It has been forever since I blogged - to say the least! However after much thought, I realised that I really missed blogging and I look forward to being back in the game and writing more regularly!
What pushed me to write this blog, is an odd one, as you can see from the title of the post. You may be wondering - "Oh here we go, another rant about looking after ourselves." However, more so than ever, I thought that I would shout out about the importance of taking care of one's skin, particularly after I had a bad experience and developed a skin condition called Perioral Dermatitis.
What is Perioral Dermatitis?!
It sounds really scary, and before anyone freeks out, no its not contagious - thank god! Perioral Dermatitis is a skin condition, commonly found in females, between the age of 20 and 35 that can cause an inflammation around the mouth and eyes. Unfortunately the exact cause is unclear, however specialists have reason to believe that it can be caused by using steroid creams on the face and/or the use of makeups and lotions and potions. You can read more and see photographs of it here.
My Experience
To my horror, around two years ago, I found a few soar, itchy red lumps, around my smile creases on my face. Being a girl who has luckily had not too bad skin when it comes to spots etc, I quickly went to the doctors and he prescribed me with steroid cream. Unfortunately this cream only made it worse.
So I decided to search online (as you do) for solutions. It was not long until I came across information that said makeup could be the cause of this problem. Well for someone like me, this is truly heartbreaking. I love my makeup and NEED my makeup. I cannot go to the shops without it on!
From then on I decided enough is enough. I was on the man hunt for a remedy for this (pain in the ass) rashy bumps that didn't involve having to walk about looking like a little boy (no makeup). I then came across this wonder cream "Calendula," (which has been said to help reduce the redness of Perioral Dermatitis!)
Hallelujah!
My once clear skin was relying on this cream to work and I am glad to say I wasn't disappointed. After almost three weeks of using the cream as my only moisturiser, removing my makeup as soon as I decided I wasn't leaving the house again, (haha) and using a calming aloe vera face wash, my rash finally disappeared.
My Reasoning Behind the Rash
I truly believe that this rash was caused by using too many products and therefore having lots of chemicals on my skin, and not letting my skin breathe enough. Since having this condition, I have religiously removed my makeup, as soon as I know I don't need to have it on, which is often as soon as I come in from work. I can only reiterate, how better my skin looks and feels and my rash has almost disappeared, apart from one little blemish.
So gals, the moral of the story is, if you are a bit of a makeup junky like me - no matter how drunk or tired you are, try and remove your makeup, because you never know what your makeup contains or whether or not you may have a rash on the way!
Here is a little #NoMakeupSelfie of me and how much makeup comes of my face at the end of a working day - yuk! Ps excuse the pale face and pajama top!
Here is me and my little tube of happiness - Calendula! You can buy it in most good natural health shops for around £6.99 as well as amazon here
Above is a collection of my other must have cleansers and moisturisers at the moment. All varying in price however I will discuss them in more depth in my next blog soon - so watch this space!
Do you religiously remove your makeup?
Have you experienced this condition or one similar before?
If so pop your comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Until next time...
Much love
ABlondeStatement
x
Have you ever wondered, what it would be like to live somewhere else? I did....
I dreamt of living in Central London, being able to have so much opportunity on my doorstep, from career, to meeting new people, social life, and not forgetting the shops!
This dream, of living in the big smoke was made possible....after sheer determination and hunting high and low for jobs, I finally landed one in London and before I knew it I was packing up my small little world in Scotland and moving to London!
For me it was a massive move. For one thing I still lived at home with my parents, and although I was independent and had done the usual back packing nonsense, I hadn't had my own place or lived as far away from my parents. Regardless, this all seemed exciting and a new adventure to me and I couldn't wait for it to begin!
Fortunately, I was living with three other girls in London, who I randomly came across on Spare Room.com (a site I would definitely recommend if you are thinking about moving to London). We all got on really well, and they kindly introduced me to their circle of friends, which of course makes living in a strange city and not knowing anyone a lot easier!
The first few months living in London were great, it almost felt like an extended holiday, and soon after working hard in a job, I landed another job. (what I thought was my dream job) and everything seemed to be falling into place.
However, what I have learned, is visiting somewhere and living somewhere is a completely different kettle of fish. When you visit somewhere, you get to experience all the fantastic things of a place, all the nice eateries, bars, shops and tourist destinations. However when you live and work somewhere, all of these fantastic things become almost unnoticed and you can often find yourself focusing on the crap things, such as the horrid commute on the tubes to work!
This realisation became apparent to me, working long hours and being too tired to do anything at the weekend, made me reflect and wonder what it was I came to London for. I came to London, for a better life, and as far as I could see, I wasn't experiencing the dream that I had sought. My new "dream" job wasn't satisfying me, and neither was my non existent "life" I had been dreaming of.
I began to realise, that the things, people etc that I had left at home, weren't going to be found here...they were already waiting for me back home. The only thing that was keeping me there was the career I thought I wanted and the life I thought I would lead...but neither were what I had imagined.
After a few weeks of tearing my hair out, and wondering if I was giving up too easily, I knew that deep down, I could have just as good a career back home, surrounded by the people and things I love. (And didn't cost an arm and a leg to live there either!)
As a result, I knew my decision had been made...and before I knew it I had booked a train back home and not only surprised myself but surprised my family and friends.
I am not sure why I am telling you this, it almost feels like I have came to terms with the fact that my "dream" wasn't quite as it seemed, and it's almost therapy to jot it down. However, looking back, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to live and work in London, after all it is a fantastic city with more work opportunities than you can ever imagine. Had I not tried it I would be asking myself right now, "What would it be like to live in London?" Therefore definitely not any regrets, but the few things I have learned are...
1. Always chase your dreams never how crazy they seem
2. Don't be afraid to take risks
3. Always appreciate what you have, because it is not until you don't have it you realise how lucky you are.
4. Never be ashamed of trying and not succeeding, you can always get up and try and try again
5. No job is worth feeling miserable about, no matter how much you try to convince yourself!
Would I return to London? Yes I may return in the future, but I would prefer to return when my career is doing well and I am not having to count every penny I have to enjoy myself! It definitely is an expensive game down there and if I was going to do it again - I would have to do it right!
One thing is for sure...It is not the end, it is a new beginning. Yes I am back to the drawing board as they say, and I must admit, these past few months have been some of the most difficult months of my life, but I cannot wait to see what the next chapter of my life will be! On wards and upwards as they say....
x
ablondestatement
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