Tag Archives: acne prone skin

What My Battle With Acne Has Taught Me…

THE ACNE STRUGGLE

The acne struggle is real but there’s always a way to come out of it stronger. Here’s my story.

The eve of my birthday celebrations and this breakout appeared. Not very well timed right? Totally stress induced.

If you struggle with acne, then this is for you. If you are looking to get rid of acne, then this is also for you. The other day I was sitting at lunch and I overheard a conversation between two ladies next to me. “No one ever shares their struggles on Instagram, you land up just immersing yourself in a pile of supposed successes.” I couldn’t help but agree. How often do you actually see someone open up on social media and share that behind their perfect coffee shot, was a really hard day?

For me, I struggle to open up about my skin. I have had countless of mornings and nights where I have cried physical tears about the state of my skin and this is not a new battle. One day my father looked at me and said “Shloka, you need to take this into your own hands. Don’t rely on anyone else to fix this and once you do fix it, because you will, you can share your journey with everyone else who might be struggling”. Something in that moment clicked for me. I suddenly realised I’m not alone in this. There are thousands of girls out there just like me who experience the same feelings every day. This is not forever, and most importantly, it’s in my control and I can do something about it. Over the past year I really took the reigns with my skin and I’ve come out of it a little bit stronger, albeit with a few battle scars (man, that acne scarring right?) and with a few key lessons on not only how to get rid of acne, but an overall more positive approach to the whole thing.

Editors Note: I wrote an entire post about the products that really helped me in the beginning to get my acne under control. Read about that here.

Don’t rely on anyone else to fix this and once you do fix it, because you will, you can share your journey with everyone else who might be struggling…

It’s A Work In Progress & That’s Okay

I can be quite an impatient person when it comes to wanting results and I am no different with my skin. Having struggled with pimples since I was 12, I feel like now that I’m 25 it’s high time they went away right? The number one lesson I’ve taken away from this whole experience is that there will be great skin days, and bad skin days but you are not alone in this. Everyone has ups and downs in every aspect of their life and skin is a work in progress. It doesn’t take away from how beautiful you are, or how good you should feel and it’s okay to have a day with a few pimples. I’m not saying I don’t have moments where I haven’t broken down about it. In fact, the night before my birthday, I broke down right before my party. I had the most humongous breakout, totally out of the blue and I actually cried. But I wiped my tears, I pulled myself together, I put on my dress and I walked out the door and I still had an amazing night, surrounded by amazing people, and I still felt great! Don’t let one bad skin day get you down. Instead, stay positive and focus on the solutions!

Pictured here: The HORRIBLE reaction I had last year on my skin that drove me crazy but also drove me to take control of my skin.

You know your skin best.

Speaking of solutions, one of my biggest struggles was finding the confidence in myself to treat my own skin. It can be quite intimidating to find the right product, to go through the trial and error process and to not be influenced by the thousands of “experts” out there. I’m not saying that this is the case for everyone, but I found that when I took control of my own skin, did my own research and did not blindly follow what someone had to say, my skin was at it’s best. Of course, I still feel nervous when I get sent product to try because it’s quite unnerving to think that you might put something on your sensitive skin for a second and have a reaction that lasts weeks. But I’ve done so much research on what ingredients work for my skin type, what products go together and what to avoid, that I can gauge pretty quickly now if something is worth it or not. Essentially what I’m trying to say is, take control of your own routine. Understand what you should be doing to fix your skin and don’t be afraid to go ahead and do it! Plus, if you ever need any help, I’m always around.

Pictured here: My skin recovered really well after the horrible break out of last summer, when I took control of it! I remember feeling amazing when I took this photo.

It’s not just about what you put on your skin

A year ago I had one of the worst reactions ever. I felt helpless and sad and I couldn’t figure out WHY it happened. This is when I learnt that it’s not just about what you put on your skin, but it’s about what you put inside your body; what you eat, what you drink and how you live! I’ve noticed that when I eat badly and eat a lot of dairy, don’t drink enough water or don’t exercise enough, my skin suffers. Remember that a lot of the time your skin is a reflection of what is happening inside your body. You can actually acne map your face, which shows you what part of your body to pay attention to depending on where on your face you break out. Treat yourself well!

