Skincare, Stress & Self-belief

Hello everyone!

Happy new decade...

It has been a hot minute, my last post was in fact November. The month of December was super busy, I visited London for my birthday, Christmas came and the festive season felt like it was here and gone in a flash. 

 January has definitely been a challenging month, the doctor signed me off work due to a viral infection and I’ve pretty much been at home for three weeks. As if this wasn’t all sucky enough, during that period my anxiety was massively triggered. It reconfirmed to me some things I already knew but maybe needed a reminder of. Sometimes it can be difficult setting boundaries, saying no and being kind whilst still taking no crap. This month has left me physically drained and in parts, in a state of extreme anxiety. One of the most challenging things can be to not allow the external factors to impact our process of becoming well. It pays to remind ourselves every so often that we never know what others are going through and to always be kind. Luckily now I am almost fully recovered and feeling much better. 

In an attempt to combat any anxiety I have felt, I’ve been keeping a Happiness Planner. This one was given to me by a friend on my birthday and it’s a great way of picking out the positives in your day, so you’re not distracted by any negatives. 

I’ve also been trying to be more minimal and not spend for the sake of it on things such as fast fashion or makeup I really don’t need. “All You Need Is Less” is really helping me with this shift. 

So now the deep chat has lifted, I’m going to move on up and talk about some changes I’ve made to my skincare routine and what has been working for me lately.

Ole Henriksen is a danish skin cosmetician who has a line of natural skincare products. For the last month I have been testing out the brightening 3 step routine and I won’t be turning back. 

The Truth Serum is described as “a daily multivitamin for the skin”. Vitamin C, orange and green tea extracts make it perfect to hydrate and firm skin, whilst smelling like a citrus ice lolly. I apply two pumps all over face and neck post cleansing and I’m left with a hydrated, less red face that is prepped for moisturiser. 

C-rush Brightening Double Crème is a bouncy textured moisturiser which helps to hydrate my dry skin and help illuminate my face. It has three high-potency sources of vitamin C and Rose of Winter extract, which aren’t just a drink for your skin but also help the cream smell like a dream (Unintentional rhyming, honestly). 

Banana Bright Eye Crème  as with the previous two products boasts key ingredient vitamin C along with 

vegetable collagen. After reading the ingredients, it doesn’t appear to contain banana but is instead inspired by makeup artist must-have, banana powder. The idea behind the powder is to brighten the under eye area, so the cream does the same job. I love applying this as the final step in my routine just before I apply my under eye concealer - it applies seamlessly, with no drag or dryness. 

In addition to the skincare trio, I’ve taken a liking to “double cleansing” which does exactly what it says on the tin. I find that some face cleaners or facial washes can dry my skin out, so I’m actually working my way through two bottles (I don’t know why I’ve got two on the go, but I’m not complaining) of the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. It’s a gel to oil facial cleanser and when I first use this, it melts away the layer of makeup I have sat on my skin with ease. Round two helps to give a thorough cleanse and remove any impurities that’s sat in the skin below that layer of makeup. It has a rose and chamomile fragrance that isn’t overbearing and it leaves my skin soft, fresh and supple. 

Finally, I’ve wanted to remove cotton pads from my routine completely because they are single use and not environmentally friendly. Instead I’ve taken to a Konjac sponge, this one from So Eco has added charcoal for an even deeper cleaner. It’s biodegradable, reusable and sustainable. What’s not to like? 

 I do still sometimes have the need for a pad to apply toner, so I’ve opted for reusable pads. The Glov Moon Pads feel so incredibly soft and do the same job as nearly 500 cotton pads. Simply use and clean with hot water. 

I hope you’re having a great January and let’s look ahead to February to see what awaits 

XO