Update :)

Hey guys! 
Sorry it has been so long, but here is an updated routine:

Morning: 

Cleanse- Aloe Cleansing Gel from Naturopathica 
Then apply Lavender Honey Balancing Mist also from Naturopathica 


Night:

Cleanse- Aloe Cleansing Gel OR Oat Facial Scrub (1-2x a week always with a couple days between uses, also use the oat scrub in the shower! very important that your skin is warm and hydrated)
Apply a mixture of Naturopathica's Cassis Ultra Replenishing Cream and the Botanical Brightening Serum


Treatments:
White Tea Antioxidant Mask (for dry skin, use as a mask for 20 minutes)
Moss Blemish Cream (this is a mask but I use it more as a spot treatment when I need it)

So that's the treatment from a skincare line, now I do still use some creams from my doctor. One happens to be a light glycolic peel which is great. It's about 10-15% and it works great to shed all that dead skin. I currently use it twice a week Tuesday and Friday. This is a great way to make your skin more even both in texture and color. 

Now food, I try to stay away from wheat and dairy and will be going on a cleanse as well soon (for two weeks) I will update how that goes and make sure to let me know if there is anything else that you want me to talk about! 

Until next time!

xx
Abbey 

Update and Good News

Hello Readers! 

Seems like it has been forever since I posted, I've been very busy with school but I've finally declared my major! (International Studies and Italian Studies Double Major with an Environmental Studies Minor) Anyways I have some VERY good news! My skin is the absolute best it has been in years, I can't remember a time when it was this clear and even toned (and not red).

This can be attributed to a couple of things:
1. My amazing hormone specialist doctor who has been working closely with me for the past three months, she even went so far as to give me her home number!
2. Dietary changes 
3. Vitamins
4. Makeup changes 

So firstly I always knew that my problems were hormonal and could be cured from the inside out, it was never that I had "dirty" skin. My doctor listened to my complaints, looked at my skin, and prescribed a regime of topical and oral hormones to balance my body. WOW has it worked, I have seen amazing changes in my skin and health. 

Second, I have cut out wheat and dairy for the most part. This is crucial for me because I have always had a sensitivity to both. It has greatly brought down inflammation and redness. 

Third, vitamins. I take a protein shake in the morning as well as Neem, Tumeric (for inflammation), Probiotics, Vitamin D, Vitamin B, and Potassium. 

Lastly, makeup. I have very very SENSITIVE skin so most makeups really break me out. I have found one that I love that has no gluten, GMO, titanium dioxide, mica, talc, bismuth oxychloride, etc. You name it. The brand is a small one based out of Missouri called EpicMineralBeauty. I HIGHLY recommend them and had the chance to talk to one of the gals who runs it. So sweet and helpful! Their brand is honestly amazing and I can't thank them enough for what they are doing. I use both the powder foundation and powder blush. 

As for scarring, the doctor I am working with has me doing a round of glycolic peels with TCA. I have done 2/3 now and the results are pretty unbelievable, it even gets rid of the pitted scars. Definitely recommend! 

So I can safely say, my six year journey is coming to a close. No more cysts at all, tiny breakouts if I get them at all. Can't wait for the end results. As for my blog I will keep posting about products I like and past experiences. 

xx
Abbey 

Food Allergies and Skin

So this is the "inside" of my blog title, which is sometimes the most important to get the outside looking the way you want. 

So I used to be allergic to wheat/gluten, dairy/casine, soy, peanut butter, it was miserable as you can imagine. The most often question I would get was "so... what DO you eat??" The worst was seeing other kids eat all of the things I wasn't allowed to have, because as a kid you really can't comprehend that you're not allowed to have something that everyone else gets. So yes it did suck, but my parents (mostly my mother that cooked) tried to have alternatives for me. However as I got older and we went out to eat (especially at italian restaurants) I kept hearing the phrase "just eat a salad." Now don't get me wrong I love salad, but it definitely made me angry that they would suggest that I just have a plain salad while everyone around me had decadent pizzas and pastas and various desserts. 
Anyways, getting to the point. Food allergies have a lot to do with our skin and affect our skin in a major way. If you are allergic to wheat (for example) and you eat it, it can cause inflammation which shows up in our skin, and anything you can't process will be let out through the skin (which is where most of our toxins that our body can't process end up being excreted{in the form of acne}).
Now getting to the real main point, four years ago- after doctors had told me I would NEVER outgrow my allergies- my tests came back clean. I was beyond excited, I didn't really indulge in dairy because I never had it and it just didn't look or smell appetizing. But wheat... being italian I went crazy, I indulged every once in a while in pasta and pizza and such, it was delicious. Now four years later my doctor told me it may be causing inflammation in my skin and back (wheat/gluten and dairy/casine), after being a couple weeks clean I have no back pain (which is great) and I think my skin is a bit better, I will have to see after 60 days how it looks. It definitely sucks but I'm working on getting alternatives to have at college and I am working with dining services to have more options (because it is somewhat impossible to eat in the caf with my food allergies).
If you haven't been allergy tested and have acne I would really recommend it, food plays a big role in our skin and body in general. Also if you suspect digestion issues (not just food allergies) then I would recommend digestive enzymes. I know people who swear by them. 

