Beauty: Skincare favourites

I've suffered from acne from the age of thirteen. Over the years it has driven me crazy, left me feeling embarrassed beyond belief - to the point where I have avoided leaving the house - and above all, it has stolen large chunks of my self-confidence and self-worth. I truly believe that acne is one of the most destructive things. It's such a ridiculous first world problem! It's silly really, how your skin can affect your mentality. Especially when there is so much suffering going on in the world. But when you're the one suffering from it, it can feel like the biggest, ugliest thing. It is only in recent years that I have begun to learn to accept and even love (yes, love!) the skin I'm in. We're all made differently and this is just my little hiccup. A massive hiccup for a teenager I'll assure you, but in the grand scheme of things you can't let something as trivial as ugly skin ruin your life. And so, instead of getting upset over it, I try my best to just deal with it... 99% of the time anyway! Maybe one day soon I'll pluck up enough courage to share with you on here my experience of "the evil little drug" AKA Roaccutane.

Anyway, that's my acne rant over! Now for a more positive stance. Having oily, acne-prone skin means that a strict skincare routine is pivotal in ensuring that my skin remains as clean and as healthy as possible. I do my best to make sure I drink as much fluid as possible and eat a relatively healthy diet. I've found that running has also helped - all those endorphins & happy exercise vibes must help my skin to breathe (don't understand the logic here but never mind)! As soon as I'm home from work or being out, I take my makeup off and wash my face thoroughly. After all, home is a place for naked skin where I don't need to worry about how red or sore my face is looking! I thought I'd share with you my current number ones when it comes to skin care...



Neutrogena
"visibly clear pink grapefruit cream wash"

I love anything Neutrogena and my dermatologist swears by them. Their range is very affordable too and you'll be able to find them in most pharmacists/chemists. Neutrogena do various face washes, cleansers and daily scrubs but this is my favourite probably because of the smell {'pink grapefruit' as it says on the label} & I won't lie I also fell for the pink packaging. It smells yummy trust me! A little drop of this stuff goes a long way once mixed with water so a bottle can last a while. It's quite thick in consistency and feels very creamy when washing but is oil-free so it's perfect for my skin and it leaves you with the most refreshed feeling.

L'Oreal
"skin perfection micellar water"

So this stuff is a little bit more pricey but it's a price I'm willing to pay. L'oreal's makeup range is fairly well regarded so I guess I just tend to trust that their products will do their thing?! Anyway this micellar water is brilliant. It says on the label that it 'dissolves makeup' but I always take my makeup off first with makeup remover and use this after washing my face. I've tested out a few micellar water products and most of them left my face feeling quite greasy afterwards but this leaves my face feeling renewed and hydrated. Love it.

 Neutrogena
"visibly clear 2-in-1 wash/mask"
I'm a massive fan of this stuff, I've been using it about 3-4 times a week now and have seen some really positive changes with my skin. You can either use it as a wash or a mask - I use it as the latter. You basically just apply to dry, make-up free skin and leave it on for about 15 minutes and get a few things done round the house whilst looking like a sexy moon face. Ha! Then wash off thoroughly. It's difficult to put into words how it makes my skin feel, but it's almost like the pores on my face have had a clean out and it leaves my face as soft as a baby's bottom! My skin is naturally very oily but using this regularly has helped to dry it up a bit more.

Garnier
"Moisture Matte" Daily Oil-Free Moisturiser
  It's a bit of a myth that people suffering from acne shouldn't use moisturiser. For ages I was too frigtened to use one, in fear that my skin would get worse from being over-oily. In actual fact, it's much better to use a moisturiser every single day, especially at night time, so that your skin is kept hydrated through the night. If you suffer from acne like I do, choose an oil-free moisturiser. I'm currently loving this Garnier one. It's got a really good texture to it, it's quite thick but doesn't feel greasy. It smells good too!

  

Do you suffer from bad skin, or acne? What are your go-to products? I always appreciate advice or recommendations, so would love to know what you use!


Lydia xxx