THE CLEAN BEAUTY BLOG

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HOW TO: Get Clear Skin

I am almost guaranteed to receive a question or email from a reader on a weekly basis asking how to clear up skin. It seems that everyone is battling with breakouts that continue to rear their heads beyond the teenage years and well into the twenties and thirties. 

I have compiled this ‘how to’ based on my own experience with my skin - after a relatively clear run in my teens I struggled with pimples and blackheads throughout my twenties. Nothing major - at most I probably had three or four pimples at once, mainly on my chin and forehead, but enough to get me down.

The tips below have transformed my skin, and I hardly ever break out anymore (and when I do, it’s usually because I haven’t been following my own advice!). I hope that they work for you too, and please feel free to share your own experience and tips. 

Cleanse less: Yep, you heard me. I used to stock up on every anti-acne, blemish busting, salicylic acid based product on the planet. And yet I still broke out. Since going clean, I have switched to kinder, gentler cleansers, and I haven’t looked back. Although it seems counterintuitive, conventional, chemical heavy cleansers that are supposedly made to target oily and breakout prone skin are incredibly stripping, which in turn encourages skin to produce more oil, which then leads to more breakouts - which then leads to using more stripping products to try to get rid of them! It’s a vicious cycle. Break this cycle by using a gentle, pure cleanser - cleansing oils and balms are brilliant - which will get skin back on track to regulate its own oil production. It might take a few weeks for your skin to get used to this, but it will happen. Your skin is a very clever organ.(As a side note, I actually found that once my skin got back in balance, I had dry, not oily skin as I had always previously thought!). 

In a similar vein, I now only cleanse once a day, at night, and simply splash my face with water in the morning (unless I use a particularly heavy treatment the night before). This is for the same reason: to get skin regulating its own production and not disrupting its balance. 

Eat your way to good skin: Whether we like it or not, diet plays a HUGE role in skin. Since cutting back dramatically on sugar, my skin is clearer, brighter, and softer (not to mention the other benefits - less mood swings, a clearer head, and less tummy fat!). I also try to avoid soy and dairy, as in my experience if I eat too much of either they will also lead to breakouts. If I binge on junk food I will immediately see the effects on my skin over the next week - and it’s not pretty. I also add lots of chia seeds and coconut oil to my diet (I love to throw them into a hot bowl of porridge), as these supply the skin with good fats to keep it plump, glowing and hydrated. 

Get into clay: Clay based masks are brilliant at giving congested skin a little jump start to purge impurities and heal existing blemishes. I use one once a fortnight to keep skin in top condition - it’s a great Sunday night ritual. 

Don’t scare your skin: In addition to my former life as a Lover of Oil-Stripping Cleansers, I must also confess to trying just about every ‘overnight pimple zapper’ under the sun. At the merest hint of a pimple I would drop a dollop of (usually salicylic acid based) potion on it. Yet my skin didn’t get better - in fact, I found that these treatments usually left skin dried out, frazzled and red. So I stopped. And just ignored pimples, and let them do their own thing, and heal themselves. And again, my skin’s ability to help itself amazed me. Sure, pimples took a little longer to go away, but they never erupted into a sore, inflamed spot, which meant they were far less noticeable (and much easier to cover with a little dab of concealer), and just gradually disappeared without a fight. I’ve also noticed that my skin scars far less with this approach.  

Product recommendations: I’ve tried to keep this post general rather than list specific products, as it’s more of a guideline on how to care for skin rather than a hardwired regime. But sometimes you just want a recommendation, straight up, so here are the products that I have used and liked:

So, if I could summarise my clear skin regime in one sentence, it would simply be:

Be kind to your skin and to yourself. 

You will be amazed at what this will do. 

HOW TO: Wing It

Winging It
I have a love/hate relationship with winged liner: love the look, hate the application. I used to end up looking more flustered than feline, but then I discovered angled eyeliner brushes used with a cake eyeliner. These will change your life (well, maybe not. But your liner at least). Another brilliant tip - use concealer to create shape and clean the line. With hints like these you’ll be fluttering your kitten flicks in no time… 

Do you have any winged liner application tips? 

Check out more winged liner inspiration and how-to videos here. 

HOW TO: Make Up With Blemishes

I’ve had a fairly shocking week with my skin - a total of SIX pimples reared their ugly little heads - two on my forehead, and four on my chin. I was feeling absolutely horrendous, especially as my skin has been quite well behaved over the past few months, so I was caught by surprise by this bout of skincare rudeness. The silver lining to this dark & ugly cloud is that I have had the ideal canvas to experiment with makeup & skincare to calm & cover blemishes Here are my tips: 

