Its Time To Face It!
Okay, okay, clutching at straws I may be but hey beautiful skin is every womans best accessory, is it not? But at this moment in time, definately not mine...
My poor skin has been neglected for so long its about as dull and lifeless as our spring skies and i’m guessing or hoping that i’m not the only one?? So this morning i took the plunge, quite literally, into a basin of cold water, and i decided its time to put my best face forward.
I spent a stint working in a pharmacy once upon a time and was lucky enough to be sent on training days with Vichy and La Roche Posay and got awarded my certificates and title of skincare specialist so i know a little of what im going to write (i still have all the notes and booklets). That chapter in the Chronicles of the Life of Zee, a small girl in a smaller town, left me with more than just a lingering fondness for some of the products i sold. Do not fret however this is not a total homage to Vichy (it was always my favorite of the two brands, i don’t have extra sensitive skin like most La Roche Posay customers and i prefer the perfume and nod to luxury the Vichy brand provides), there are other products that i will always firmly stand by.
Burt's Bees Citrus facial scrub is one of those products, it smells like you cud eat it (and you probably could) and scrubs your scales into perfectly polished porcelain and at in and around €12 it wont break the bank and will last an age, i used to use it every morning and pledge to do so again!
So with my Epidermis buffed within an inch of its life its time to brighten tighten and tone it to goddess worthy standards, that might be being a bit optimistic but none the less heres my list of go to’s to take my skin out of hibernation and back into the world of the living...
For me its all about hydration, i’ve got normal to combination skin but its totally lack-lustre and perilously parched, i can only compare it to the sahara desert.... So to tackle my dehydrated skin, yes ladies dehydrated not dry, dry skin lacks lipids and dehydrated skin simply needs water, i turn to Vichy Aqualia Thermal every single time. Two products to be precise, I use Aqualia Thermal UV as my day time moisturiser its got SPF 25 and also protects against UVA so it tackles the long and short term effects of sun on your skin. I’m a sucker for sunscreen particularly on my face and use a factor 50 all year round as well as my moisturiser. If and when i’m a little strapped for cash and cant afford Vichy, it can be a little pricey, Aqualia Thermal UV is in and around €23, I love Boots Vitamin E Moisture Lotion with SPF 15, its light and easily absorbed and suitable for all skin types and its purse friendly at less than €3. The other Vichy Product I use is Aqualia Thermal Masque, its a hydrating masque to sooth and plump dehydrated skin, you leave it to soak in for 10-15 minutes and you can then wipe the excess off or as i do leave it on as your night cream. The results are amazing you wake up in the morning with the most amazing fresh, awake feel to your skin, you literally feel like you’ve got a new face or at least your old ones been born again! Because its a masque and thick and heavy i dont use it every night just once or twice a week and i use Bio-Oil every other night. If you’ve never tried Bio-Oil as a moisturiser, Do! Its a great product i started using it because i have a scar on my forehead (which is slowly disappearing!) and from there i just incorporated it into my skincare regime. It evens out your skin and smooths over any war wounds you might have. Just like magic! (My scar is almost exactly like Harry Potters only on the other side of my forehead, but, i’m still waiting on my letter from Hogwarts even after this feat of wizardry...)
When it comes to cleansers i tend to buy whatever is on offer in my local pharmacy, i do love the Olay anti-wrinkle cleansing milk its got a lovely texture and a pleasant fragrance and is almost always on offer. As far as toners go Vichy’s Normaderm toner works wonders for me. Normaderm was developed for acne prone skin but several of the products are great for combination skin and this is one of them. It purifies the pores getting rid of excess oil particularly round the T-zone but it also helps tighten the pores reducing their appearance. For those of you without this problem the toner in the Olay anti-wrinkle range again is a great product its very soothing and soft on the skin and has the same pleasant fragrance as the cleansing milk and the same purse friendly price tag.
So there you have it my old/new skin care regime to get me glowing again! I’m not saying its fail safe and i’m not saying it will work for you, it may in fact sound a bit harsh and heavy but hey it works for me and if its not broke why try fix it??
If any of you have any questions i’ll try my best to answer them, coursework at the ready! Let me know what your favorite skincare products and brands are.... Happy buffing, toning, tightening and brightening!!
Above Images; www.avonconnects.co.uk, Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub www.burtsbees.co.uk, Vichy Aqualia Thermal UV www.echemist.co.uk, Vichy Aqualia Thermal Masque www.beaut.ie, Vichy Normaderm Toner www.vichy.ie, zeerailed Instagram
