natjtan As tomorrow’s officially a start to a New Year, 2019 I thought it’d fun to share beauty tips, tricks and don’ts I discovered this year. Some I’ve known for years and got given a lesson in this year. Others have have been happy discoveries cancelling out the those lessons.
To listen to my inner voice reordering products aka when stock piling. Don’t stock pile products! So many times I’ve gone to reorder and a little voice has gone NO! Me being me I ignore it only for when I receive it add to the stockpile because you know, I might run out before another arrives or it’s out of stock and I run out. Usually a few weeks or a month later I find another product I want to try or a better one. I can’t as I have about 1 or 2 other products to get through. Sometimes I end up buying it, holding out as long as possible before using it, ending up with a spare of the other product I know I’m not going to use. Listen to that voice!
Brewers yeast tablets are the bomb if you want strong healthy hair and nails. I started taking either 1 big tablet or 3 little ones a day depending on the brand back in mid 2017. It took a few months to see the results. My hair grows quicker and a whole lot stronger albeit a slow pace compared to others. I’ve never had such long, strong and healthier hair. And my nails! They too have never been so strong, healthy or grow so quickly (faster than my hair!) which is great for climbing, so I’m not down to the wick with no nails every week. My nails now recover pretty fast. Bonus plus brewers yeast tablets are cheap.
Silicone, dimethicone it’s aliases and variants and I don’t get on. A little in BB cream, cushion compacts and foundation I’m okay with. Multiple types of silicone and dimethicone in one product, my pores gets clogged pretty bad. I usually stay away from too many silicones however this year my skin’s been really greasy and shiny enough for to me to try primers. The area around my nose suffered the worse with a feeling of being covered in plastic, clogged pores and feeling dried out. I hadn’t had so bad blackheads in a long time. And I was still oily and shiny with it! Ditching the primer and going back to just a cushion compact and a bit of translucent powder my skin’s happier. The bit I don’t get however is bb cream and cushion compacts look better without the primer.
With that lesson, I for sure this year learned to work with my oily skin. Not fight it, work it with it. Primers as I found out aren’t really for me. Maybe it’s my age or rather my skin’s age I don’t want to be completely matte. The matte primer glow effect isn’t for me. I like having a little shine or oil. I did miss it when I was primer-ed up. A little natural glow helps keeps you looking a little youthful even if the wrinkles are beginning to whisper my age.
Embrace the shine in the summer. This is when I really learnt not to go against it and work with it. Keeping in under control and hydrated with refresher sprays and lots of water helped keep the shine within reason.
Not to go shopping in store last minute on Black Friday. I ignored that voice again going Nat, NO! This also ties up to that voice of don’t just buy something for the sake of buying it. Going back to the shine issue, I’ve been trying different bb creams, light foundations ignoring ingredients I do my best to avoid. Result money on products I’m not happy on and not sure if I’ll use all up.
I like facial oils. Yes, they could be adding to shine situation however my skins seems to love natural oils and oil blends. The only bummer is ordering online sometimes not all the ingredients are listed and upon receiving I find a petroleum or 3rd, 4th generation petroleum derived or contain a palm oil derivative. I prefer very little to rather no petroleum ingredients. Likewise I prefer to see orangutans happy in the wild and less deforestation for palm oil plantations.
Frank Body Everyday Face Moisturiser, my current go to day moisturiser 
Aussie brands are hitting Europe and the UK and are beginning to share my attention along with my beloved Korean brands. Aussie brands focus more on all natural ingredients, are cruelty free with a lot being vegan. I like quite a few Frank Body products, Sand and Sky recently launched travel sized in Sephora Spain (their pink clay mask. One big pink heart emoji) and like Frank Body selling the complete line on their own websites with free EU shipping. I discovered Nude By Nature in the UK, a mineral makeup line and a site that ships to Spain. Perhaps the biggest Aussie skincare news is that Kora Organics launched in Spain in Douglas. Erm, I stocked up! So far I’m loving the eye oil.