Be positive & discipline

Treating yourself well doesn’t just mean eating well and exercising. It also means self-love. A lot of the time our breakouts are due to stress factors. Try and remain positive, and continue to flood your mind with positive thoughts and actions. Negativity has a way of festering and a lot of times it erupts on our cheeks and foreheads. Be discipline as well; which means if you know something doesn’t react well with you, then don’t put yourself through the pain of having it. I have a sweet tooth but instead of indulging in dairy all the time, which I am intolerant to, I try to cut it out of my diet. I never go to sleep with my make up on and I always make sure to use products that suit me, not just products that have a hype. Encourage positive habits and see positive results!

Pictured here: This is recent. The aftermath of my break out right before my birthday! The recovery process isn’t pretty but at least it was getting better.

Remember, that beauty is within.

The final, and most important lesson that my journey with acne has taught me, is that beauty is not defined by your skin. Your acne does not define you. Your skin does not define you. Your beauty is not what is on the outside, real beauty is on the inside and that is what we see. Always remember that and never let any issue with your skin make you think otherwise.

Pictured here: No filter and I remember feeling like my skin actually looked really good here! Trust that it’s possible to combat acne!

Do you struggle with acne? I would love to hear your story.

How I Changed My Beauty Routine To Get Rid Of My Acne

The Products That Changed My Skin

Let me start by saying that this post is not sponsored. Unless I’ve mentioned it at the start of a post, my posts are not sponsored. Even if this post was sponsored I wanted to express to you that I would never agree to work with a brand that I did not believe in. I take great pride in only working with brands that I personally have tried, tested and love so you know that regardless of whether a post is sponsored or not, it’s genuine and authentic content that I would bring to you either way with an opinion that you can trust.

I have battled with acne for a majority of my life. Having acne can be an emotionally draining experience; you feel self-conscious and it’s disappointing when your skin is not where you want it to be. I had been using the same products for the past 8 years. My skin had gotten used to them and was not improving. It wasn’t until I had a terrible reaction in March that I decided it was time to stop being afraid. Over the past few months, I have really taken my skin into my own hands and made a change that I can finally say I am happy with. I sat down, did a lot of research and trialled a lot of different things. I finally found a set of products that I fell in love with because I was finally able to see a noticeable difference in my skin, and so could everyone else.

A lot of you have been asking what I’ve changed in my routine, how have I got my skin to start glowing and what are these new products I’ve been using! I shared a little glimpse in this post here, where I revealed an overnight treatment to get rid of acne quickly. Today, I’m really going to delve into the changes I made and the products that really made a change to my skin.

Two top tips to get you started on your skin journey:

1.Don’t be afraid to mix it up and try new products. If you use the same product for too long without a break, your skin can get used to it. That being said, it helps to sometimes get samples first so you can really understand what suits your skin.

2. Remember that this takes time and you will get there! Don’t be afraid to take control of your beauty routine! Ask questions and take it into your own hands!

On with the rest…

THE EVENING ROUTINE

I am going to start with my evening routine as there are a few hero products I don’t want you to miss.

I did a lot of research into the correct products for acne-prone skin. The answer was Vitamin A, a.k.a retinol. Retinol can sound intimidating but it is one of the best ingredients for acne and anti-ageing. I introduced a retinol-based cream into my nightly routine every other evening and the change has been amazing.

Note: Don’t use products that have retinol with products that have AHA. They cancel each other out!

1. Wash my face with the Nutritive Cleanser

2. Apply my Pore Minimiser Toner

3. Apply Perricone MD pure Vitamin C Ester. Vitamin C is another amazing ingredient if you struggle with acne scarring. This helps to get rid of the pigmentation and scars. A hero product!

4. I alternate between the following two creams every night. I use the Multi-Action Night Treatment from Perricone MD which helps to soothe my skin and reduce blemishes. The next night I will use OVM from Perricone MD; this is the hero retinol product that has really helped me combat acne.

Note: When using retinol products, make sure to use SPF every day as retinol makes your skin more photosensitive.

Top Tip: Wait 2 minutes between products in your beauty routine to really let your skin soak in the ingredients and to prevent them from rolling off each other.

