All my life, even when I was as healthy as could be and I am talking, drinking at least 8 pints of water a day, drinking cranberry juice by the bucket load for the benefits of the anti-oxidants in it, exercising everyday, and I was around 18 at this point in my life so my skin should have been glowing, but, I have never had glowing skin. It’s just the way it has always been for me. So, now I am 33 and my complexion is terrible, two kids, a dog and a partner that has pretty much swapped his mother taking care of him to me tending to him, so, looking after my skin has been way down on my list of priorities for the last few years. So, around 6 months ago I decided I really had to invest in my skin and started looking after it again, in any way I could. I have tried every weird mix of home-made face mask as well as taken enough vitamins to fuel an Olympic athlete for a good few years and here are my top 5 methods I have found to be the best.
Tips
Exfoliate – I cannot highlight just how important this is, in order to reveal the beautiful skin underneath, you have to make sure that you slough off all of the dead skin cells, dirt and grease that’s laying on top of that gorgeous skin that I just know is bursting to get out. It also clears all of your pores, ensuring that there are no breakouts, or that no horrible little blackheads form. And, another little tip for you, look for exfoliating face washes that have alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycollic acid included in them, it’s as simple as reading the list of ingredients, it may seem like such a tedious thing to do, but, trust me, your skin will love you and reward you for it.
Take your vitamins – I know, I know, everyone takes vitamins nowadays. If you want to take full advantage of the benefits taking vitamins can make to your skin, then here are the following vitamins that are most beneficial to your skin and why, Vitamin B, integral to skin generation and slowing the signs of ageing, vitamin C, is key to achieving a bright even complexion, vitamin D, prevents breakouts and skin from appearing shallow. As well as taking your vitamins everyday, you should also keep an eye on those all important ingredients in products, try to buy smart, get yourself things like an exfoliator or skin brightener with vitamin C in it.
Use radiance boosting makeup – There are some amazing products on the market that many celebrities use in order to gain that glow from within look. Apply a skin illuminating cream underneath your make up for a subtle, youthful, dewy glow, there have been some amazing reviews on Nars illuminator, its said to take your skin from dull to bright in one easy step. Bronzers are also really handy for this too, use a shimmery bronzer instead of a matte and apply it everywhere the sun would naturally hit the face.
Coconut Oil, if you have yet to try it then do it, do it now!!! – Virgin coconut oil has the ability to restore and rejuvenate damaged skin. But, that’s not all it does, it has a long list of benefits for your skin, It heals repairs and leaves your skin radiant, it fights free radicals due to the amazing anti-oxidants in it, and it is amazing for evening out your skin tone, improving the skins texture leaving you with a subtle glow. The list of benefits doesn’t end there, coconut oil can be used on your hair, skin, and is also very beneficial when digested, but that’s a totally different blog post.
Always remember, whats going on on the outside, is a reflection of what’s going on in the inside!! The busy girls guide to getting your 5 a day!! – I know, you are bound to be sick of hearing this, you are what you eat, the way to healthy skin, hair nails and everything else we all want to be perfect, starts on the inside. Although, the thought of a healthy as can be, fresh fruit and veg kind of breakfast, lunch and dinner makes me feel amazing and really motivated about eating healthy, I just do not have the time to prepare before every meal, sometimes I do have time but sometimes isn’t enough, so, I got myself a blender, so every morning I throw what ever fruit the kids fancy into the blender, add some hidden ingredients such as cucumber which my son is adamant he does not like, so it’s not only great for your skin but for your stress levels, which we all know is the primary cause of those frown lines, and those two horrid lines in between your eyebrows, What? You don’t have them?? Looks like it’s just me then!! You can also throw things such as kale, ginger, broccoli, and any other nutrient rich super food. Great for your skin, saves time, gets some fruit and veg into your and your children if you have any, and great for your overall health, a total winner.
Two of my fave homemade face masks for glowing skin!!
Lemon and Milk – Both lemon and milk contain alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) that promote dead cell removal. Combining both of these inexpensive, readily available products together makes for an amazing instant glowing boost to tired dull skin. Take 2 table spoons full of milk (you can use what ever milk you like but I use whole milk, simply because it’s the type of milk I use in my household) and 2 tea spoons full of lemon juice, leave in a dish or bowl for a while till it gets to room temperature,the milk breaks down and creates a type of curd, I know it sounds gross, but, give it a go and I bet you will be doing a weekly application, apply the curd mixture to a clean dry face then allow it to sit on the skin for around 20 – 30 minutes then wash it off with clean luke warm water.
Banana, Cinnamon and Honey – Take half a banana and mash it into an even consistency. Then add 2 tbsp of organic honey and ½ tbsp of finely ground cinnamon powder. Mix to create a soft paste. Wash the face with warm water to cleanse, apply the paste with your fingers and allow it to dry for 20-30 minutes before rinsing off. Cinnamon not only opens up the pores on the skin for better penetration of the nutrients from the banana and honey, but also helps fight blemishes on the skin. Adding the banana soothes the dry skin while honey fights free radical damage and exerts antibacterial action.
- A Quick Note *
So, I never really thought that I would be including such a step within a top tip blog post, especially about skin care. So, here’s why or how it came to be, not within the top 5 but a side note within this post. I am part of a Facebook group, which if you are a beauty fanatic you have either heard of or are already part of, it’s called, wake up to make up, a girl posted the following status in the group ” Is going to sleep with your make up on, THEN, applying another layer on top of it the next day really a thing???? I have just read a post in another group where a few girls said that they do this to save time in the morning, it seems a little weird to me, should I give it a try or trust my intuition and give this fad a miss??” OMG, seriously, going to sleep with your makeup on is terrible for your skin, then, applying another layer on top of your already blocked pores is a sure-fire way to breakout town and black head city!! I obviously was not the only person that commented on the post advising the young postee to give this so-called fad a miss. This must just be handful of girls as I have never ever heard of this before. If you apply a full face of make up which clearly takes to long for you to fit in to your morning routine, then you really need to prioritise your skin care routine above your make up application routine, it would be much better to opt for a clean fresh face which would give a beautiful base and therefore a much better finish to your makeup, rather than a full face of make up, which will slowly build up within your pores making your skin appear dirty, dull, spotty, it will definitely create blackheads, as we all know are blocked pores, so, please girls, even if you have only got time to exfoliate with a face wash, then apply a little moisturizer, then that’s fucking awesome, that’s all you need, keep the deep penetrative treatments for night-time when you have more time, your skin will thank you in the long run.
I hope some of these pointers helps someone, anyone, out there who suffers with bad skin the way I did when I was in my teenage years. I know just how soul crushing it can be when you have covered every base when preparing for a big event, whether that was my 4th year school disco, or, the day I decided I was finally brave enough to ask that boy out….. Then……. your skin goes ahead and throws you curve ball, in the shape of a massive, red horrid spot!!! And, in my case, it usually was not just one, I had breakouts, really bad breakouts. So, if I can help someone then I am totally fulfilled as a human being!!!
Love, Live, Slay!!
