Skin Update + A New Routine
One Month After Initial Breakout
As I am working on loving the skin I am in, I realized that all my insecurities stemmed from the lack of comfort within my body and not necessarily my actual skin. Beyond the occasional eczema flare up and the single mass swelling around my time of the month, I have been extremely fortunate in the skin department.
That is until one of my more recent travels.
I broke out and I broke out bad, worse than I have in years. The culprit? Between the stress of getting all my work done before boarding the plane to the change in environment and all the delicious sweets in between, I was not sure if there was one single suspect or if it was a group effort. All I knew was that I was left with an extremely textured forehead that was aggravated and painful. But I handled it with as much grace as possible.
FIrst Day of Breakout
Ok, that is a lie...I freaked out! I was limited to the facial cleanser and moisturizer that I was traveling with. And on top of that I was practically being spoon fed an abundance of foods that I wouldn’t normally binge on. Believe me I ate good on this trip, just not good for me. And I didn’t want to be in very many photos and I even pitched a fit on a couple of occasions, which is incredibly rare of me to do. I tried to cover up the redness with the CC Cream and Concealer that I always travel with but even that didn’t take away from the mountain range growing on my forehead.
What kept me from having a full blown meltdown (yes, I know just how dramatic I sound), was the fact that I was surrounded by people that barely knew me and that my skin would get better once I was back in the Rainbow State. Only it didn’t…
For a few weeks after arriving back to my island home, I still was not able to help my skin. In fact there were some days when it was actually worse than while I was traveling. It took some changes but a month and a half later, I am feeling much more comfortable within my skin and I feel like I finally got my glow back.
So what did I do?
I cleaned up my diet with the guidelines of the 30 Days to Healthy Living and Beyond Program, which ultimately helped me eliminate ingredients that are now known triggers for my body. I also switched up my skincare routine to be both gentle and proactive, which combined with clean eating helped me bring my skin back to its healthy glow.
New Nighttime Skincare Routine
Since your skin works to repair itself overnight, I focused on mapping out a more intensive nighttime routine that removed any impurities from the day and helped support the natural repair cycle. Hydration was a key factor when I planned out this new routine, so I was careful to select products that were going to help my skin hit refresh. I used the following products in the order they are listed and I thoroughly believe that it in addition to bettering my current eating habits, this routine helped me break through my breakout.
New Morning Routine
While my nighttime routine was focused on supporting repairing and replenishing, I wanted to integrate some protection combined with more hydration into my daytime routine. Between pollution and my awful habit of over touching my face, I am sure that my skin picks up a lot of gunk throughout the day. I was intentional in keeping this routine to a smaller amount of products because I didn’t want to overwhelm my already stressed skin, so I used the following products in the order they are listed.
This whole experience was obviously nothing compared to those who struggle with acne and other skin issues for more than just a few weeks but it really helped me sympathize with the insecurities that come along with troubled skin. I had a small glimpse at how frustrating and painful drastic breakouts can be along with the impact it has on your everyday life. I took longer to get out the door as I attempted to minimize the damage and I didn’t feel like going out with my loved ones. Paired with trying to embrace the darkness, I simply did not feel confident and I feel more determined than ever to help those who struggle with their skin.
If you feel like you have been battling your skin lately, let’s chat! While I may not be an expert, I have a good understanding of how what goes on inside can affect outside and I would love to brainstorm feasible options for you to trial. Everyone is different but that frustration remains the same, and what I have learned from this experience along with my health journey is that it doesn’t hurt to try (especially with a 45 day money back guarantee).
What have you been struggling with lately?
Until next time, tah.
Xx SOS
One Month After Initial Breakout
Shelby is an Independent Lifestyle Consultant with Arbonne International and does receive a commission off any purchases that are made through her link. All recommendations are genuine and represent Shelby's current routine.