Until next time! 

xx
Abbey

Upcoming:
Makeup
Top Tips
Hormones and their role + my treatment

My Acne Story- A Six Year Journey

So over the years my skincare routine has changed so much, I've tried home remedies, natural products, and even medicated/prescription products. I've literally tried them all, or at least it feels that way.

Let me share with you what DOESN'T work
(For me anyways)

So for me nothing the derm ever prescribed or tried worked
this includes:
proactive
clean and clear
neutrogena
benzoyl peroxide
clindamycin
epiduo
tazorac (tazrotene)
spironolatine
tetracyline
doxycycline 
cortison injections
beta peel

As you can see it's a pretty comprehensive list, the only thing missing is accutane (isotrentinoin)which I was not about to use after my terrible experience with the other oral medications.

It was at this point I took skincare into my own hands 

products I tried that didn't work:
tea tree oil (too drying)
regular bar soap (too drying and not effective on acne)
tata harper (too abrasive)
tatcha (too abrasive and not effective)
first aid beauty cleanser (not effective) 
murad products (not effective)
Asian brand cleansers (I can't even remember the names but not effective)
Vampire facial
Chinese medicine
various vitamins and supplements
dermologica 
skinceuticals 
obagi (nightmare!!!)
kiehls
ole henrickson
origins


and then I tried the caveman routine, literally didn't do anything to my face except wash with water and put aloe on, even THAT didn't work! 


So you can imagine I was pretty fed up

I then tried birth control, which made the situation much worse. 


Now, what has worked?
Well nothing has quite worked completely (YET) but it has gotten so much better with my current routine. 

First I saw a hormone specialist, because I new hormones were probably at least part of the problem (and I was right)
From that doctor I am taking some hormones that will specifically address my personal deficiencies and abundances of certain hormones. 
Second, I consulted an esthetician that I trusted. The woman in question has had very bad eczema for much of her life. And in addition to recommending products she also recommended digestive enzymes, because food has SO MUCH to do with our inner and outer health and it really does affect the skin.
And third, I stopped using my makeup, and my skin improved SO MUCH. I have found out that I am allergic to a lot of ingredients found in most makeups (mica, bismuth oxychloride, talc, titanium dioxide, and parabens)

So my current routine is this, they are all Naturopathica products (by far my favorite and most trusted brand)except for the creams from my doctor.

Morning-

Cleanse:
Aloe Cleanser
Apply:
Cream from doctor
Calendula Moisturizer
Lavender honey balancing mist (optional)


Night-
Cleanse: 
Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream 
Apply:
Cream from doctor 
Cassis Moisturizer 
Botanical Skin Brightener
Moss Blemish Treatment (overnight)

I also take a couple of supplements: Iron, Vitamin D, B12, and something called Hormone Protect. 

I have ordered a makeup from Epic Beauty Minerals that contain none of the things I'm allergic to, I will update on how it goes! 

Why has it worked? My skin needed natural but effective products that would calm my irritated and sensitive skin. I mean if I was my skin I'd be pretty irritated at me for throwing all of those products at it that were completely wrong. Anyways. 

Until Next Time!!

xx
Abbey 

Up Next:
Makeup Talk
Do's and don't of sensitive acne-prone skin

Review: Naturopathica Botanical Skin Brightener and Naturopathica White Tea Antioxidant Mask

So as promised I'm doing a review of the Naturopathica Botanical Skin Brightener. I really do love this stuff and think it works great! 

