Skincare edit
On the skincare trail again...
One of my favourite topics of late, skin clarity is often a bugbear of mine now Martha has stopped feeding as much as she used to.
Hormonal acne flare-ups were common after I had Annie and this time round I wanted to try to get a grip on things before they became an issue. Five minutes every evening to properly cleanse and moisturise is definitely worth the difference it makes. Back then I thought I didn’t have the time for a proper skincare regime, regularly removing my make up with baby wipes! These aren’t designed to break down the oil in make up and don’t properly cleanse, leaving spot-causing residues. I’ll stick with baby wipes for their intended purpose and for a quick clean of whatever room I happen to be in.
Eventually I saw the light! Investing in good skincare really helped, the real game changer for me being double cleansing: where two complimenting cleansing products are used instead of just one. The two products I have consistently used over the years are the Dermalogica Precleanse and their Special Cleansing Gel. These are definitely my hero products; even when I’ve used other moisturisers and serums I usually stick to these to cleanse. They really agree with my skin and keep excess oil production and flare-ups at bay.
The guidance is, of course, to stick to products within one brand’s specific range, but like most of us I would regularly mix and match. However, when everything happened to run out at once I decided to listen to the advice and went for the plunge with Dermalogica. I’ve used Dermalogica for years, pricey but worth it, in my opinion. It’s my go-to that works. Plus when my skin isn’t great I tend to use a lot more make up to try to mask the issues, which prolongs the problem and increases the cost-per use!
Over lockdown I had a phone consultation with Naomi Anderson, whom I worked with during my uni years (and absolutely loved). From her salon Naomi asked lots of questions, chatting in detail about skin concerns and what I would like to see improve, then created a skin prescription to match. I think many Dermalogica stockists offer this great service. It definitely inspired confidence in my purchase choices and I was also given a few new product minis to sample before buying.
Based on the advice from my consultation I have now added some anti-aging products into my regime as three little tearaways children, self employment, a pandemic and homeschooling are telling their own tales on my forehead!
Back to front...
I’ve also started to use the Origins Out of Trouble facemask, not (just?) on my face but on my back, where acne has reared its irritatingly painful head too. This was a repeat purchase as I have used products from the Origins blemish-prone skincare ranges before and found them excellent (would equally recommend the Super Spot Remover).
As readers on my Insta stories will know I’ve been using the Current Body LED Light Therapy Mask. This little maestro of tech was sent as a PR sample. I was over the moon to receive it as I happened to have been eyeing it up for a while. Initially (as I didn’t feel anything!) I was skeptical and having used it a couple of times I started to read the reviews. One lady described how she’d only noticed the difference after the fourth or fifth session so I stuck with it and now I completely agree. I started by noticing a difference between my eyebrows where I had some acne scarring: the marks had definitely reduced (not a noted benefit on the website but my personal experience). After a time I saw a noticeable improvement in skin tone - where I would normally have blotchy redness and rough texture I found my skin looked smooth and radiant.
After a friend borrowed the mask for two weeks and I got it back I really gained confidence in the product. I noticed my skin looking brighter and smoother when using it and as for my friend, she loved the product so much she had to have one too! The mask uses anti-aging red LED and infra-red technology to smooth lines and wrinkles, improve tone, texture and tightness and leave skin brighter. I use it for 10 minutes 3-4 times a week before bed then put my moisturizer on. It definitely works.
The most effective, cheapest and obvious solution is to hydrate regularly. With me, my coffee and tea (OK, and wine!) intake is obviously my whoops, but making more of an effort to look after nutritional and digestive health plus making sure to drink lots of H2O really helps.
I’ve listed the skincare products I’m currently using at present.
Other brands I have tried and loved include Image skincare, No7 (specifically their anti-aging range), Skinician, Bobbi Brown (particularly their moisturisers) and Clarins oils.
I personally believe in changing up skincare routines and products every so often helps to target different concerns, and I feel it does freshen things up again, even if it’s just trying different products from a range or brand you love.
Anna x
Contains affiliate links. I personally would recommend you try a skin prescription for yourself from your local Dermalogica or skincare advisor.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel
Bioluim C Serum ( a new one for me, I feel like my skin broke out for a few weeks until it got used to it but I definitely have noticed a difference and don’t feel like I am missing an exfoliator as these cannot be used at the same time)
Origins Out of Trouble Face Mask
Current Body Led light therapy- (AD/PR) Use discount code BIRDSCB for further discount.