Hey guys!
Hoping you’ve all had a great festive season and you’re so ready to step into a kickass 2018!
I’m sure we all have a ton of goals and things we’re planning to work towards and achieve in the new year, whether it’s to travel more, start going to the gym, explore a new business venture, or maybe something as simple as going to bed earlier. Personally, one of the things I’m currently working towards and will continue to work towards in the new year, is achieving good, clear, and glowing skin without an ounce of makeup!
Over the last 6 months or so, I’ve become so much more focused on my skincare and I’ve developed a greater interest in skincare products, and establishing a better skincare routine to improve the look and feel of my skin without makeup. As much as I enjoy wearing makeup, I equally enjoy not wearing makeup. I have days where I feel like putting on makeup is such an effort, and although I’m comfortable leaving my house without wearing it, and I’m happy for people to see me without makeup on, there is still a part of me that wishes my makeup-free skin was 10x better. I think I’d feel so much more comfortable to go to industry events, important meetings, and even go on dates, with very little or no makeup on at all, without feeling like I look like a tramp!
To be honest, I probably would still wear a full face of makeup to all of these places even if my skin was flawless without it, haha! But, I would just like to be in a position to have the option to not have to beat my face if I simply didn’t feel like it. I’d like to be able to look at my skin and be like, “YAAASSSSS! No foundation needed, let me just put on some mascara, vaseline on my lips, throw on my wig, and go!”
My skincare journey so far has been reasonably good. I hardly get spots or acne, but I have had a couple of random skin irritations which have resulted in me getting a rash in certain areas of my face, which would eventually clear up, with the assistant of certain products that are not part of my normal daily routine, but are used specifically to target the rash area while it’s there. I also sometimes would get a random large spot on my face when I’m on my period, which I like to call a period spot, haha! Again, these usually clear up quite quickly, with the use of products to target that specific outbreak.
In this post, I’m focusing mainly on my daily routine skincare products, as these are the main products that I use to help maintain spot-free and acne-free skin. I still need to introduce more products into my routine which focus on other areas of my skin goals, such as having smoother, more even-toned, and glowing skin. My current skincare routine has definitely helped with this to a certain extent, but I feel like there may be other products or treatments out there, that could be even better for achieving these goals for my skin, which I’ll definitely be looking into and will make sure to keep you guys updated on my progress.
For now, I encourage you guys to try these products out for yourselves, and see if they work for you and your skin in the way that you desire. If you suffer from acne-prone skin, eczema, skin allergies, or have super sensitive skin, I recommend that you so seek advice from your GP or doctor first, as you don’t want to start using any products that may irritate your skin, or make it worse, due to the ingredients in these specific products.
MY SKIN CARE ROUTINE
Yes, I have freckles and I love them!
Something I’ve had to really come to terms with in regards to my skincare routine, is that I may need to put about 10,000 products on my face, for about an hour, both morning and night, every single day, haha! Listen! Good skin is hard work! I really envy people who just naturally have great skin and don’t need many products at all. They probably only use 2-3 skincare products and they’re good to go. However, everyone’s skin is different, and unfortunately, some of use may need more products to maintain good skincare than others, which is perfectly fine. The main thing is to focus on your own skin, and have the patience to try and understand your skin and what it needs. Making the right investments, in the right products, will make the world of difference in the long run. So just be prepared to go the distance for what you really want… like anything else in life.
STEP 1 – Wash my face
I LOVE WASHING MY FACE!
I know, it sounds really weird. But I genuinely enjoy washing my face. I don’t even know why. I just love it, haha!
I’ve tried so many different soap products over the years, especially those which mainly target oily skin, which is my general skin type. I’ve found the LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR foaming gel soap to be very good for my skin (FYI: the packaging has changed to a blue colour, instead of white). It leaves my skin feeling super soft and its not too drying. I’ve also found it to be very helpful during breakouts and random rash developments. I don’t use a facial cleansing brush with this, just my hands, but I do use my facial cleaning brush when washing my face with Kojie San bar soap and raw African Black Soap, two other soaps that I regularly use to wash my face (FYI: I’ve recently run out of both, so couldn’t photograph them). I use the Kojie San soap more than the African Black Soap, as I find the African Black Soap can be overly drying, and has the tendency to irritate my skin if I use it too much, so I need regular breaks from using it, from time to time. I must mention that the Kojie San soap is labelled as a skin lightening soap, however, it doesn’t lighten my skin at all. It has only helped to lift hyper-pigmentation on different areas of my face in order to encourage even skin tone. If you use it and it begins to actually bleach or significantly lighten your skin, I’d recommend you to stop using it. We want to improve the melanin magic, not completely erase it, haha!
STEP 2: Cleanse & tone
I’ve only recently realised the importance of cleansing and toning my skin after washing. It’s really made a huge difference in my skin and I feel that it’s been a great contribution to keeping spots and acne away. It goes a little deeper in removing dirt that may still be on the surface of the skin, despite a good wash with soap.
