook.

A corresponding social media campaign was developed by Millennials at parent company Estée Lauder and harps on the #QuarterLifeCrisis on Twitter. As a fellow Millennial who's penned an entire ebook about this phase, some of the posts are ON. POINT.

Origins held an in-house panel to address this dilemma and I asked them to share some of that content with Bustle. Rachel Martino, 24-year-old assistant manager, gave the tip of following your passion in the post-campus years and "never stop learning, even though school is over you can still continue to grow. Take a college course, join a book club or find a mentor to help further yourself in your 20s." I've done acting, am involved with two book clubs and am constantly building a mentorship base. So I should give myself a little pat on the back as I pat essence into my cheeks and smile in the mirror.

We may eventually get older and wiser but we will probably keep taking selfies of our over-educated selves. Naturally, Origins also created an app for the "me" generation to take selfies, complete with tiaras and hamburger stickers. Because if there's one thing the Millennial generation is known for, it's that unprecedented desire for self discovery and representation.

Image: Origins; Giphy