Showing posts with label Beauty Hack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty Hack. Show all posts

Acne hacks skincare Sally Hughes pretty honest
Acne hacks pretty honest by Sally Hughes skincare


*Googling tips to on how to clear acne fast at half past midnight.*


There is a reason why all these acne posts you've read include the word 'journey'. That's because it is and it can be really long, lasting anything between a few months to a few years. For me, my acne journey has been a 10 month battle. 


I’ve finally reached the stage where I can comfortably look in the mirror and smile with confidence. My skin no longer looks like a battlefield and has been almost clear for a few months now. Yay! It’s not been an easy road and I’ve definitely made some errors along the way. By no means am I an expert but I thought I’d share all the things I wish I knew before treating acne. 


Here are some do’s and don’ts I wish somebody told me on how treat acne:


DO be patient. The first thing your doctor of dermatologist is likely to tell you is, “it’ll get worse before it gets better”. When you’ve been prescribed topical retinoids, you’re skin often purges which will make it look a lot worse. The good news is that it’s actually pushing all the acne that’s under the skin to the surface. So, it does get worse before it gets better. Hold on tight!


DON’T let anyone tell you what to do. Your acne journey is personal to you. Everyone always has something to say when it comes to treating acne. I had a lot of people with perfect skin telling me what to do and what not to do. But like I said, acne is a personal journey and there are multiple reasons as to why it’s flared up. There is plenty of information around -I recommend following estheticians and dermatologists on Twitter- for you to see what works for your skin and doesn’t. You don’t have to follow all their advice and you can pick and choose what works for you. It’s also where I get a lot of my advice from.


DO look after your moisture barrier. I’ve mentioned it plenty of times before and you’ve heard it a million times everywhere else but hydration is key. And the key to healthy skin, is a healthy moisture barrier. Some things that can harm your moisture barrier include over exfoliating, washing your face with hot water and using harsh products. A lot of acne treatments are drying and I've found they're a lot more effective when you're using products to help retain moisture and rebuild your barrier. I've been using Cerave's foaming face wash and I love it!


DO wash your face with cool water. I remember reading that you should wash your face with hot water because it will help open your pores and leave your face cleaner. WRONG! I’ve found that washing my face with cool/ lukewarm water has been really good at not irritating my inflamed skin and helping it to retain moisture. I got this tip from @makeupforwoc on Twitter who specialises in inflamed skin conditions.


DO use SPF. Wearing SPF is vital to anyone but when you’re been on retinoid creams and antibiotics as your skin becomes more vulnerable to the sun and it’s rays. Even more reason to top up on the SPF. The sun can always cause red/ dark marks to darken even more so SPF is a really good way to help improve the appearance of scarring. It’s also essential even if you’re not on any medication. SPF protects your skin from harmful UV rays, which are still around on rainy days.


DON’T pick your spots. I used to be an avid spot picker but it was my spot picking habits that helped me to realise I was starting to get acne. These spots were deeper under the skin and never formed a head. Acne spots aren’t pickable and trying will only leave you with scarring. Knowing that whatever I picked would leave a scar helped me kick that habit to the curb. Post acne and my skin has a lot of pigment scarring from the inflamed acne. Any spot that pops up 



Love, Aoife xo



Who remembers the Micellar water craze a few years ago? When everybody was raving about how amazing micellar water was. Or was that just me? I’ll admit, I was part of that craze. I loved sprinkling the holy water on a cotton pad and watching all my makeup disappear from my face. But what if there’s a better, more effective, way of removing makeup? Like, oil cleansing?

In the last month or so, I have been obsessed with Nay (@LABeautyologist). Her Twitter is filled with skincare advice, tips and tricks. As a licensed esthetician, she also provides scientific explanations so you can understand more about what each ingredient or step in your skincare routine does and make your own informed decision. One night, I ended up in a YouTube black hole and watched all her YouTube videos. I learnt about double cleansing, toning and all about oil cleansing.

The Oil Cleansing Method...

I have oily acne-prone skin and so the thought of adding oil to oil and spots can be a little daunting. However, it has been tried, tested & shouted from the rooftops that using an oil cleanser can help the skin’s oil balance and won’t make it more oily. The oil cleanser itself doesn't leave any residue behind and is not drying.

The way oil cleansing works is by gently massaging a few drops of oil onto your face for at least 60 seconds. Remember to keep your palms and face dry when you apply it so it can work properly. The oil lifts the dirt from clogged pores, excess sebum and removes dead skin cells from your face. You can read more about the science here or watch Nay's video here. Once you've massaged the oil around your face, you gently wipe the oil off with a wet face cloth. It's a really good method of clearing out build up from your pores and has really helped with my acne. 

What I found...

In this experiment, I used Simple’s Hydrating Oil cleanser (recommended by HeyitsMorgan). It's made with 100% grapeseed oil and is incredibly soft and gentle on my skin. I use a 1p coin-sized amount of oil and massage it around my face for at least a minute. I follow the #60secondrule so whenever I cleanse my face I rub the cleanser in for at least 60 seconds. 

The fun part of oil cleansing is the longer you massage the oil in, the more dirt it picks up from your skin. I think the longest I've oil cleansed is 4 minutes. You can often feel gritty bits coming away from your skin and see little beige dots on your palms; these are the oil plugs that have been lifted from your skin. It’s the most satisfying part of oil cleansing.

The Results are in...

Out of the two cleansing methods, I prefer oil cleansing. I feel like it's more suited to my skin. It’s a much gentler and cleanses more than just the surface. This is evident by the grit you can see on your palms. It's not as drying as Micellar Water and my skin looks a lot less red. I’ve noticed a big difference in the past month on the appearance of my pores and the regular facial massage has helped improve my blood circulation, so I am practically glowing.

I love that you can spend more time cleansing and massaging your face than with a face wipe or micellar water. The massage really helps me to unwind in the evening and is perfect for when I need to escape the chaos of my flatmates.

What are your thoughts of oil cleansing? Do you think you'll try it?

Love, Aoife xo


What's the weirdest way of cleaning your beauty blender that you can think of? I'm pretty sure using a microwave is going to be on a list somewhere. The other day, I was browsing the internet as you do and I came across an article on Cosmopolitan of a new beauty hack which I felt needed testing. This is the third beauty hack test I've done and you can read the others here (shaving your legs with conditioner) and here (Korean nail bracelet). They were both really fun to do and I've been on the hunt for more hacks ever since.

You may have seen it buzzing around on social media or know what I'm talking about but for those who don't, there is apparently a new beauty hack for cleaning your beauty blender by putting it in the microwave. 


BEFORE….

A few beige marks here and there. The lumpy bits are just wet btw.
During this experiment, I probably paid more attention to my beauty blender than I’ve ever done before. I have a bit of a guilty confession; I've never washed my beauty blender before. I know it's gross and you're probably picturing a very dirty sponge but it's not that dirty and I'm washing it now. It had a lot of foundation and concealer marks and my once vibrant orange blender had turned into a faded beige sponge.

DURING….

Following the Cosmo article, I added a little bit of Fairy liquid to a mug and filled it up halfway with cold water. I *metaphorically* kissed my Beauty Blender goodbye and dropped it into the mug, placing it in the microwave for a minute.

As I watched it spin around, I realised how weird the whole thing is. The only use my microwave fulfils is heating up food; so when it pinged the first time, I was expecting something delicious and edible to come out. Not a mug of dirty water with a semi-clean orange sponge floating in the middle.


Since the first attempt didn't work successfully but you could see a lot of colouring had come out. I tried it for the second time after changing the water and when it pinged the second time, you could visibly see a difference. 

AFTER…

As I'm a little impatient, I reached for my kitchen tongs to retrieve my blender since the water was really hot. I waited for the blender to cool down before I gave it another squeeze and a little rinse. The sponge had a few permanent stains from what I assume is just mascara/ eyeliner but apart from that, the sponge was almost as vibrant as the day I bought it. Well... almost.


I've used the blender since the experiment and it works just as well. Although, I have noticed it's lost its firmness so it might be time to buy a new one. 

With that said, the beauty hack is a PASS but I'm not sure if I'll be running to the microwave with my beauty blender again any time soon. It seems is bizarre putting something that's not food in a microwave.

What are your thoughts on the hack? Yay or Nay?


Love, Aoife x