  • Clay masks are great if you have a day to hibernate at home, as they are great at drawing pimples out & speeding up the process, but when you have to face the world I prefer using gentle masks that work to calm redness and ‘smooth’ over pimples, which makes them easier to cover when heading out. I’ve been testing the Dr. Alkaitis Organic Universal Mask which has done a nice job of quietening my skin and seems to have prevented the blemishes from becoming too inflamed. 
  • Don’t apply a drying pimple formula during the day - makeup will cake over any blemishes and make them look even more obvious. Another Dr. Alkaitis product I am loving is the Organic Soothing Gel, which is a soothing and hydrating antibacterial treatment, perfect for daytime use. I find that it’s not quite hydrating enough to use without a moisturiser or sunscreen on top, but it’s worth adding to your routine to soothe and treat blemishes. 
  • Makeup wise, it’s well-worth checking out Lisa Eldridge’s excellent video tutorial on acne covering makeup. Whilst Lisa doesn’t use clean products, the philosophy & techniques behind the makeup application are incredibly useful. In particular, I think it’s a great tip to keep foundation really light where skin is clear to avoid looking like you’re wearing a mask. As my cheeks are clear and have a relatively good texture, this week I have focussed on applying really light foundation over cheeks, then buffing a coral cream blush into cheeks along with a little RMS Living Luminizer. This gives the appearance of really healthy skin and draws attention away from the spottier areas. Similarly, I have applied no makeup over lips and have concentrated on eye makeup; again, to draw attention away from the chin. I have to admit that I have been using some not-so-clean products this week (Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer & Natio Pure Mineral Redness Corrector - both of which contain parabens, among other things) out of pure desperation to cover all the spots, but I am on the hunt for clean alternatives to these! As I mention on the About page, I take a ‘mostly’ approach to clean - so I don’t feel too guilty when I very occasionally turn to these products.  
  • I wear my hair out when I have particularly bad skin - it’s my curtain from the world! Make sure you keep hair looking fresh & bouncy when wearing it this way: spots & greasy hair are not a good look together, but clean, shiny hair will draw attention away from blemishes and make you look generally healthier. 
  • And finally - whilst I felt like a giant walking pimple this week (now that’s a charming image for you), it’s important to remember that no-one pays as much attention to your skin as you do. So take a deep breath, a little concealer, and you’ll get through this! 
HOW TO: Weatherproof Your Look Recent rainy days have had me weatherproofing my look - so here’s my guide to staying polished even when it’s bucketing down. (These tips are equally handy if you are in hot & humid climates. Or around waterfalls).  Use lip & cheek stains for a long-lasting flush of colour that will instantly sink into skin, which avoids patchy or smudged colour if you get caught in a downpour. Try: Tarte Cosmetics Natural Cheek Stain in ‘True Love’ Pat luminizer on cheekbones & browbones to look fresher & brighter, even if you really want to hide under a pile of blankets and watch reruns of Bethenny Ever After. Or is that just me? Try: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer Use waterproof mascara. The reason for this should be pretty obvious. It’s because I cry when it rains. Try: Ere Perez Natural Waterproof Mascara Set your look with translucent powder to keep makeup in place. Try: Jurlique Lavender Silk Finishing Powder The most important step - don’t wear your hair out. It might look good when you leave the front door, but after a few minutes you will look like this. Instead, lightly comb some frizz-taming serum or gloss through hair, then scrape back into a low chignon with a deep side part. Try: Intelligent Nutrients Organic Finishing Gloss.  To freshen the look throughout the day, simply add a little more colour to lips & cheeks and lightly brush over hair to settle any frizziness. 

HOW TO: Weatherproof Your Look

Recent rainy days have had me weatherproofing my look - so here’s my guide to staying polished even when it’s bucketing down. (These tips are equally handy if you are in hot & humid climates. Or around waterfalls). 

  1. Use lip & cheek stains for a long-lasting flush of colour that will instantly sink into skin, which avoids patchy or smudged colour if you get caught in a downpour. Try: Tarte Cosmetics Natural Cheek Stain in ‘True Love’
  2. Pat luminizer on cheekbones & browbones to look fresher & brighter, even if you really want to hide under a pile of blankets and watch reruns of Bethenny Ever After. Or is that just me? Try: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
  3. Use waterproof mascara. The reason for this should be pretty obvious. It’s because I cry when it rains. Try: Ere Perez Natural Waterproof Mascara
  4. Set your look with translucent powder to keep makeup in place. Try: Jurlique Lavender Silk Finishing Powder
  5. The most important step - don’t wear your hair out. It might look good when you leave the front door, but after a few minutes you will look like this. Instead, lightly comb some frizz-taming serum or gloss through hair, then scrape back into a low chignon with a deep side part. Try: Intelligent Nutrients Organic Finishing Gloss. 
  6. To freshen the look throughout the day, simply add a little more colour to lips & cheeks and lightly brush over hair to settle any frizziness. 

HOW TO: Go Clean

I’ve learned a few things in my quest to clean up my (beauty) act - here’s some tips that I’ve picked up so far:

  • Resist the urge to chuck everything out. This may be hard, as once you commit to going clean you may want to completely overhaul your beauty cabinet, but to throw out so many products is just too wasteful for me to justify. 
  • Start by replacing the big-ticket items that you use everyday and/or use on most of your body, like body wash, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. I’ve found that these products are the easiest to find clean replacements for, as generally you’re not as attached to your conditioner as you are to your favourite foundation or lipstick. 
  • And speaking of your favourite lipstick, don’t beat yourself up if you just can’t give up your lipstick of choice just yet. Personally I think it is more sustainable in the long-term to focus on replacing everyday items with clean products - as this in itself makes a huge difference - and to allow yourself to wear your favourite shade of Chanel lipstick every now and then.
  • Become familiar with ingredients - check out Teens Turning Green’s ‘Dirty Thirty’ list of 30 chemical ingredients to avoid in products. Or, let others do the hard work for you! There are some great resources to help you to identify products and ingredients you should stay away from, like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database. And use blogs (shameless plug) and online stores dedicated to organic and natural products for clean beauty goodies that are already hand-picked out of the masses for you.
  • If anyone else has any tips, I would love to hear them! 

Image source: piccsy.com on Pinterest

Want to reduce cellulite, smooth skin, prevent ingrown hairs and detox the body - oh, and not use any products or exercise? Dry body brushing is the answer. Ruth Crilly from A Model Recommends has made a great video demonstrating the correct way to use a body brush. It’s an invigorating way to start the day as it really gets the blood flowing!