I don't often blog about things beauty related. There are lots of really good beauty bloggers out there who are far more knowledgeable than me. But in the spirit of #BEDN I'm going to share a few things that I've noticed recently about having rubbish old menopausal skin!
When I was a teenager I had oily skin. Luckily I learned early on that I needed to be scrupulous about cleansing my skin to keep spots away so I didn't get too many breakouts. I used products containing astringent ingredients including cucumber and witch hazel. These stripped the excess oil from my skin and left it feeling clean if a little tight at times. I discovered Oil of Ulay early on too and loved the scent of the lotion as I rubbed it into my skin each night. That was as far as I went with skin care - a cleanse and a moisturise each night. I used Pond's Cold Cream to remove make up and was also enchanted by the smell of it. Smell has always mattered to me. I like my skin care products to smell lovely.
As I got older my skin changed, becoming less oily and more combination - dry cheeks and oily T-zone. I changed the products I used and discovered Clinique's 3 step system of cleansing, toning and moisturising. I liked the yellow bar or 'soap' which cleaned my skin with lots of lovely bubbles; I liked the toner which made my skin feel really clean; and I enjoyed the moisturiser which went on smoothly and made my skin feel soft.
Once the menopause began my skin rebelled. It became dry and flaky. It was like a snake shedding its skin at times, most unattractive. Nothing seemed to help and I resorted to using moisturiser to 'stick' the skin flakes back onto my face! Unless my skin was slick with moisturiser it was flaking in a most unattractive way. There was no way I could wear makeup - everything seemed to dry my skin out in seconds and any product turned to powder making me look like a Regency dandy. Luckily I found a foundation that is water based which I can use on the rare occasions I need foundation - it's by L'Oreal and it's called Nude Magique. It's extremely light and doesn't feel heavy on my skin.
Finally, after much experimentation, I found a skin care regime that suits my skin as it is at the moment. I now use Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish system. The best thing about it (other than not drying and irritating my skin) is the smell. It smells divine, lavender is the dominant smell and it's so soothing and calming after a long day. I've yet to try the moisturiser that goes with it as I'm using up some Waitrose Pure moisturiser that I have but I'm sure that Liz Earle won't let me down.
I don't tend to wear make up these days. I wore it everyday when I was younger but once I had my son I found that time asleep was more valuable than putting on make up! I always wore mascara and kohl with a slick of lip gloss during the day and a nude or plum lipstick at night. These days putting my face on consists of foundation, mascara and lippie (wish I were brave enough to go red). I wish I could master eyeliner but it always drags and looks like smudged mascara. I must be using the wrong type for my crepey eyes!
My real weakness is nail polish. I love wearing nail polish and have worn most colours over the years. The worst colour I ever wore was white - it looked as if I'd dipped my nails in Tippex! I love wearing bold colours and have a soft spot for a killer red nail polish. Catching sight of my beautifully painted nails always brings a smile to my face.
So there we are, the history of my face and a few make up confessions. What do you think? Should I persist in my pursuit of the perfect eyeliner or admit defeat?
No comments:
Post a Comment