BEAUTY || Skin Saviours.

Back in March of this year, I was finally out of my terrible teens. At the time, I was happy, sad, and a little sentimental (as always ha - click here for details). But most of all, I was thrilled to be rid of my teenage temperamental, spot-prone skin. Gone were the days of redness and spots that took up my entire face - I could feel a change in my skin as my T-Zone became less oily and I was more prone to dryness.
But karma's a bitch, right? As soon as I got used to my skin's state of affairs, things swung the other way again. I'm not quite sure why it happened - I don't think my final week of uni and constant partying helped - but the spots were back in full force. Only this time, they weren't huge blemishes that needed half a pot of concealer to cover up. Instead, they were small but mighty in force. All together, they knocked my confidence - big time.  That's when I realised I needed to clean up my skincare routine. When I started breaking out, I was using a little of everything which is probably why the spots weren't responding to the products I was attacking them with. So I decided to push them all to one side and go back to basics.

Cetaphil is my go-to brand when it comes to tackling my eczema so it was the first to pop into my head when I decided to give my skincare an overhaul. There's not all that much I can say about the 'Gentle Skin Cleaner' really. It's a product designed for sensitive skin, which is ideal when you don't want to irritate your already angry T-Zone. The formula is quite watery and clear which can make it quite difficult to massage onto your face. But once you've washed it off, your skin instantly feels softer and clean without that cheap 'tacky' feeling. If you're looking for instant results, then this isn't the product for you. But really, do those 'instant' gratifications ever actually last in the long term?
After cleansing, I've also been using the Australian Body Care 'Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick'* on my problem areas. The sweet smell of Tea Tree Oil always transports me back to my early teens when I bought my first own brand Boots spot stick - it's safe to say that the Australian Body Care alternative is a lot more effective! Because I had a few little spots around my chin and nose, the smell was quite overpowering at first - but that's probably just circumstantial ha. I simply roll the product onto my areas of redness and spots, sit back and let it soak into the skin. I'd say the rollerball applicator enhances the product's healing qualities because you can apply the ideal amount straight away and aren't left waiting for a blob of spot cream to absorb into the skin. As my skin had been particularly angry at me for whatever reason (whoops) I've loved using this product because of it's cool, calming effects while the tea tree oil also helps to fight bacteria and cause further irritation. Again, there are no immediate results but with continued use, combined with a good cleanser, this product is a definite winner and one I'll keep in rotation.
It's taken a couple weeks of using these skin saviours morning and evening, combined with some more mindful eating (I'm not convinced my sweet-tooth is the cause of all my skin woes but I'm happy to swap a magnum for an avocado every so often) - but they've made such a difference to my complexion. I currently have no redness and just a couple manageable/coverable little spots round my chin.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'm ever going to be one of those girls who has a healthy, glowing complexion 24/7 -you win some, you lose some - but as long as I keep treating my skin with these kinds of natural, non-fuss products, I think I'll be okay.