Hi all!
Firstly, this blog post is a little different from my usual health/fitness posts as I got requested by a few people to do a skin-care blog post. However, I actually realised that my skin has changed over my weight-loss and my clean eating.
I have eczema which most of you will know of, and it just causes my skin to be dry (it's always worse in the winter, with these strong winds!) and it used to be really, really bad and everything the doctor gave me made it maybe slightly better, but never enough to have results which were beneficial for my skin. When I started to eat clean, drinking water/green tea and exercising, my skin also improved. It did not get rid of my eczema, however, it made it drastically better! Most of my body now is eczema free except for a few places and sometimes dry areas, which I am so happy with! I know eczema will always come up, but it's how you treat it (with what you eat and what you use on your skin). I know a lot of people out there suffer with eczema, so I thought I would share some products that work really well with me alongside a healthy-eating/drinking lifestyle. Plus I want to share some products that I have gotten recently and some lovely lipsticks which I would recommend any woman! (My face is combination to dry... I can have sometimes dry areas, especially due to the weather, but right now? It's lovely and soft!)
Skin-Care Recommendations
These are a few of my products that I will be talking about I these are the links on where to purchase or view the products I discuss:
I use all Elemis, as just for a pesrsonal preference as it is the only skin-care brand to genuinely agree with my skin! I have used so many others like Clinique, Clarins, Liz Earle and so on.
Elemis Lime and Ginger Salt Glow
I love this product! It smells firstly amazing and the fact the scrub is combined with nourishing oils makes the product near perfect! If you do have really sensitive skin on your body (I don't.. my sensitive skin is usually on my hands or face/neck areas), I would not recommend this product as it maybe a bit too harsh! However if you have normal to dry skin, I believe this would be perfect. It leaves your skin so soft and the oil residue left on your skin after is lovely and conditioning for your skin. There is also just a Salt version of this product (but a little bit different), which I have not tried, but it is fairly new (end of 2013), and it is meant to be another good product. However, I do not think I will change from this product for a while! It helps my eczema that I have come up, as it gets rid of the dead skin cells and leaves my skin feeling a hundred times better. It is not too harsh for my skin luckily and I use it once a week or sometimes once every two weeks just to give my skin a little bit of a pamper!
I recommend this product for all skin types, but if you have really dry skin or bad eczema, I perhaps would lean towards another product.
Elemis Tranquil Touch Body Cream
I absolutely adore this body cream. I spent months (from summer time to December) looking for this product, but every time I went to order it or went into a spa, it has sold out! It so light and hydrating! It is amazing for eczema. Elemis is really good in the sense that their products are very natural and therefore are so kind to people who suffer with all types of skin problems. This body cream helps my dry areas and it smells incredible! I will have to reorder this before it runs out! The only problem I have with this product is that it does not come in a larger bottle! It only comes in 150ml, however it is very worth it and like all Elemis products, a little goes a long way! It will last you a good while.
Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream
This is my favourite shower cream (I have tried a few of Elemis)! It smells amazing, it makes your skin so soft, and I do not have a bad word to say about it. The texture of the product is light and again, goes a long way. After constant use of this product on my skin, it has made my skin constantly softer as the months go by. It really is a good investment especially if you have dry areas on your body, or you just want your skin to feel even softer then it is! This would suit all skin types.
Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream
As I have previously mentioned I have dry skin/eczema on my hands. This cream is literally a god-send for anyone who has skin conditions like mine! This cream hydrates, lasts, a little goes a long way and it makes your hands visibly better in a matter of seconds. Not only does it make your hands visibly better straight away, but it lasts! I have only got this at Christmas time, but it really is amazing and I will definitely re-invest in this product when I have ran out! If you have normal skin, I think there are probably other products which will suit you as well! But this product is a good all-rounder for all skin types.
Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm
This is my favourite product by Elemis. It is insane. It is so gorgeous. It lasts a long time, the consistency is lovely, it is light, it's hydrating, my skin looked visibly improved after only a couple of uses, it smells heavenly... The list goes on and on. For my skin in the winter, this is a god-send, especially from the wind and cold weather! I use this at night time (I have a day cleanser), and it's the perfect product to use! I leave it on for ten minutes and after my skin genuinely feels so much cleaner! It lasts such a long time too.. My last one lasted me literally 5-6 months! It would be a bit heavy for normal-combination skin for daily use, however if you suffer from eczema, dry patches, etc, this would suit you perfectly for night use! I was told by a spa-therapist not to use this in the day! Honestly, GO BUY THIS PRODUCT, YOU WILL NEVER, EVER REGRET IT.
Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream
I have sadly nearly ran out of this, but this is a really good
product by Elemis as I do suffer from dry patches and this product completely eliminates this! It does what it says on the packaging if I'm honest! It's a good conditioner, I believe it would work for all skin types as the cream is light and hydrating but not heavy whatsoever! Again, another Elemis product I can not fault even after months of using it and it is definitely a product I will have to repurchase in the future.
Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Toner
Toners close your pores when you are cleansing and so on (as you all probably know!) so I believe it is the most important part of the whole skin-care routine. This product is amazing. I have had it for six months and yes, that's how much is left! I use it daily, and it's magical, you do not need much and it covers your face (really, really really good value for money, like I believe all the products are due to how long they last and the quality you are receiving!).
I used toners in the past which actually made my dry patches even worse! It was such a shame! But this one doesn't, again, it does what it says on the packaging and it rehydrates my skin. I will also repurchase this product when it eventually runs out!! This is definitely one of my favourite Elemis products. I think it would suit all skin types, however, there are more Elemis products which can suit combination skin and so on maybe a bit better? But I am not a professional! This is all my opinion!
Again, I would recommend this product to anyone!
New Products
Due to my skin improving and not having new make-up for a while, I thought I would try MAC! I have had a few MAC products before, but not a full make-up set, so I thought I would try them. There are so many reviews of MAC out there, but if you want to know my opinion of the products after I've used them for a little while, just email me on fitnesswithluc@hotmail.com as I do suffer with dry patches sometimes as I have previously mentioned! My colour is NW20, which is a pink undertone and is one of the lightest ones you can get (the lightest in NW is 15 so I am quite light). I wanted also a nude-pink lipstick, I do not suit full nudes as my skin-tone makes me look so washed out it is unreal! I wish I could, if I was naturally a bit darker maybe, but it is how it goes! I found a beautiful Nude Pink satin MAC lipstick (MAC lipsticks are amazing, I do have a few already). I do not like full matte finishes, as they can be a bit drying, so satin is perfect as it is imbetween as I do not like the glossy look on me either (I am picky!). I also picked up the powder blush which was recommended by my lovely lady Gracie - UGLYFACEOFBEAUTY and she was right! The lady in the store showed me what it looked like on my skin and it is so natural and gorgeous! I like natural colours and it is so beautiful!
The Products I got were:
Studio Fix Fluid NW20
Pro Longwear Concealer NW20
Satin Lipstick SNOB
Studio Fix Powder NW20
Powder Blush Harmony
Below are the photos of my products! If you want to know anything more about how I get on with them due to my skin-type, please do let me know! However, I know these products have been reviewed a lot in the past! With skin-care, make sure you are eating right and drinking enough water and green tea! Junk food has an affect on even how you look! Trust me! Eat right, and see a difference in your skin as well as your health! But I think it is also helpful for you all to know what skin-care I use to help my other issues!
Any enquiries please email me on: fitnesswithluc@hotmail.com
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More fitness/health/exercise routine posts coming soon!