THE MORNING ROUTINE

1. Wash my face with the Nutritive Cleanser from Perricone MD

Twice a week I use this face mask to pull out any impurities in my skin and soothe redness and marks.

I also use this mask for under eye dullness and dark circles.

2. After patting my face dry, I apply the Pore Minimiser Toner from Perricone MD all over.

3. I was using this serum from Perricone MD however I am currently in the midst of trying Vintners Daughter. Stay tuned for my thoughts on that.

4. I finish this off with my favourite daily moisturiser from Perricone MD; Photo Plasma. It has SPF 30 in it and protects the skin from pollution and dust.

Top Tip: Introduce a jade roller into your morning routine to improve circulation, brightness and overall elasticity of the skin.

FEED
YOUR SKIN WELL

One of the most overlooked factors when it comes to skincare is diet. We sometimes forget that purely topical application cannot be the sole change for our skin. When our body is happy on the inside, it shows on the outside and diet plays a huge role in this. For me, it was cutting dairy out of my diet.

I noticed an immense change in my skin when I stopped ingesting dairy. So much so, that when I did have a little cheat and binged on dairy during my holiday, I immediately started to break out again. This just shows how important it is to pay attention to what you are putting inside your body. If you do decide to cut dairy out of your diet, give your body 2 weeks to rid it of your system. That is when you will start to see a change!

Do you have any questions about my beauty routine? Want to know what new products I’m thinking of adding? Comment below with your acne experiences!

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Why Your Makeup Is Giving You Acne and How To Fix It

Get Rid Of That Acne…

It’s no secret that I have very acne prone skin, which means I’ve struggled with breakouts and sensitive skin my whole life. For a long time I thought it was just the makeup I was using, and to some extent it was. Certain makeup just works better for sensitive skin than others (I did a whole post about the best foundations for acne prone skin here), but there are a few more things you can do to get rid of acne. Today I’m sharing three beauty and makeup tips to help remedy your breakouts! Once I started to implement these three changes in my beauty routine, I started to see a change! Of course, this came with also making sure I was intaking the right amount of water every day, having my vitamins and eating well. Even so, what you’re putting on the outside of your face is as important as what you’re ingesting! So, here are three things to start doing now to start getting rid of your pimples!

This post contains affiliate links. That just means I make a small commission of any sale made through my website. It does not affect you or the price of any item, in any way!

Check The Expiry Date

It wasn’t until quite recently that I learnt that makeup has an expiry date. If you’re wondering when makeup expires, there’s actually a super easy way to figure out. Just like food products, your makeup will have an expiry date on the packaging. What you’re looking for is the symbol I’ve shown in the photograph here, which will have a number followed by “M”. This means that your makeup will last you for that many months! For example, this lipstick of mine will expire in 18 months. Be sure you aren’t using expired makeup on your face because it can cause some bad reactions if you have sensitive skin like me! Make sure you’re keeping track of this and replacing your favourites as and when you need to!

Clean Your Face Before Bed

I know this seems like an obvious one but I know so many girls who skip over this step! Regardless of whether you’ve put on makeup that day or not you need to cleanse and wash your face before you go to bed! This is to remove any dirt, grime, sweat or anything else that may be on your skin after your day! This is so essential to making sure that your skin stays moisturised and clean without blocking pores and causing breakouts! If you’re looking for a good cleanser, I have a few recommendations below!

Clean Your Brushes!

This is another one that we underestimate! Our makeup brushes are much dirtier than we think. Not only are they lying open catching dust, but they have old makeup on them as well. If you blow your makeup off your brush before applying or dust it off, there’s even a higher chance that your makeup brush needs to be cleaned! Now think about how much dirt you’re putting on your face every time you use that brush! I would try cleaning my brush once a week! This goes for your beauty blender too, which of course comes with its own cleanser! If you’re wondering how to clean your makeup brush, I would soak and wash them in baby shampoo and then leave them out to dry. Make sure that you reshape them while they are damp so they dry in shape! I also have a fabulous brush cleanser that is a foam. You use this on your brushes and it dries almost immediately! I’ve featured anything you might need for a clean brush below!