In an effort to be completely transparent and keep it #real, I figured I should talk about things that highlight my imperfections. As humans we all have a lot. The important thing to remember though is that we share the majority of those imperfections with everyone else. One of the biggest image struggles I have dealt with in my life is my skin. I have been struggling with acne that I can remember since the fifth grade. And I know it was then because I still can vividly recall a handful of instances where my peers, that were fortunate enough to not be dealing with the same things yet, pointing it out and mocked me for it. Which was like, so rude, but whatever we're all grownups now.
My skin took a real turn for the worse in high school during the second semester of my senior year, and then kept progressing through my first three semesters of college. The real kicker here is that my mum is an esthetician! Which means I had and have access to some amazing products, to free services, etc. My mum and I really experimented with everything. We tried the different cleansers she has on stock, homeopathic medications, skin lotions and medicated creams, acids, exfoliants, you name it. And I still could not seem to get ahead of my breakouts.
I had some times where my skin wasn't as "angry" and red, and the pimples I was getting weren't so bad, but I never looked in the mirror and saw clear skin. The texture was irregular and I had scaring from self conscious picking at my face. I don't remember liking myself or how I looked for a very very long time, and that still saddens me to this day. It was not for lack of support or lack of trying, I had overactive sebaceous glands and bacteria on my face that I couldn't seem to fight. (which everyone has, btw, so don't come for me). It just was not fun. Your skin is the literal first thing people see when they look at you if you really think about it, so I felt awful knowing that was all anyone could see of me. In my mind at least.
So how did I get it under control?
In January of 2019 I got my first bottle of Curology. I am not joking when I say their products changed my life. My skin hasn't looked like this since I was too young to be worried about it! Their formulated night-time lotion has been so amazing for me. This post is not even sponsored by them I am just #passionate. Even my mum swears by it now!
The next thing that dramatically helped my skin was MOISTURIZER! Hi, my name's Nicki and I went 19 years without that magical stuff and I can't even believe it. I had been so scared that if I added anything else to my face to make it even greasier I would have gargantuan break outs, but as it turned out my poor face was so dehydrated and perked up immediately. Like a cute little sunflower.
How did I keep my breakouts under control?
I still use curology, but my skin is not dependent on it. Other products would help my skin a little and then if I ever missed a night or thought I could ween myself off of it: boom. Full force. Guess who's back type of stuff. So while I still use their night time cream, I also use a gentler skin cleanser than I ever thought I'd be able to use! Image Skincare is a line my mum has always carried and it helped a bit but I think I was just attacking my face with the wrong materials. I was using harsher than necessary products, so my skin was toughening to the acids I was using instead of letting the cleansers penetrate to where the gunk was. All this to say - Image Skincare is the bomb diggity and if you'd like to try it out for yourself please visit http://beaupetitange.com and reach out to Wendy.
Consistency! Being consistent with your morning/evening rituals is key. You can't wash your face once and expect completely clear skin! (But if that does happen to you... don't talk to me). These routines can also be really therapeutic. How you wake up a lot usually sets the tone for your day, so why not start with a little self-pampering? If you look at washing your face or putting on your nightly serum as a chore you'll never really want to do it. But when you think of it as an at home spa treatment, maybe these things will happen more willingly!
Thank y'all so much for reading this post. As a reminder: this has just been a bit of my experience. Something that worked for me may not always work for you! Skin types, textures, age, and diet all play a role in what kind of skin care works best for you. I would absolutely recommend reaching out to Wendy at Beau Petit Ange to anyone. I may be biased, but she has so much love for her work and can literally look at a person's face and tell them what's making them break out, and then help them combat it.
Love y'all! Thank you again for taking the time to check out my blog, and don't forget to leave me a comment about what skin struggles you might have!