2017. The Year to Start Giving a Shit About Your Skin
I never used to get pimples. As a teen, I was blessed with blemish-free skin.
I would also never take my makeup off before bed - meaning I would wake up with most of my winged liner still intact. Life was good.
Then, BAM. Real life smacked me in the face... and by real life I mean a monstrous, red, bulging, painful zit.
Now when I say a zit, I mean zits. All of the sudden, I started getting mildish acne all over my chin, nose, and forehead. As a 23-year-old at the time, with zero experience in skincare - ya know, 'cause I had godly skin growing up - I began picking at my new facial accessories.
Do you know what picking a zit gets you? Scarring, flaking, and most likely a blemish that will last a while. So now I have dark spots and blemishes particularly around my chin and nose. Not fun.
So 2 years later, here comes 2017, and I must say I'm quite the skincare advocate. I've incorporated cleaning my epidermis into my lifestyle, and it's here to stay (ya I said epidermis, tbt to when telling people their epidermis was showing was a good joke).
I've found a few products that have worked for me, so I thought I'd share.
*Disclaimer: always do a test patch to make sure your skin won't react badly.
1. KEIHL'S ULTRA FACIAL CLEANSER AND TONER
$27 / $24 CAD
This stuff works. When I got back from living abroad for the year, my skin had gotten so bad I didn't know what to do with myself - I pretty much complained to anyone who would listen.
My sister, being the gem that she is, bought me these two for my birthday. Every night before bed I wipe my makeup off - with a baby wipe, don't judge me - then on damp skin, I cleanse, rinse, then tone.
My skin noticeably looks and feels cleaner. I instantly feel refreshed after each use, and my breakouts have taken a chill pill. Though they still appear on the reg, the cleanser and toner help calm the skin and reduce redness, and removes all the grime in your pores - this makes those stubborn, unwanted "friends" check out early.
2. TARTE MARACUJA OIL
$18 CAD for 15mL
I had always wanted to try the Tarte Maracuja Oil. 1. Pretty bottle. 2. Fun name to say. So I bought the mini to give it a try - the full size is a whopping $60. Ouch.
The Tarte website describes it as "Vegan face oil for a healthy, radiant complexion with no greasy feel". I Couldn't have said it better myself. Rather than a face cream, I use 3-4 drops all over my face to hydrate after cleansing and toning. It leaves my face feeling rather pleasant, and noticeably smoother after several uses!
3. TEA TREE OIL
$6 CAD for 10mL
Yes, you read that correctly. I purchased a 10mL bottle of Tea Tree Oil at Winners for $5.99 before tax. Score! It's also really effective, I use it almost every night.
This step comes last in my skincare routine. I put a bit of tea tree oil onto a cotton swab, and dab it onto any major blemishes.
A zit is essentially an open wound on your face.Tea tree is know for it's antiseptic qualities and it's ability to heal wounds, so it makes sense why this would work.
Tea tree is gentle enough so it won't burn or cause your skin to flake, but strong enough to kill the bad bacteria causing a zit to form.
Warning: it smells like ass.
Here's to hoping these tips will work for you!
Much love,
Dana
