My Skin Journey

As long as I can remember, throughout my teenage years, I have suffered from bad skin problems.  I'm not saying my face was completely covered in acne, but it was certainly something that I thought was a big problem as it frustrated me and knocked my confidence.  I tried a few products and it felt like I had tried everything and nothing was working, but it wasn't until I got to the end of those teenage years and into my 20's that I really started looking into skincare.  I realised that there are much more products out there than I had previously thought, some more expensive than others, some stronger than others, and it can be quite overwhelming when you're not quite sure what to try.  Now at the age of 22 I feel like I have worked out how to look after my skin as it has cleared up tremendously and I have much more confidence now I don't have any problems.

What I am going to write about here works for me.  I know not everyone's skin type is the same, and what might work for me, might not work for someone else.  But I guess it's all about trial and error, trying different products and methods and seeing how well they work for you and if you are satisfied or not.  My skin type is quite oily but if I don't moisturise then I get dry skin on my nose and cheeks.  So I suppose you could say I have combination skin.  I used to get spots on my forehead, nose and chin.  These days if I get any it's usually on my chin and sometimes on my cheeks, but like I said, I rarely get any now.

Diet
I feel that diet plays a big part in how my skin looks.  I have experimented a lot and have finally worked out what foods I should avoid.  I make sure I eat plenty of salads, vegetables and fruit, and not just for my skin, for my health too but I think these help my skin as well.  Some of the foods I avoid include chocolate, cheese and McDonalds as well as other greasy and fast foods.  If I eat one of these 'bad foods' I am guaranteed to get a spot or few some days later.  I don't never, ever eat these foods as I like to treat myself once in a while, but very rarely.
Another factor of having good skin is the liquids you put into your body.  I drink about 5 glasses of water a day and although I know I should drink more, I used to drink much less and I think this extra fluid intake has paid off.  I also consume at least two cups of green tea each day.  There are many articles out there about whether green tea helps to reduce acne and spot problems or not, but personally I think it does.  I don't just drink it.  I put it directly onto my skin as well.  Once I have made the tea I put the tea bag to the side and place a piece of cotton wool on top, once the tea has soaked through and has cooled down a bit I wipe this all over my face.  It feels refreshing and feels like it does cleanse the face.  You could also miss out the cotton wool part and put the tea bag directly onto the skin once it has cooled down.

Make-Up and Removal
I have tried many different foundations from cheap to expensive and at last, back in January, I discovered my  favourite foundation so far.  It's from a brand called Lily Lolo.  Unlike all other previous foundations I have experimented with, this one does not cause me to break out and is not heavy.  I have very fair skin and Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation makes light shades to suit my skin colour which is perfect.
Make-up removal is also very important.  If you remove your make-up using just a face wipe, you may think you have removed all of your make-up.  But in fact, you have not.  I use three different products to remove my make-up.  First I use a make-up wipe, either Johnson's Face Care Fragrance Free Facial Cleansing Wipes or Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes.  I then use Dove Extra Sensitive Beauty Cream Bar to wash my face.  Once it is patted dry I use Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean which is a cleanser.  After this last step, I then feel my make-up has been completely removed.

Morning Facial Care

Before I apply my make-up each morning I have a routine to clean, cleanse and moisturise my face.  First I use the Dove Extra Sensitive Beauty Cream Bar to wash my face.  Once it is dry I then use T-Zone Shine Control Cleansing Wipes followed by Johnson's Baby Lotion to moisturise my skin.

I am still on the lookout for other products that suit my skin and do not cause me to break out because although I am loving my nice clear skin, it's not perfect.  But I will research the product a lot before buying, just because I don't want to undo the progress I have made with my skin so far.

Would anyone like me to do a review of any of the above products?  Does anyone else have any skincare secrets or tips they would like to share?