Current skincare for hormonal acne

I've spoken a few times about my hormonal (menopausal, ugh!) acne & after a re-jig of my skincare, I seem to have found the perfect products that have really helped to clear up my skin in the last 7 weeks so I thought I'd share them with you.

Cleansing

After using my Simple eye makeup remover cream, I take the bulk of my makeup off with the Garnier Micellar water & then follow up with a deep cleanse using the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil.  I love this silky, lightweight oil as it never feels greasy or leaves a film on my skin.  I always use a clean flannel every day to remove this as the lightweight muslin cloths leave too much product behind for my liking - Primark luxury facecloths/flannels are excellent.

Exfoliate/toner

These Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads by Nip + Fab are a recent discovery, bought on a total whim one day when I spotted them on offer but I'm soooo glad I found them!  I noticed a huge difference in my skin after using these for just a few days - my blemishes starting clearing up immediately & redness was reduced.  Don't be put off by the 'glycolic acid'  or 'exfoliating' tags as these pads are so gentle on the skin but incredibly effective.  The acid is the exfoliating agent whilst they also contain witch hazel to tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate & blue daisy to soothe.

If my skin is having a particularly bad breakout, I give it a light spritz with this Serozinc by La Roche-Posay.  I don't think it particularly treats blemishes but it helps to mattify the skin without drying it out.

Treatments

Another new purchase is La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I.  This is a targeted breakout corrector cream & I apply this on any new blemishes.  You only need a tiny amount & it really helps to immediately reduce imperfections & reduces the chance of scarring.

Another wonder product from LR-P here & one I've spoken about before on the blog - Effaclar Duo+.  This lightweight gel-crème helps to rapidly clear up any breakouts & refine the skin's appearance & I'm now on my third tube of this.  It's really helped to reduce the scarring on my chin & any redness is immediately soothed - I love this stuff!!

Hydrate & nourish

More new products, this time from Vichy.  After Vichy kindly sent me the Liftactiv Supreme to try (read my review here) & I loved it so much, I decided to buy their Aqualia Thermal serum.  It's so important for all skin types to keep really well hydrated so I always use a hydrating serum under my moisturiser.  I had been using Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench but I really like this from Vichy too.  One pump is enough to cover my whole face, neck & décolletage & teamed with the rest of my skincare routine, my skin still feels really well hydrated when I wake up in the morning.

My skin has cleared up enormously since using this regime & scarring is reducing all the time.  My breakouts are not so regular - or horrific! - now & overall, I'm much happier.  It's amazing how much having acne can zap your confidence!

Are there any other skincare recommendations out there?

The nip/tuck debate!

So we all know about the dinner-party rule of no discussing religion, politics or money but I've discovered a fourth no-go topic - cosmetic surgery!

I was with a group of friends the other week & somehow, the conversation turned to cosmetic surgery & there was a real divide in opinions on it.  Personally, I've never really had a problem with cosmetic surgery as there's usually a very good reason for wanting it done....I just like it when it's well done - and by that, I mean subtly & not over-done!  For example, Sharon Osbourne looked absolutely amazing around 9/10 years ago but now, I personally think that the surgery has been too overdone & she's starting to take on the stretched but pillowy look, prevalent in so many celebrities.  (I still love her though but please stop now!!)  I could have chosen many, many examples of people to show here, this is most definitely not a personal attack on Mrs O at all.

Photos taken in 2004, 2010 & 2014 from Google.

As I get older I'm becoming more aware of the tiny lines starting to appear on my face & yes, I've thought many times about getting a wee bit of Botox, which I think can be amazing, again when not overused leaving that waxy, vacant expression!  I've seen some very good results from Botox but I've also seen some very obvious, not-so-good applications that would have left me horrified if it had happened to me.

But is Botox seen as a big deal these days?  To me, it's still kind of a big deal - anything being injected into your body has got to be, surely?  But as much as I think I could do it, I'm not sure if I actually would....I'm a bit of a scaredy cat!  I really wish however, that these younglings would stop getting it done at the age of 20, that's just ridiculous unless it's for medical reasons.  Shame on the practitioners doing it too!

