Skincare SOS!

So being blessed with a wonderful array of skin ailments which grace me on the regular, this post is really just running through the products I am well stocked in which I hope will help any of you who can relate. I'm going to start by saying that beauty really does come from within, and it's important to eat a balanced diet for long term benefits. It's amazing the difference little changes can make in clearing up skin problems such as eczema, spots and dermatitis because the problem could be something quite simple like a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
I aim to keep my pizza, whiskey and cake addiction strictly limited to weekends and try to fit in lots of fruit and veg in my daily routine. Smoothies are great because they are quick and really do make a noticeable difference to how you look and feel. I'm pretty hardcore and make mine with whatever we have lying around the kitchen- the one in the photo has banana for potassium, beetroot which is packed with iron, potassium, folic acid and fibre, spinach for iron, an apple and a bit of water. I also take omega 3 supplements and love the Terra Nova Digestive Enzyme capsules which really help with digestion.
Spots are something we all get, granted some of us more than others. Life has played this cruel joke on me where I had perfect skin throughout my teens and spots as soon as I hit my early twenties. A couple of month's ago I had a breakout because I was stressed and using a lot of new products while makeup artistry training. My amazing tutor Amanda Bell sent me home with a Pixi glow tonic and told me to use it for two weeks. As the days went by my skin got noticeably clearer and now I'll never stop buying it. The tonic contains witch hazel which sorts spots right out and a brightening 5% plant based glycolic acid which gently exfoliates dead skin cells. The Inika foundation is in my spot-fix category because it's a natural, mineral product which goes on problematic skin better than any other foundation I've used. Also because the ingredients are better, it makes sense that it's less likely to make spots flare up more. The Bourjois concealer is brilliant for hiding and brightening spots and never goes cakey.
Rashes really, really suck. There are all sorts of reasons why people get them, from hereditary reasons, allergies to dust mites, common ingredients in washing detergents, skincare, make up, diet intolerances, stress...you name it. I suffered with painful eczema from the age of four and remember clawing at my skin until it was raw. My gran used to cut my nails at bedtime and plaster me with liquid calamine lotion which was often the only way I could get to sleep. To this day when a rash pops up, calamine lotion is something that helps every time. It's inexpensive, available in every Boots/chemist and I can't thank whoever invented it enough. Before using steroid creams, please try calamine lotion first!
Z-Gel is a fab organic natural gel which contains arnica. It's great for bites, stings, sunburn, rashes, you name it. I've used it on bruises and seen miraculous results within hours. It's clear so doesn't show up on the skin and the sanitary little tube is good for carrying around. Another little gem for soothing rashes! The Graham's Natural bath oil and skin cream were given to me by my friend Rebecca at Biteable beauty when a big stress rash popped up overnight. Look at the no-nonsense packaging! Ha. The bath oil has a thick olive oil consistency and to be honest doesn't smell much different. Much in the same way olive oil does, it locks in the skin's moisture and helps reduce redness. Also a brilliant little skin saviour is the cream which I kept reapplying at work. It made a huge huge difference and it's another all natural product. Go nature!