SKIN

Yoo-hoo!

So this is me...without any makeup...barefaced...no filters...no airbrushing...warts and all. If you asked me a year ago to share a "barefaced" picture of myself on the internet I would've laughed in your face, so I've come a long way.

 

Excuse the bed hair!

I've fought a battle with my skin for as long as I can remember. I've always tried to look after my skin and treat it right but unfortunately my skin didn't seem to feel the need to reciprocate. From the age of 12 I've suffered with acne. Don't get me wrong, I know there are worse things to be afflicted with and there are people that experience far more severe cases of acne than I did, but it doesn't mean it didn't get me down.

My love of makeup didn't really start with me being particularly interested in it. At the age of 12, I didn't want to be caking my face in foundation and putting on a load of mascara and eyeliner (unfortunately in today's society I see more and more young girls doing this and covering their beautiful skin - throw away the slap girls, you're beautiful without it!). I saw makeup as more of a necessity, a means to an end for covering my spots.

I tried everything to make those pesky spots go away. Name a skincare product that claims to clear up your skin and I've probably tried it. On top of that I've seen countless doctors and dermatologists in an attempt to find the key to clear skin. I've tried antibiotics like oxytetracycline, topical treatments like ethromycin/zinc acetate, adapalene gel, duac gel, differin gel, the contraceptive pill, different diets, you name it, I've tried it.

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Once I'd exhausted the doctor's list of treatments, I was finally (around this time last year) referred to a dermatologist for a course of Roaccutane, a drug that contains isotretinoin. The NHS claim that Roaccutane "works by suppressing the activity of sebaceous glands in the skin. It reduces the amount of oil produced by these glands. Roaccutane also reduces the size of the sebaceous glands and the inflammation that occurs with acne". Which sounds about right to me. Roaccutane is only prescribed to patients that have had no success with prior treatments, so I was more than ready to join the queue. What they don't mention in this description is that it makes the skin all over your body far more fragile.

http://amelialiana.com/?s=roaccutane

Whilst I was on my 6 month course of the alleged miracle acne cure, the backs of my hands were painfully dry and looked like I was suffering from severe eczema (a nightmare whilst I was working at Starbucks and had my hands under water all of the time), my lips were extremely dry and flaky and the skin all over my body was generally a heck of a lot drier. (On the plus side, my hair was a lot less greasy and I could go around 4 to 5 days without washing it - winning!). There is a great post on how to deal with the side effects of Roaccutane on amelialiana.com, you can read it here.

Not only does it make you really dry, but it is well renowned for it's ability to make you just a little bit coo-coo! It has been known to affect the mood and cause depression and paranoia. Luckily I seem to have avoided those particularly nasty side effects. For me, it just meant that I was a wee bit emotionally unstable during parts of my treatment and found myself crying over stupid things, thankfully my long suffering boyfriend put up with it quite well (thanks Huw!). 

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Side effects aside (you can read more about it here), it worked. Did you hear that?! IT WORKED! After years of suffering with horrible spots, mainly on my cheeks and chin, I can now say that I only get 'the odd spot', and I'm assured that not many people are lucky enough to avoid that. Now I'm just working on maintaining my skin and getting rid of the scarring that's built up over the years (I was a bit of a picker - guilty as charged!). 

My current armoury of skincare is simple. It is comprised of just 3 products and has been this way since I finished my course of Roaccutane in January. It's a combination that works for me like no other expensive products I've thrown at my face in the past have. I use the Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity which is a 3-in-1 vitamin C daily detox facial wash. I find it really refreshing and my face always feels really cleansed after I've used it. It has a really nice scent and has no problem tearing through my makeup at the end of the day. At only £8 I think it's quite a steal! 

I mentioned earlier in this post that I still get the odd spot. No problem, I have a product for that! As soon as I see the first sign of a spot threatening to rear it's ugly head, I whip out this Clearasil Ultra Blemish and Marks Treatment Cream. It helps to halt break outs and fight the appearance of the marks that spots leave behind even when they're long gone. You only need to put a tiny amount on the affected areas and it's not too drying so I really like this product!

Finally, I turn to British Nanny, a moisturiser from Lush. This stuff is the best thing since sliced bread. I first started using it when my skin was super dry whilst I was on Roaccutane, but have continued to use it since. It's quite thick so I wouldn't have thought it'd be suitable for my combination skin but it really does do the trick, moisturising my skin without making me break out. It also has lots of natural goodness and an SPF 30 built in, so that's a bonus. 10/10 Lush, I love my British Nanny almost as much as my own Nanny (well, maybe not quite!). Side note: it is quite pricey at £26.95 for a 45g pot. However, I think it's well worth the extra money as it lasts AGES and is a great product. This is a skincare purchase you can condone!

So yeah, that's the triumphant trio, give them a go if you fancy, I'd love to know more about the skincare routines that work for other people!

I'm also working on getting back my skin confidence and cutting back on the amount of foundation/concealer I hide my face under on a day to day basis. I'm getting better though, I actually feel comfortable taking my makeup off in front of my boyfriend and being barefaced now, so that's a bit of a relief! 

I'd like to end this rather rambling post with one of my favourite quotes from Roald Dahl:

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You will always look lovely.

Until next time!