I was never one to have nice skin. I always had breakouts, texture, blackheads, uneven skin tone, it was a mess. I had always tried to cover it up with makeup, thinking that it couldn’t be helped and that I would just try to hide my imperfections. But then covid happened, and I wasn’t going anywhere anymore. I had time to let my skin breathe, and focus more on improving my skincare routine.
Since I wasn’t wearing makeup, it was very easy to tell what products agreed with my skin, and ones that caused some issues. I had the time to try new products and samples I’ve had, or new products I never got around to trying. I would try one new product for a few weeks to give time for my skin to adjust to a new product and go from there. When I took a look at what products worked for me and what didn’t, it was very clear that the “cleaner” products seemed to work better for me over other products. That went for both makeup and skincare.
I had always heard about clean beauty, but never really took the time to look into it. I was shocked at how few ingredients are banned in the US compared to other countries, especially Europe. I have very sensitive skin and usually have to be pretty careful with products I use, and definitely didn’t know about it as much as I should have. I had a really bad eczema flare up, and that was probably the biggest wakeup call for me. I didn’t try any new products, any new foods, or go anywhere. But it was such a bad reaction that I was willing to do whatever to not have it happen again.
After switching to mostly clean beauty and skincare for a few months, I noticed a drastic different in my skin. I had fewer breakouts. My skin tone looked more even. And for me the biggest difference was I felt more confident in my skin, and I didn’t feel the need to pile on make up before leaving the house like I used to. I now just spot conceal where I need to, and maybe do a light skin tint on days I leave my house, but I generally keep it super simple! By focusing my my skincare more, I found a less of a need for make up.
To not be wasteful, I’ve been using up any products I already owned, and only buying clean products go forward. I’m more aware of what brands I’m buying from, what ingredients it contains, and test it before buying when possible. Now, it’s not perfect. I still get occasional breakouts, and some days my skin is better than others. The availability of products is much smaller, and sometime more expensive. The popular and “viral” products are rarely clean beauty products so sometimes you feel like you’re missing out. But overall, my skin looks and feels better, and most importantly I feel more confident in my skin. That for me is worth sticking to the switch. I’m still pretty new to the clean beauty world, so I can’t wait to keep trying more products from more brands!
Shades and Stripes 
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