The Garnier Skin Active Micellar water cleanser has been great! It does wonders for removing makeup and getting rid of dirt on my face, even on days when I’ve not worn any makeup at all. I’m currently trying the BIODERMA Sensibio makeup removing cleanser and I must say, it may just be a new fave of mine! I think it may be the smell of the BIODERMA Sensibio that I’m really loving and the way it makes my face feel really smooth and moisturised after using it. To be honest, I love both cleansers, but I’m finding myself reaching for the BIODERMA first.
After cleansing my face, I go in with my Witch Hazel on a cotton pad, and use it as a toner. I also use the Garnier Pure Active Micellar water as a second toner but I ran out, hence why it’s not pictured, but I’ve been okay using my Witch Hazel as a toner without it. Toner really helps to remove impurities, bacteria, and excess oils from the skin.
STEP 3: Moisturise
The STRUGGLE to get the right moisturiser for my face has been a immense!
I’m not even exaggerating! Getting the right amount of moisture in face that isn’t too oily has not been easy at all. As I mentioned earlier, I have naturally oily skin on my face, which is weird because the skin on my body is naturally dry. Super annoying right?! This means that I cannot use the same skin products on my face and body. I always use separate products. Something very oil based and super moisturising for my body, and something not too oily, yet still moisturising for my face. Just because you have oily skin, doesn’t mean you don’t need to moisturise. This is something I’ve learnt the hard way. I would go days without moisturising my skin, thinking it was oily enough as it is, but not moisturising only made the oiliness worse, because my skin would start over producing even more oil to over compensate, causing more clogged pores, which eventually lead to spots.
For the past couple of months now, I’ve been using the LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR MAT Sebo-regulating Moisturiser. I use it on my face in the mornings only. At night I use either the Balance Me Restore and Replenish face cream or the Balance Me Anti-aging face serum, or a mixture of a bit of both. (FYI: The products pictured above are sample versions that I got in a goodie bag from a beauty event, haha! Will definitely be buying the actual bottles when the samples run out though.). All three products have just the right amount of moisture for my skin, without leaving it too oily or feeling too clogged up. The Sebo-regulating Moisturiser feels light on my face so when I put my primer and foundation on, I don’t feel like my skin cannot breathe under all my makeup layers.
The BIODERM Sensibio Eye Contour cream is also a new fave of mine. I use it both morning and night only on my eye contour to help reduce any puffiness around my eyes.
AN OCCASIONAL STEP IN-BETWEEN 1 & 2: Mask & pamper
Don’t we all just love a good face mask?!
Saturday morning pamper sessions at home is becoming my new favourite thing to do. I put on my fluffy pink robe, tie my hair back, or throw on a headscarf over my wig cap, wash my face, cleanse, then apply my Garnier Skin Active Intensive 3-in-1 Charcoal face mask. I love the fact that it’s a 3-in-1 product, so you can use it as a face mask, face scrub, and a face wash. I particularly like to use it as a mask, and I sometimes use it as a scrub. It’s been very helpful during breakouts and random rash developments, as it reduces the inflammation on the effected area of my skin and helps to dry out any spots. After rinsing it off with warm water, it leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised, and I rarely need to moisturise after rinsing it off, unless I apply my cleanser and toner after, and would need to then follow up with my moisturiser.
I’ve been exploring other types of face masks to use so I can have a few in rotation, depending on what I feel my skin needs, or just for the sake of having other fun, but useful masks to use during my pamper sessions, haha! I just need to convince my daughter to give me a back massage, then my home spa will be complete! Perhaps my future husband will takeover from her doing that job once he manages to exist, haha!
BONUS TIP: Drink water sis!
#DRINKWATER
Ever since I started working on my fitness with my personal trainer, and started changing my eating habits, and drinking a lot more water, I’ve definitely seen a huge improvement in my skin! I rarely drink fizzy drinks, and I’ve reduced the amount of oily & sugary foods I eat. I’m now able to drink 2 litres of water every day, whereas before, it seemed like an impossible task, and I used to wonder how people were able to drink so much water. In fact, if I haven’t had my 2 litres, or have a couple of days where I don’t drink as much water as I normally do, I can actually feel the difference in my body. 50-65% off an adult body is made up of water, which means there are many benefits of consuming water, and it’s positive effects on our skin is certainly evident.
IN SUMMARY
Skincare is so important! If you haven’t been interested in looking after your skin, I encourage you to start doing so. Not only does it help to maintain a youthful look, it actually makes you feel good inside when you stripe all your makeup off, and you’re still happy with the face you see looking back at you in the mirror. Yes, feeling beautiful from the inside out is extremely important, whether you have good skin or not, additionally, having good skin helps to increase your confidence without makeup, especially when you may feel that you need to use makeup to cover up your skin imperfections, and you’re unable to leave your house without it.
Achieving your skincare goals is a process, and the journey may take months and even years, but when you begin to see the improvements, you will thank yourself for sticking with it, and for sowing those seeds, which will eventually cause you to reap its benefits later on.
Challenge yourself to invest in your skin as you commence this new year, and give yourself the opportunity to look back and witness how far your skincare journey has come, by the end of 2018!
Do you have your own skincare tips or favourite products to use?
Comment below. I’d love to know!
Amen, love this post. Healthy skin = a healthy mindset and a good confidence level. ????❤️❤️