Before you track change, know where you started.
A change only makes sense against what was there before it. A baseline is five minutes of writing that makes everything after it easier to read.
Most of us start something new without writing anything down, and by the time we want to know what changed, the starting point is gone. A baseline is simply the last picture before the change, in your own words.
It does not need to be thorough. It needs to exist.
“My skin was fine until I started that serum.” Was it? What else was on the shelf? How often was I using the toner?
With one- Cleanser every day
- Moisturiser every day
- Toner three nights a week
- Skin “a bit tight by evening”
What to write down, before you change anything.
You can do all of this in a couple of minutes. None of it is compulsory, and more is not better.
What you are using
Every product on your shelf right now, including the ones you use rarely.
How often
Nightly, twice a week, only when it feels dry. A rough answer is enough.
Since when
Roughly. “Since spring” is far better than nothing.
How your skin looks and feels
In your own words, on a day you write down. Plain description, not a rating.
Anything unusual going on
Travel, a new season, a stressful month. Context, not conclusions.
Your dated shelf is your baseline.
Skin Memory has no separate baseline screen. It does something quieter: everything you add carries a date, so the moment before a change is already there.
Open any date.
The reconstruction view shows what was on your shelf on the day you choose, so “what was I using then?” has an answer.
Add a note.
Use a response entry to describe how your skin feels on the day you begin, in your own words, so the starting point sits in the timeline.
Keep it one change at a time.
A baseline is clearest when only one thing changes after it. The overlap notice tells you when that has not happened.
What a baseline is, and isn’t.
A baseline is
- A dated snapshot of what you were using
- A few words about how your skin felt that day
- Something you write for your future self
- A reference point, nothing more
A baseline is not
- A scan, a measurement or a score
- A comparison with anyone else’s skin
- A promise that nothing else will change
- A medical assessment
Know where you started.