34. Investing in my skin.

Hello everyone! I hope you're well. In my previous post, I mentioned that I was taking the plunge and adopting a proper skin care routine. I chose Clinique because I remember going shopping with a friend several years ago and what a massive difference the products made to her skin. I also like the fact that Clinique products are free of harsh fragrances and that they are tested on a large sample size. Sometimes you see sample sizes of under 100 on TV adverts for brands like L'Oreal, it makes me laugh that they put stuff like "79% of 91 people tested agreed". I think it's wrong to even allow products to reach our shelves with such a small minority of the target market tested. Anyway, I went to my local Boots and was asked to fill out a 5 minute survey at the Clinique counter which you can also do on the Clinique website if you prefer shopping online. My main concerns about my skin are acne and the redness it causes, blackheads, large pores and dark circles beneath my eyes. I'm quite lucky in that I've never had spots on my cheeks and my problem areas are my forehead and chin. My T-zone is quite oily too in the morning but becomes quite dry during the day. Below are some photos that will hopefully be the "before" ones because I'm hoping my new routine will put an end to my skin problems.

The Clinique skin care routine consists of three steps:

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate
3. Moisturise

The anti-blemish routine was recommended to me and below are photos of the items I purchased. The consultant told me that I may initially break out with more spots in the first few days after starting the routine but after using the items both last night and this morning, nothing terrible has happened yet. The cleansing foam priced at £15.50, left my face feeling thoroughly clean and this morning I woke up without the usual oily T-zone. The clarifying lotion which was £17.00 is a liquid exfoliator so is great for removing dead skin cells and will hopefully reduce the blackheads on my nose. When I applied it on my face using a cotton wool ball, I was astonished to find how grubby my face was and saw visible black specs on the cotton wool. The clearing moisturiser which cost £18.50 is hopefully going to prevent my skin from becoming too dry but as it is oil free, it won't result in any more spots like my previous moisturisers have. However, my favourite product by far is the all about eyes cream priced at £25.00. The consultant at Clinique told me that the skin around the eyes is twice as thin as the rest of the face and that we should really look after it. You only need a tiny amount but it really does hydrate your skin and leaves it feeling so much smoother. I've noticed a few fine lines below my eyes so hopefully with time, it will take of those too. 

My face is the least of my skin care worries because I suffer from bacne or back acne which is pretty bad but I won't share any photos of my back because that would be a bit weird. There are blemishes all over my back and on my shoulders and collarbone too. I did ask the lady at Clinique if they did any stuff for bacne but I think they concentrate on facial skincare products so I went to the Origins counter after my friend recommended them to me. Now I know the Skin Diver shower gel which cost £16.00 says "Origins for men" and I am not a man and that it does look quite grim especially as it is black. It smells really good and you wouldn't even think it a product for males. The lady at the Origins counter also recommended the blemish treatment pads priced at £23.00 which can be used anywhere so even on the face. You receive 60 pads so they should last 1-2 months depending on whether you use them once or twice a day. It is best to use them immediately after having a bath/shower. As I said, my bacne is really bad so I think it will take a bit longer for any noticeable difference but they haven't caused me to break out in any big painful red spots so it's looking good.

I have a follow up check at Clinique in a fortnight so fingers crossed that my face and neck will be looking much clearer by then. I will update you all with the progress my new skin treatments are making in my weekly posts. Keep a look out for some different but interesting posts in upcoming weeks, I won't say too much as I don't want to spoil the surprise. Also, I will be posting on here every weekend to let you all know what the Mancunian Sheep has been up to each week. Until next time, take care.

Love,

Mancunian Sheep x