Pregnancy has done weird things to my skin. During those 9 months I broke out in zits like never before and am still experiencing nasty clusters of spots on my chin, as well as those really annoying big under the skin blemishes that sit on my cheeks mocking me in the mirror painfully for weeks.
I 100% blame hormones for these changes and I’m sure the spots will ease soon, but for now it is beyond frustrating. One thing on my life list is to care enough for my skin that I feel comfortable enough to go out without makeup on and that ain’t happening anytime soon.
So as I can’t control my hormones (if I could I wouldn’t be throwing books at my husband’s head. Sorry darling) I am tightening up my skincare regime. I cleanse, tone and moisturize daily but wanted to make sure I was doing it in the most effective way possible: here’s what I’ve discovered in my recent internet skin research.
Flannels are king. I came across Caroline Hirons‘ blog about six months ago and have learnt so much from this skincare guru. Seriously, there is nothing she doesn’t know about skin and I’ve spent hours browsing through her blog tags whilst I feed Hux; read her blog and you will never drunkenly wash your face with a babywipe again! Caroline champions the flannel and with good reason, there’s no other way to thoroughly cleanse your face. Even much-loved muslin cloths don’t do the job properly. Follow Mrs Hirons’ advice as I did, buy 10 flannels from IKEA and use a new one each time you wash your face.
Tone! I tone daily but admit to skipping this step if I’m short on time. Here’s why you shouldnt, and why I never will again.
Don’t clean your skin with skin wipes. I didn’t even use the nice makeup removing wipes; there was a period of time when I just used baby wipe. Basically they don’t clean your skin, so piling product on after this is doing nothing but block pores.
Similarly, don’t go to bed with your make up on. It leaves you with dull skin that ages quicker.
Get facials. I’m a total facial fan. If I had the time, childcare and budget, facials would be something I’d treat myself to weekly (along with spray tans, diamonds and rib-eye steak). But I don’t, so I stick to the home-based DIY approach. This would be easy before Hux came along; in the bath I would massage in my creme cleanser before washing off with a warm flannel. I’d follow this with a scrub , then relax with a mask. Once that was washed off I’d apply toner, massage in facial oil and finish with night cream.
But because I don’t have the luxury of bath time anymore (a toddler pooed in the last bath I took) I needed to come up with an alternative that I can use in less than 10 minutes. I found this in Bliss’s triple oxygen facial kit (above) which is speedy enough to do whilst brushing my teeth, or slightly more relaxing whilst in the shower. It consists of a cleanser, mask, eye cream and moisturizer, to which I add to the mix a no7 facial scrub. I noticed a change in my skin texture immediately after using this.
Drink water! I know this is lesson 1 of decent skin care but I rarely remember to drink enough and I see the effects in my skin. The first place that shows my dehydration is the palms of my hands which go slightly wrinkled, so I really try to drink water as often as possible.
My skin right now isn’t amazing – I still like to wear makeup when I go outside – but from following the above advice I see a big improvement from 6 months ago. My under eye bags are lighter, my cheeks aren’t so red and uneven and there are fewer dry patches.
I can’t deny this is a slow-burner but your skin is so important, especially as its exposed to so many temperature fluctuations, pollution and UVA rays on a daily basis. As I experiment more with different products I expect to see slight improvements, and have a wish list to help along the way:
REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
No7 BB Cream
Eve Lom Cleanser
Clarisonic
Also, still loving my good old favourites:
Everything Cowshed
Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream
L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil
Sudocrem
Excellent post :) I have spent the past year or so trying to get into a routine. One product that I love at the moment is the Kimia Rejuvenating Facial System – It’s pricey, but has really made a difference to my skin and lasts for ages.
Ooh will look into that!
The one problem about getting into all these nice beauty products is that I’ve become ADDICTED to beauty blogs!
Brilliant post, I think Caroline Hiron’s blog will be my new obsession, love the flannel tip. I have been guilty of the baby wipe make up removal technique, I always thought it was better than nothing, although quite often it is nothing. You’ve inspired me to be super strict about cleansing every, single night. x
That’s the thing about beauty – there are so many blogs out there it’s easy to become addicted!
woooo this is a great post, food for thought fo sho!
I found my skincare routine suffered with a new baby but recently I have taken steps to rectify that. Massive fan of the Clarisonic over here – takes a minute and viola! It doesn’t work for everyone, granted, but I adore it. It’s wonderful and has changed the texture of my skin – it’s now far softer. I also love Korres wild rose + vitamin C advanced brightening sleeping facial. Wonderful stuff.
K xx
Have you found it made you break out initially? Thats what I’ve been warned of x
Ooh, I’m going to have to have a good read through those links you’ve posted later. My face is a state and I know it’s mainly down to laziness and lack of a proper cleansing routine (pretty sure I wrote the exact same thing on your last skincare post, haha).
I have the REN mask. It does the job and when I remember to use it, I really notice a difference very quickly. It can be quite drying, but not an issue if you are using a decent moisturiser and night cream.
If you are in the market for a good facial exfoliator, I really love Origins Modern Friction – one of those products where you notice an instant brightening effect.
I have been completely neglecting toner in my current routine, time to hunt for a good one!…
That’s it – definitely getting that REN mask then! x
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve always had perfectly clear skin, but since I’ve been pregnant, it has been a mess. I get really down about it sometimes and ask my hubby, “Where’s that glow I am supposed to have?” This post is very helpful!
I’ve just bought a Clarisonic Mia and so far I love it. I’ve only used it for coming up to 2 weeks now and I’m sure my skin looks better already. Maybe I’m just convincing myself to justify spending so much!!. I haven’t broken out yet and while I wouldn’t say my pores or wrinkly bits are any better as yet, my skin just looks much clearer and more glowy.
I’ve tried so many beauty products and I usually end up a little disappointed, but this has been one thing I’m really glad to have bought. I did have Space NK vouchers which helped me feel much better about spending that amount of money!!
Ah, the pregnancy/post pregnancy skin joys. I felt like a teenager again, and not in a good way. Some friends bought me a set of Liz Earle products when Levi was born and I haven’t looked back. Lots of natural ingredients, safe for my sensitive skin and feel like luxury without the price-tag. I’ve even started using their make up range. Big fan. Still struggling with late night baby wiping my face guilt though!
Ohmygoodness – need to get on that- I just wash face in shower with face wash or hands and water, then use Simple moisturiser. Sooo going to buy more flannels- thank you!
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