Okay, so I don't normally post on cosmetics. But this is a lifestyle blog, and it's the holidays, and maybe something light is in order.
So here it goes: this year, I finally figured my skin out. Well, just the skin on my face, since I'm still working on the skin on other parts of me.
For years, I kind of told myself that having acne was a character-building exercise, part of life, part of being a woman, a way to prevent vanity. My acne, though, wasn't just unsightly. It was downright uncomfortable.
I tried all kinds of creams and cleansers, salicylic acid, Proactiv, clindamycin, etc. I bought into the idea that I had oily skin and I just had to live with it.
Then last winter I tried adapalene cream from a dermatologist, combined with City Girls Soap lotion and Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer. Since I had to moisturize to get the adapalene to work, I started doing it regularly.
Turns out that maybe I don't have oily skin. Maybe it was actually dry and overcompensating. Turns out that better quality lotion produces better quality skin. Turns out that loving my skin and treating it gently, instead of punishing it with harsh acne treatments, was what I needed to get glowy skin.
Not only do I not have uncomfortable acne anymore, I have the glow I thought could never be mine, and along with it, the self-confidence to try a lot of other makeup trends. I'm down to just moisturizer morning and night (I like LUSH USA products, City Girls, and Juice Beauty), adapalene maybe once a week, and a tinted/highlighting moisturizer. Occasionally, I'll throw on a mask from LUSH USA as well if I think I need it. I dust on a coral bronzer and maybe a little eyeshadow.
No promises that it will work for anyone else, but I never would have believed that it would work for me. It's more convenient and comfortable than anything I've ever tried. I didn't think that getting my skin in shape would make me feel happier or more confident, but the integumentary system (AKA the skin) is an important part of the immune system, and it makes me feel good to know that I'm giving it what it needs.
Have you tried this or something similar? What do you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment