The Acne Diaries

Up to the age of 14 I would say I had fairly normal skin, I rarely got any blemish of any kind and didn't use any products on my skin. However at 14 I started experimenting with different products including harsh chemical face washes and cheap make up (hello orange eyebrows!). I was very uneducated about anything skin related and didn't realise the consequences this would have on my skin in years to come. 

At 16 I was put on prescription medication for my skin that included various different creams and a pill neither of which I felt helped so decided to come of the medication and tackle the problem myself - boy I did not know what I was getting myself into! 

I am now 19 and suffering from the worst acne I have ever experienced which consists of big under the skin blemishes that cover my cheeks, for head and chin. Why I am experiencing these breakouts now I do not know - hormones? un-balanced diet? using the wrong products? I no longer care I just want to be rid of it!!

So after doing hours and hours of research I am making significant changes to my lifestyle in order to get rid of my acne. I have to decided to create this series called The Acne Diaries to share with you any tips or tricks that work and help me achieve clear, healthy skin! It's important to remember that I am not in any way a skin expert, these are just some tips and tricks that have helped me.

Hope this series is helpful. I would love to hear of any tips you guys have on getting clear skin. Stay tuned for the first post coming soon.

♥

A WICKED show

I have recently been lucky enough to see my favourite west end show Wicked for the fourth time and just like the other three times, was not disappointed!

Whilst I was growing up I loved The Wizard of Oz and would watch it all the time on VHS tape (who remembers those bad boys!) at my nans. So when invited to see Wicked for the first time back in 2008 for my friends birthday I was very excited!

There's a lot to love about this musical. First and for most the plot is so entertaining with moments that can make you laugh and cry with some pretty hefty plot twists! The costumes and sets are amazing, so well designed and put together. The cast are always outstanding and not forgetting the music which I constantly sing on a daily basis. My favourite song? now that's tricky...lyrically it would be I'm not that girl but vocally it would have to be the jaw dropping Defying Gravity or The Wizard and I. 

I have never known any of the names of the cast members but the last time I saw it I was so impressed by the woman playing Elphaba I immediately googled who was playing her the night I saw it and discovered it to be Emma Hatton who I was surprised to find out actually was Elphaba's understudy. Emma played the character excellently and her voice is so so beautiful! If you'd like to see her sing you can here. 

I am sure I will continue to love Wicked for many many years and go and see it is regularly as I can. Apparently there's talk of turning it into a movie? But whether this is fact or rumour I do not know.

What's your favourite musical? If its Wicked as well I'd love to know what you love about it too.

 ♥ 

Body Shop Chocomania Beautifying Oil | Review

I have stumbled across this product after my mum recieved it in a gift set that she got for chistmas and have found a genius use for it. Every girl knows how much of a chore it is having to shave our legs but this product has made shaving my legs a delight! I have heard many people recommend shaving with oil instead of shaving cream or soap and my shaving gel had run out so I decided to give this a try HAAALELUJAH it's so yummy, it made shaving so much easier as it allows the razor to glide across your skin without catching it. I usually cut myself around my knee area but never do using this product so it really does give a clean shave AND it leaves your skin SOO smooth much smoother than my moisturiser would usually leave it. I'm so in love with this product, have any of you tried it? oooh and it smells like chocolate...smooth legs and chocolate does a girl need much else?

   ♥

                         

Dealing with | anxiety

Anxiety is a very vague term and means different things to different people. You can feel anxious or nervous about a one of thing like a job interview or a coursework deadline or you can suffer from anxiety where even a meaningless task such as going outside or eating in a restaurant can feel like the scariest thing in the world.

My anxiety started when I was 15/16 and was triggered by exam stress. The trigger of your anxiety can be something quite small but it also may have nothing to do with what you are anxious about. It was actually after I had finished my exams that my anxiety became a problem and by the end of summer found myself in a very dark scary place where I couldn't even leave the house or finish a meal. I don't want to focus very much on how my anxiety made me feel or what it did to me because this blog is about overcoming it not reliving past traumas. 

I started addressing my anxiety when a friend noticed how different I was acting and it was through talking to her that I first started seeing my doctor and through my doctor I went to counselling sessions (where I would sit and talk about why I felt the way I did) however I did not like this method of coping as it made me very uncomfortable and even more anxious! So I had a hypnotherapy session which I found did help as it was very relaxing and changed the way I thought about my anxieties. I was told to watch my anxieties as if through a tv screen and could turn them on and off as I pleased (obviously it was a bit more complex than that but it's quite hard to explain and I was being hypnotised at the time!) It's since then that I have tried to 'turn off' my anxieties and focus on other things around me rather than letting myself get stressed and paniced. Of course this worked sometimes and helped with the little things but I was still struggling with going out to big social events and it's not till very recently that I was able to do this without getting so worked up about going that it just wasn't worth going. I decided to develop a 'just say yes' type attitude. My first challenge with this new attitude was when I was invited on a night out by two people I worked with (something I would never had said yes to before) I said yes and remembering that my anxieties could be switched off like a TV went out and am so glad I did, the two people that asked me to go out are now two of my very best friends and I can't help thinking that it was because of me saying 'yes' and having this night out with them is the reason we became friends.

I have always believed in life that everything happens for a reason but if all you ever do is sit in your room feeling scared then nothing can really happen right? It's the things that you don't do you regret more than the things you do do and who wants to get to the end of their lives with a massive cloud of regrets? I don't. Anxiety is still very much part of my life however it no longer controls me the way it used to - I like to think that I control it, and although I still do have bad days with it were I just want to stay in bed all day and hide from the world I try not to let it stop me doing the things that I love doing.

Try saying yes to more things, even if they do scare you, nothing terrible will happen to you like the anxious voice in your head is telling you (unless your saying yes to something life-threatening in which case I suggest you listen to it haha) chances are you will enjoy yourself and be glad you went and if not then you can at least be proud of yourself for trying ! 

I would love to hear your stories about how you guys have overcome your anxieties and I really hoped this helped at least one of you!

                             ♥

Dealing with | Acne

Until you've actually suffered with acne you don't know how much it can drain your confidence! I've suffered with mild acne since I was about 14 and it gradually worsened till about 16-17 until I was put on antibiotics by the doctors which included a daily tablet and face lotion. I hated using it, it stunk of chemicals and really dried out my skin so I eventually made the decision to come off antibiotics and deal with it myself (causing my skin to get worse but now better*sighs with relief*) there are many things I tried after researching for hours and here are some tips that I've tried myself that help....

Hygiene is so important to your skin (I'm not saying any off you are dirty) I'm talking about the build up of bacteria and oil which are the two main causes of breakouts. Anything that comes into contact regularly with your face should be washed as often as possible! For example your pillow, phone screen (especially touch screen phones!), glasses, makeup brushes, even your own hands and hair! I wash my phone screen and glasses with an antibacterial wipe as often as I remember. Makeup brushes are the worst for building up oil and bacteria, I wash mine once a week with soap and water and leave to dry over night (you won't believe the dirt that comes off them the first time you wash them!) 

Diet is something that everyone blabs on about being the most important factor that cause breakouts and of course it's important to drink plenty of water and eat as much fresh fruit etc. as possible but it's not as important as the build up off bacteria on your skin. I struggle to stick to healthy diet and love me some chocolate, mcdonalds etc etc and eaten excessively does cause my skin to break out however eaten in moderation is fine. I like to try and drink a smoothie every day as I find this helps me get the vitamins I need. 

Skin routine is something that has taken me years to perfect. I've used every product you can imagine that claims to give clear skin. Unfortunately it's about being patient and finding products that work for you. Try avoiding products with alcohol and other harsh chemicals as these irritate your skin maybe clearing up your acne but worsening the condition of your skin. Using a cleanser with a gentle exfoliant works best as it gets rid of dead skin clearing blocked pores as well as removing makeup and oil. I am currently using proactiv (inspired by the gorgeous Kaley Cuoco) a product a little pricey but when it was reduced to £19.99 in the January sales I couldn't resist! It consists of a three step routine..cleanser, toner, repairing day/night lotion I've been using it for about two weeks and it's going really well..skin feels a lot softer and looks clearer, still getting a few spots but they only last for a day. It contains salicylic acid - which is very good for acne however can dry up the skin so be careful using it! If proactiv is not for you hunt around for other products on the high street that are similar but cheaper Simple have some nice cleansers that don't aggravate your skin. Another tip when using cleansers is to really massage them in (not roughly, especially if they have exfoliant beads) for at least 1-2 minutes and throughly remove with warm water, I truly believe that properly cleansing the skin really makes a difference. 

Makeup is a necessity for us with acne however creates a vicious circle as it can also make it worse. Try wearing make up only when your going out and stay bare faced around the house. BB creams are a good alternative to foundations as they are lighter and help your skin rather then clog it, however coverage usually isn't good so these are good to use once your skin has begun to clear up to help maintain it's clearness, I really like Maybelline's BB cream. As for foundations try to use one that isn't thick and pore clogging Seventeen (available at boots) do a really lovely foundation called On the Spot foundation that contains salicylic acid and claims to give you 'clearer skin in 4 weeks'. I can't say that it has cleared up my skin but the acne fighting agents that it contains means it hasn't caused me to break out and the coverage is really good too - it's a great foundation! However the most important thing with make up is too remove it all at the end off the day and NEVER sleep in it. 

Stressing about your acne really isn't worth it, although I know this is easier said than done because I used to get really upset and embarrassed by mine until one day I realised that when I was talking to someone I would never notice the spots or imperfections on their face but rather what they were saying. This isn't really a tip just something to give you peace of mind - remember that you are your worst critic and always pick out the worst in yourself, others tend not too and don't not notice acne as long as your confident and smiling all they will see is you! 

If you've made it to the end of this very long post then thank you for reading and I really hope some of these tips are useful to you however do remember these are tips based on my own experience and what works for me may not work for you but you can just adjust them and apply them to meet your own needs! Good luck! 

lots of love 

Daisy 

  x

Dealing with | Intro

I'm going to start doing a 'Dealing with' series in which I'm going to try and give as much helpful advice as I can on situations that make life difficult. I'm not in any way "qualified" to do this but having experienced a lot of the things I'm going to talk about myself feel like I can give some helpful tips and advice on how to cope. The reason I created this blog was too try and find a way to help people and if I help at least one person with this series on blogs then I will be happy :)

lots of love

daisy 

 x