Insecurities, we all have them! As small or insignificant you may think something is, to someone else it could be life changing. The difference between going for that dream job or simply having the confidence to go on a night out!
Throughout my teens I always had ‘bad skin’ and for me, this only got worse as I got older! A trip to the doctor at 17 taught me that I was a victim of what is known as ‘Adult Acne’ – queue the thoughts of ‘what even is this, I’m still a child…’
Spots, scars, embarrassment, insecurity, lotions, potions, more trips to the doctor, hospital visits, a private dermatologist and any book or article on skincare and adult acne my daddy could find for me… still nothing changed. I began to think, ok this is me for life because you know, you are an adult forever (regardless of the fact that I still feel 17 at 24 but no need to dwell on that…).
Going to school, nights out, uni classes and more recently, the office I constantly felt awkward and insecure about my skin! It has felt so unfair because I couldn’t do anything about it. As much as I tried to embrace it with ‘no makeup days’ and ‘letting my skin breathe’, it had such a negative impact on me as a person although I’m not saying I wasn’t happy. I’m a bubbly, chatty person, but I found myself shying away from one on one conversations when my skin was at its worst, for the fear that that person on the other end had no where else to look and would zone in on my ‘acne’. I felt everyone was looking at me, all the time! It’s not fun, and I learned the hard way that no amount of foundation can change this, even layers and layers of Mac Studio Fix in a shade way to dark for my skin (note: a darker shade doesn’t hide your spots or scars any better!)
Only recently I have nailed down the formula that works FOR ME! Hundreds of pounds later, too many beauty blogs, a daily scan of Cult and calling on my knowledgeable beauty friends (thanks Nialla) to see if I could find the magic answer! What I did find though is what works for my skin, can you believe. I never thought I would see the day!
ALL TIME FAVOURITES
- Cleanser – Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm
- Toner – Pixi Glow Tonic
- Eye Cream – Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye
- Moisturiser – Ultra Facial Cream
- Face Masks – Anatomicals
Invest in your skin, it’s going to represent you for a long time!
This is working for me, at the minute! I have been trailing this combo for the past few months and honestly have never seen such a significant improvement in my skin and subsequently my confidence and my delight at not having to cover it up but thats not to say it will last! Our bodies are changing all the time – our hormones, stress levels and where we are in life so for now I’m going to enjoy the lack of breakouts and try to stick to my top tips I’ve learned along the way!
TOP TIPS
- Working your rear helps your cheeks to clear!
Don’t worry, I’m not one to preach about working out everyday because if that’s not a bit of you then cool! But what I have learned over the last couple of years is the beneficial outcomes regards your mental health that working out is capable of! As a result, anxiety and stress levels are less and it won’t show up on your face!
Stress is such an attention seeker, it makes us moody, tries to take over our lives, messes up our sleep and thinks its ok to reward us with little red dots right on our face… no thanks!
- H2Oh my goodness, look at your skin now!
Drink water and don’t stop until your peeing at least 100 times a day (or at least it feels that way). Water is the best and cheapest cleanser I’ve ever invested in!
Chin, chin! - Find skincare that works for YOU. I have went through way too many products and samples to lie and say it’s as easy as altering the refine tab on a beauty website but it does help to speak to someone who is well in on their game, then at least you are sampling the right TYPE of product! Saying that – when you know, you know!
- Eat well. My diet and lifestyle changed a couple of years ago and this is probably one of the biggest players in my skin journey. Be knowledgeable in what your putting into your body, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Own, nourish and glow.
- Less gin means good skin! I love a G&T as much as the next person, birthdays require champagne and a family dinner isn’t complete without a good bottle of red but, be mindful! If you binge drink or have a heavy few weeks of alcohol (it happens the best of us) don’t be surprised if a little breakout comes to say hello!
Moral of the story is, we all have insecurities, no matter what they might be. My skin is my biggest, amongst many, many others, but that’s life! (and for your sake, I won’t get into them just now!) When I decided to write this blog I scanned through my photos saved on snapchat, Watsapp and my camera roll. Much to my surprise, for suffering with acne for so long, I couldn’t find many photos with my raw, unedited skin. I worried I was being over dramatic and my skin hadn’t been that bad but then I realised every photo had a filter, a mask over the true me, a mask over my insecurity! I’m not overly surprised, it’s so easy to appear ‘perfect’ (thanks snapchat) but why do I think I look better with a dogs ears and flappy tongue than in my own skin?
I don’t try to hide my face when talking to strangers or work colleagues and now only wear makeup if I’m going to an event or if I genuinely want to – that’s the difference! I don’t feel like I HAVE to cover up anymore, result!
Beauty is found with being comfortable and confident in our own skin and I am starting to do just that!
Chat soon, Caoilfhionn
WearWhatWorks x
WearWhatWorks 