It is supposed to even out skin tone (if you have dark spots/scarring/etc.) and so far it has been great. It doesn't promise to lift out pitted scars and does not work as such but I think it is great to get rid of surface imperfections. In the beginning I used it just at night to make sure my skin would be ok with it and now I use it morning and night. I will definitely continue using it. 

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Now the Naturopathica White Tea antioxident Mask, I also am liking this! I have found that my skin tends to be dry, especially in the winter months at college. The mask is supposed to be used twice a week but I have found that it is best for me to use it ever other night because my skin needs the hydration (and it will depend on how dry you are and trial and error how often you need to use it). I leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off and my skin immediately feels more hydrated and softer. I think it really helps lock in the moisture for the next day, definitely recommended! Also this does not replace a daily moisturizer (which is very important).

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More reviews to come!

xx
Abbey 

Update

So for the past couple months I've been pretty fed up with my skin, I just want to be completely clear! And hey doesn't everyone? I know it can be frustrating when you have literally tried EVERYTHING and nothing has worked (trust me I know..)

But I've gone back to Naturopathica (mainly because it is the most natural brand I can find and I don't think I really gave it enough time before)
Also I believe I wasn't using the right products the first time. 
I really need to work on MOISTURIZING and if you have oily/combo/prone to breakout skin this is super important! (Also it is important to use natural products and not a ton of products either) I know that moisturizing seems so silly since your skin is already so oily, but if you use products that dry it out and don't hydrate it then your skin will only produce more oil in response (which means more breakouts). Also I have figured out that my skin is very sensitive, and I think it might be better for everyone if they treated their skin as very sensitive (even if it isn't) because harsh abrasive or drying treatments/products aren't good for anyone. 

So my current routine is as follows:

Morning:
Wash with Aloe Cleansing Gel 
Apply puremedy's acnefree (trying this out and so far like it, will give detailed review in a couple of weeks)
Apply Naturopathica Botanical Skin Brightener (trying this out, will give detailed review in a couple of weeks)
Apply Tarte Amazonian Clay powder [Makeup] (trying this out as well, will give detailed review in a couple of weeks)

Night:
Wash/take off makeup with Aloe cleansing Gel and warm washcloth
Every two days apply Naturopathica White Tea Antioxidant Mask (very hydrating, will give review in a couple of weeks)
Apply acnefree
Apply Tarte Maracuja oil (ONLY for night, very moisturizing, good for winter) 
Spot treat with fav charcoal mask (still the holy grail!)

Some of these products/treatments are old but I will review the news ones after I have used them for a little while. Also I recently talked to a professional facialist who uses the Naturopathica products, she looked at my skin and gave me some recommendations and told me a few things that I was actually doing wrong (because I was ill advised). So we'll see if she was right and if this finally clears me up!

Also, winter break is coming woo! I think I might try no makeup for a month-ish and see where that gets me. My skin (though not perfect) is pretty glow-y from the maracuja oil and natural products. I might try the oil cleansing method eventually. 

As always more posts to come, comment any questions you have I will do my best to respond appropriately! 

xx

Abbey 


Coming soon...
Reviews of:
Tarte Maracuja Oil (did not like, returned)
Puremedy acnefree (did not like)
Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder (allergic, returned)

Comments/advice on:
If your skin is already good...
How to switch from harsh chemicals to all natural 

It's fine, I have a skincare blog...

So to start this out, I live in a dorm. This means I share a floor with tons of other college students, boys and girls (yay..) Now the rest of this post will make sense.

So, I hate having to answer the door after I shower.
Why? 
Because normally after I shower I'll do my skin routine before bed and continue to work before I go to sleep.
Why is this a problem?
Well... my skin routine includes a charcoal mask, and well, charcoal is black. This contrasts highly with my skin tone and basically makes me look like an idiot.
Then people knock on my door, sometimes it's friends (which is fine because they know I look like this and love me anyways) {kinda}. Sometimes it's just acquaintances and then the response is holy s***! what the hell is on your face?! which is ALWAYS fun... and sometimes it's random people looking for my roommate, and then they just have this look of shock on their face and I'm just like.. yeah, my roommate isn't here *shut door* and think well there goes my self esteem (not actually)

So to sum this up, I have a skin care blog, my face looks weird after I do my routine, I will continue to use "I have a skin care blog" as an excuse to look like this (and to justify it) 

xx 
Abbey 

PS: I have been trying some new products and my next post will be reviews!