Regular body scrubs keep your skin happy! The Organic Shop sugar scrubs and Frank Body coffee scrubs 1-2 times week help from feeling caked in sunscreen even with twice daily showers in the summer and from weird skin tags, dry skin (need lotion however!) and keratosis pilaris from building up in the winter. Plus they help shed dead skin cells leaving your skin silky soft afterwards. Body lotion though is must afterwards as it is everyday after showering. Nobody likes dry ashy skin.
Organic Shop body sugar scrub
Top knots! I feel like I’ve been late to the top knot party. Up until this year I wore buns running and working out in the summer with ponytails in the winter. This year I think as my hair’s longer, I’ve been embracing top knots wondering why I resisted. They’re now my all year round workout, running, climbing, training hair style. I like hair off my face working out. As soon as I get back in the evenings my hair’s up in one. They’re great on days I haven’t been able to wash my hair. Which is rarely as having fine hair I have to wash it everyday as it gets greasy so easily. They’re great at the beach and perhaps the best thing is they give you the illusion of better posture and a little face lift depending on if they’re messy or neat. I’m more neat as fine hair usually looks like nugget on top of my head!
Don’t tie top knots too tight. Sometimes after taking my hair down the roots hurt as I’ve tied it too tight in parts without realising. Tying it too tight can lead to hair alopecia in places. Nobody wants that.
Don’t pick your face. I knew this years ago, however old habits die hard. As do scars. I’m should be starting derma rolling next month at my Dermatologist to help fade the years of abuse I’ve given my skin. It’s not worth picking spots. Spend your time finding out the cause, how to treat them inside and out with fruits and vegetable to help stabilise hormones and what products help keep skin clean and healthy rather than picking them. Which leads me onto…
Make a route of removing makeup at the end of the day. This year I’ve been guilty of not always removing makeup, waking up at 4am with agitated eyelashes from mascara. Or that’s how they feel. My excuse I’m flat out too tired to get up to wash it off, even with the nagging voice telling me only to fall asleep on the sofa. Not removing makeup leads to spots, wrinkles, problematic skin. I’m getting better. Making a routine of a daily mask or products you’re looking forward to trying helps. Make it an enjoyable routine not a task. I always have a burst of energy removing makeup. My skin can breath! Similarly at home, makeup is the last thing I do before leaving. I like to let my skin breath for as long as possible.
Not to sleep on my front or side. This too I’ve know for years. You can always tell which side people sleep on as one side of their face or around the eye area has more wrinkles, a little more droopy and squished. This year I haven’t been sleeping so good and been sleeping more on my right side. That eye’s when I wake up sometimes is so puffed up I have no eye lid as the sinuses can’t drain. It can take all day to drain! So sleep like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White clasping their hands on their chests face up aka like corpse pose. No smushy pillow creases, wrinkles or droopy eyelids. Call me vain, but you’re welcome.
What beauty do’s and don’ts have you learnt this year? A friend started using apple cider vinegar as a makeup remover and toner this year and her skin’s looking fantastic for it. I’m curious, but I have that stock pile to work my way through first. Anyways, wishing you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I started taking brewer’s yeast a couple of months ago and I don’t know if I’m imagining it but my lashes seem fuller!! Also I didn’t notice yet the heavy hair loss that is supposed to happen 3 months postpartum. Yay! Plus I like the brewer’s yeast taste and it reminds me of my abuela.
Can you sleep like the sleeping beauty?? It’s so hard to fall asleep like that! BTW the apple one was Snow White, Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger with the weaving thing 😛
It’s great taking brewer’s yeast tablets remind you of your Grandma. It’s the little things sometimes that make us smile the most. I forgot to add my eyelashes got fuller and longer. So did my hair. I swear it’s a little thicker.
Thank for the fairytale lesson! I knew it wasn’t right even after checking out images of Sleeping Beauty. I’ll correct it straight away. Thank you!
I try to sleep like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. This year I haven’t been so good. My brain nags me when I sleep on my side or face Ha ha. I don’t think it took me long to fall asleep face up. Maybe a week. I’m so vain!