Guide to Glowing Skin all Year Round
If you're anything like me, being pale is just
absolutely not an option. With olive skin and yellow undertones being beneficial in the summer, when winter comes I'm walking around uni looking like Lisa Simpson. I am a fake tan FIEND, I have tried pretty much every brand you can think of, it can be expensive habit, with brands like St. Tropez averaging at a price of £30 a bottle and St Moriz all of sudden increasing from £2 a bottle to £10 abottle (talk about inflation).
After years of searching I think I've finally found my holy grail fake tan; St. Moriz Dry Oil Tanning Mist. With it being winter, my skin gets so dry and fake tan doesn't sit right despite the gallons of moisturiser i apply, and this fake tan is the answer to my problem, with it being oil based it creates a glowy, straight out of the sun look which I am obsessed with.
It's also perfect for spraying on your face if you're on a budget like me and can't afford the £40 bottle of tan luxe drops.
Although a good fake tan is helpful for the glowy, Aussie look. The element that is most vital is SKINCARE, SKINCARE, SKINCARE!!! As someone with combination / oily skin, during the winter time I get the worst dry patches which makes it so hard to find products to hydrate my skin, without making it oily and a playground for blemishes. I try not to put too many products on my skin, with having psoriasis as well my skin can be sensitive at times and I don't want to irritate it.
Day & night I wash my face with the Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing 2-in-1 Wash & Mask using my Remington Cleansing Brush, in my opinion this is just as effective as the Clarisonic and at half the price. This brush has been the best thing I've ever bought in relation to my skin and always recommend it to anyone who asks about my skincare regime. It's good for all skin types with the three different speed settings! When I don't use it I really don't feel as though my face is properly cleansed. Also, it makes me feel like i've had a facial everyday.
I use the face mask side of the blackhead clearing mask once a week, sometimes more if I'm breaking out. The mask is drying in nature so is good for drying out spots, as well as clearing up blackheads.
In terms of moisturisers, I switch it up depending on how dry my skin is that day. When the dry patches are minor, I use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors. I love this moisturiser as it's lightweight and a lot goes a long way. It's packed with amino acids meaning it promotes collagen production and creates a healthy pH balance. All of The Ordinary products are so affordable which makes it even more beneficial.
When the dry patches get bad, I tend to use E45 as I think it's a cream you can't really do wrong with, it also helps keep the psoriasis on my face hydrated so my make-up sits properly on top. I am currently using E45 a lot at the moment, my skin is extra dry due to the cold weather, and I believe this is what is providing my skin with a natural glow.
I'd say I'm quite fortunate in terms of skin genes, my skin is generally quite clear. But, like any teenager I do get the odd spot, and when I do, it's like a volcano as erupted on my face and sometimes feel like I need to save it a seat in the lecture theatre, and they hurt which is the worse. I also get the odd minor spells of something called subclinical acne (not as bad as it sounds just tiny spots under the skin).
The first product I use to calm my spots is this salicylic acid from The Ordinary, unfortunately it always seems to be out of stock on Beauty Bay but if you can get it on The Grooming Clinic, it works miracles, it reduces the appearance of spots without drying them out and the skin around it as it directly targets congested pores, meaning its great for blackheads too!
The second thing I use (only occasionally) is this cream containing benzoyl peroxide. I was prescribed this by the doctor for my subclinical acne, but I do believe you can get it over the counter. This stuff is amazing but, it you have to be so careful you only get it on the spot rather than the skin around because it can irritate! However, it is so amazing, I had spots under the skin that I couldn't budge for six months and this finally got rid of them!
The final thing that I had to include (even though its not really skin care related), is this lip scrub. I absolutely love the Lush Lip scrubs, however they are pricey for a small jar, and I find that they don't tend to moisturise my lips after. So, through trial and error we got this. Very simple, however I now can't live without it. It's simply; sugar, honey and a little bit of vaseline mixed together. The winter makes my lips so incredibly dry and chapped, and I found that normal lip balms were not scrubbing away the dead skin (ew, I know). It also makes my lips SO plump after, I can't get enough of it.
My skincare routines do change, however these are products that are working for me for the moment and I'll try and update as much as possible if anything drastic changes! But remember, if something works for me, it may not necessarily work for you.
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