I was in the grocery market the other day and a lady started up a conversation with me about my twins when my eldest who is 9 years old says to me: "Mom, can we get something to eat?" The lady stops dead in her tracks from what she was saying and turns to me... "Mom, wait, how old are you? I thought you were like 25 and this boy looks like his 9 or 10."
I smiled graciously and told her I was 33. She looked at me once over and then said: "Well, whatever you are taking or whatever you are doing - I would surely like to have some of it."
I explained to her that I stopped using foundation unless for an important or special occasion and it has helped my skin dramatically along with the assistance of my pure/organic/unrefined coconut oil as my moisturizer on a daily basis, my skin has improved beyond what I could have every imagined.
I smiled graciously and told her I was 33. She looked at me once over and then said: "Well, whatever you are taking or whatever you are doing - I would surely like to have some of it."
I explained to her that I stopped using foundation unless for an important or special occasion and it has helped my skin dramatically along with the assistance of my pure/organic/unrefined coconut oil as my moisturizer on a daily basis, my skin has improved beyond what I could have every imagined.
| If you've been following me a while, then you know that I have worn foundation on a consistent basis. Living in Hawaii definitely can be difficult if you have to use foundation often because you get hot and sticky and it's just unbearable sometimes. After years of dealing with breakouts and using numerous skin care products I finally took the leap this time last year and decided I would stop using Foundation, Concealer, Pressed Powders and even tinted moisturizers in hopes that my skin would clear up. I had already taken the leap the year prior and discontinued MAC Face/Skin products to see if that would help my skin improve and that surely did... but I was looking for so much more. As you can see in the photo to the left, while my skin did not have terrible break outs, I had a hard time getting rid of acne scarring as well as keeping my skin from breaking out. By the way - the image was taken with my camera phone and is unedited so that you can truly see that my skin was not perfect then, far from it and I really needed to do something about it and quickly. Here's what happened and the results of it all. |
| As you can see from the photos below - the same Acne scar (pardon my language but the damn idiot I had forever) just would not go away. The darn thing scar was which you can see was still on my forehead prior to switching up my skincare routine. No matter the amount I spent on skincare products or the brand, it never changed and I had to kind of deal with it or conceal it. As if that wasn't bad enough already, this time last year I was diagnosed with Eczema. I had originally thought I had developed an allergic reaction to some of my favorite foods. However, after seeing my dermatologist, I found out later that it was indeed Eczema and I was so discouraged. I am sharing this photo for the first time with all of you and it still makes me so sad to look at it. My face swelled, dried up from time to time and even developed areas where it started to crack. It was horrendous and I just couldn't bare to look in the mirror sometimes. My dermatologist gave me several creams and antibiotics to help and they did temporarily. Some of my creams I will turn to if I have a bad flare up - but honestly, I haven't had any in almost a year. It's so nice to say that. :D Since the creams were temporary fixes and I would flare up again and again - I finally decided to do research and found that Eczema is usually due to really dry skin. Apparently my very expensive moisturizer and creams I was using was not doing the trick. | 
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So - since I was working coconut oil (pure, unrefined and organic) into my routine and life I decided I would really start using it as a moisturizer. I also eliminated all face products as I mentioned: Foundation, Concealers, Pressed / translucent powders, tinted moisturizers and didn't take the jump to try out any BB creams like I had planned. I simply used my normal facial wash which is the Cetaphil facial wash and moisturized with coconut oil 2x a day. I also incorporated my Tilth Beauty Moisturizer and Serum once a week just in case.
Since then my face has dramatically cleared, I haven't had any Eczema flare ups and my skin hasn't had any pimple breakouts with exception to the one tiny red one I get every so many months when my monthly friend comes to visit. I NEVER have to wear foundation unless I really need to - like testing out products for review for a couple of weeks, but otherwise, I go bare skin daily.
Since then my face has dramatically cleared, I haven't had any Eczema flare ups and my skin hasn't had any pimple breakouts with exception to the one tiny red one I get every so many months when my monthly friend comes to visit. I NEVER have to wear foundation unless I really need to - like testing out products for review for a couple of weeks, but otherwise, I go bare skin daily.
LEFT: Taken today 05.31.13 - The NOW picture ~~~ RIGHT: Taken over the last year or older - the BEFORE photos
The image comparison above shows my recent picture (left) taken today in natural lighting without filter or editing. I took this image using my phone. The second and third image (both on the right) was used in natural lighting but I added Instagram Filters to the image. Those pictures were taken last year. While there are filters, I did not edit my skin or blur/soften my face so you can definitely see the scarring from that darn pimple on my forehead as well as other scars in those images. However, the scars are no longer visible in my new photo. The scars you see in my old photos were there for years. And while my "good" photos of my makeup looks did have them softened in the image or they were covered with foundation or concealer - they were there for a long time. Over the last year they have not only cleared up but pretty much disappeared. My skin is bright and there is no need to foundation to cover it up anymore.
While everyone is definitely different - I am proof that changing up your skincare can make a huge difference in not only your appearance but also your self-esteem. If you feel like you have lost your confidence or you are not happy with your skin see your Dermatologist or try a new skincare routine. Of course, I do suggest you seeing your doctor first. My Dermatologist basically told me that Eczema was something I had to live with and that I should spend money on a moisturizer that was good but that was all the help I got besides the creams and antibiotics she gave me, all of which were temporary fixes. I'm no doctor - but let me just say that doing my research, discontinuing facial products like foundation and using Coconut Oil was the best thing I could have done for my skin. It was not only a great thing on my pocket book, Coconut Oil is very affordable in comparison to my $70 moisturizer and no more foundation means more money for eyeshadows. lol The photo below - also taken with my phone in natural lighting, no filter or edit, tells a lot... and I am loving the skin I am in.
While everyone is definitely different - I am proof that changing up your skincare can make a huge difference in not only your appearance but also your self-esteem. If you feel like you have lost your confidence or you are not happy with your skin see your Dermatologist or try a new skincare routine. Of course, I do suggest you seeing your doctor first. My Dermatologist basically told me that Eczema was something I had to live with and that I should spend money on a moisturizer that was good but that was all the help I got besides the creams and antibiotics she gave me, all of which were temporary fixes. I'm no doctor - but let me just say that doing my research, discontinuing facial products like foundation and using Coconut Oil was the best thing I could have done for my skin. It was not only a great thing on my pocket book, Coconut Oil is very affordable in comparison to my $70 moisturizer and no more foundation means more money for eyeshadows. lol The photo below - also taken with my phone in natural lighting, no filter or edit, tells a lot... and I am loving the skin I am in.
Hope this helps some of you! It took me a while to share my story and especially my darn Eczema photo because I was so ashamed of how I looked. But I'm so happy that I have come a long way and I love the way my skin feels, how moisturized it is and how I haven't had a flare up in a long time.
xoxo
Honey
xoxo
Honey
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