Seriously though, if the aforementioned scaredy factor wasn't so high, I would love to get my boobs done. Not enlarged, hell no, quite the opposite!  I would like to get a breast reduction with a serious uplift!  This is the downside to naturally large breasts - big = heavy & heavy = rapidly heading south :(. However, unless a lottery win is in the pipeline, this won't happen!  And even then, I'm not sure I'd have the guts to go through with such a massive surgical procedure even though I'd gain great relief & have a lot less back & shoulder ache with smaller boobs!

This is a totally random, waffly post but what are your thoughts on cosmetic surgery?  Are you quite au fait with the idea, have you had anything done or are you vehemently against it?  It's been a long time since a discussion subject was quite so emotive amongst my friends!

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme

I posted back in June that I was approached by Vichy to see if I'd like to try their Dermablend range (see my review here) & the new Liftactiv Supreme moisturiser.  I reviewed the foundation straight away but wanted to give the moisturiser a fair trial before posting my opinion.  I've now been using this cream for 6 weeks & I have probably enough product left for another 3 or 4 days.  During this time, I've used no other day or night creams or facial oils, just the Liftactiv Supreme for normal/combination skin & a hydrating serum underneath.  

On receiving, I did the usual texture test & even though this felt rich & immediately nourishing, because it is more of a gel-crème formulation rather than a heavy cream, I knew my skin was going to like it.  The only thing that slightly concerned me was the merest hint of shimmer given by the the white micro-pearls as in the past, any product with 'illuminating' properties (ie, anything with shimmer so most highlighters & a lot of other primers & creams) have broken my skin out terribly but I'm very happy to report that I had no reaction whatsoever to this - yay!!  You can read more in depth product information on the Vichy website, I just want to give you my findings on this today, not bamboozle you with science!

So, after 6 weeks of twice-daily use, what are my thoughts on this cream?  Hand on heart, it's been a long time & a lot of products since I've used a moisturiser that I've loved this much.  I've noticed a tremendous difference in the texture & firmness of my skin, my face just looks a lot 'fresher' at the moment!  When I wake up in the morning, my skin still feels plumped & hydrated & that hasn't happened in years, believe me.  Also, I could be imagining it but I'm positive that the fine vertical frown lines I have between my eyes are less noticeable now - I'm so annoyed I didn't take a closeup 'before' photo as proof!!

 I was so impressed with this & happy that this suited my skin so much that after only 3 weeks of using it, I ordered the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum to replace my depleted stocks of Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench Serum & another pot of the Liftactiv Supreme.  Never before have I used a product that I've felt the need to replace before I've even finished it so that in itself speaks volumes!! Thank you so much Vichy for sending me this & bringing your lovely products back to my attention!

Liftactiv Supreme is available from Boots at £31.00 but shop around online, as other sites sometimes have it on offer. 

Life lately ~ Summer 2015

Wow, I can't believe the kids are halfway through their summer holidays already, some schools in England haven't even broken up yet!!  I took a wee break from blogging whilst we enjoyed the end-of-term shenanigans & we all took a trip down to stay with my dad & step-mum & enjoyed a couple of days in London whilst down there.  I did actually have every intention of doing a couple of posts whilst we were away but Blogger just doesn't work well from an iPad - you can't upload photos nor go back & edit posts.  I feel I may have to invest in a wee netbook/laptop for holidays if I want to blog on the go!!

We've also visited Glamis Castle for the annual Vintage Motor Extravaganza & yesterday, I spent the day with my two besties & their children up at Blair Atholl Castle, which was absolutely stunning.   Shockingly, the sun actually shone & wait for it........it was hot too, almost like summer, you could say!!! ;)

I won't bore you with the nitty gritty so here's a few collages before I get my head firmly back in the blogging game!!!