One quick read of my captions and you’ll soon discover that I’m Deliveroo’s best customer. My tastebuds never grew up.
I am Peter Pan stuck in a 26 year old woman’s body.
A swimmer’s back and a chest flatter than a post-it note, wow genetics, you really know how to treat a gal.
If it’s beige and breaded then there’s a 99.9% chance I’m going to spend some time getting to know it. Some people like fine dining, I like sandwiches cut into four, cornflake cakes, Nutella fairy bread and party rings. It’s just who I am.
What’s she going on about, fairy bread? I thought this was a skincare post? I’ll introduce you two at a later date. Bring a napkin. Actually don’t – live a little. It’s what Peter Pan would want.
But, all beige errrything aside, when it comes to beauty I’m all here for the green way of life. Permission to say the green way of life and not sound like a boujie arsehole? *pending request*
In light of a recent guns-blazing article, titled ‘The Skincare Con‘ that tempted to mock our (womens’) ‘present mania for flawless skin’, I thought I would chime in.
Not with a mouthy blog post – no. Just with a review of skincare that *forgive me for my capitalist ways* feels good and happens to work, too *gasp*
My skincare routine is something I look forward to every evening. I know, I am the in-in to Micky Flanagan’s out-out. I’ve accepted this. Let’s move on from it. Together.
It’s a five minute window of time to undo the day, to physically cleanse away all the grey fuzz and restore a sense of calm right before climbing into bed, binging on The Crown and watching all hell break loose over Philip’s sexy new boat beard.
Face oils are the one product my skincare routine can’t go without, especially in the evening. It’s the closest thing to getting a spa in a bottle (second only to opening the dishwasher in your face, of course).
It’s an escape from reality, right before your boyfriend comes into the bathroom and spoils the ambience with a sudden bowel movement.
Love you darling, love you. But at 10.30pm that is moral anarchy whichever way you look at it.
And talking of morals, if my teenage years were meant for scrubbing at my eyes, picking at my spots and sleeping in makeup for fear that my then boyfriend would think I was a hideous Aye-Aye primate without it, then my late twenties are meant for repentance.
Thus, I’m dedicating these wiser years to being there for my skin. All of the skin I’m in. My body confidence, my face, my belly button. You get the idea.
This is when I learn to say, ‘hey, actually, you look quite nice without makeup’ and mean it.
It’s not just skincare, it’s self-care. And self-care can never be a waste of money.
See, what your *latter* 20s, ahem, may lack in gentle maternal hangovers and forgiving metabolisms, they make up for in compassion and a whole new respect for your physical and emotional wellbeing (more on that here).
I had the pleasure of reviewing two facial oils from the beautiful Botanyblend range recently and although I was under no obligation to post about the brand, I want to share my experience with you since they seem to be doing something really great for this girl’s complexion.
Born and blended in Devon, the collection was developed by Aromatherapist, Katie Paige, and uses a rich and pure range of plant-based ingredients to really nourish the top layers of the dermis.
There’s a hell of a lot of confusion around facial oil and I’m not about to profess that I know everything about its benefits but I do know that it’s a skincare staple – yep, even for the oiliest of skin types.
Ya see, plant-based oils recognised for their therapeutic benefits, can actually help regulate sebum production.
There, face oils, skincare = not evil.
I’ve been testing Aceso and Vega – two of the oils in the three piece collection – for around three weeks now. Vega is probably my favourite of the two and that largely comes down to – dum dum dum – the smell.
I’m a sucker for Jasmine extract, not gonna lie.
It’s also more concentrated so it works best as a twilight oil to rejuvenate and illuminate the skin overnight.
I have combination skin. It’s dry around the nose, oily as a mackerel on the forehead and eyelids (though they be hooded, they be glossy af) and I love how plump, balanced and energised my skin feels immediately after using Vega.
I use Aceso in the morning after cleansing, as it’s rich in antioxidants – the things that slow down the ageing process and neutralise free radicals.
Free radicals are the ions that sabotage our collagen and subsequently, our future happiness. The Regina George of ions, you with me?
I’d recommend Aceso if you have particularly sensitive or irritated skin as it’s a scent-free ‘naked’ oil and packed with calming Rosehip and Apricot. Lavvvly.
One of the nicest things about using these oils is that they they’re 100% natural and very emollient, resulting in a product that feels light and breathable on the skin.
It’s a bit of a myth that using oil will clog the pores but with sophisticated oils like these, the product is easily absorbed.
No oil-induced blemishes, none of that greasy residue akin to the bottom of an under baked banana loaf – just clean, glowing hydrated skin for the win.
Knowing that all the ingredients are ethically sourced and, where possible, soil association certified organic, makes them all the more enjoyable to use.
I want to take more responsibility for what I’m putting on my face, not just for my own selfish ‘mania for flawless skin’, but for the good of the environment, too.
And Botanyblend encompasses these values perfectly.
Caring about your skin, however you choose to do so, doesn’t make you a narcissist, and buying into beauty doesn’t make you a dumb ‘n’ desperate it-girl, so consumed by her pursuit for the Instagram glow that she can’t possibly care about anything truly meaningful.
How you choose to make yourself feel good and whichever means you use to feel confident, isn’t up to the woman that wrote that article.
Self-confidence is no fad and skincare, though it may be a small victory, is a victory for us women nonetheless. Hell, we even bond over it.
In her article, Krithika Varagur starts off meaning well *I think* and hey, she’s absolutely entitled to her opinion. It just so happens to be one that I disagree with.
She touches on the unattainability of ‘perfect skin’ and alludes to the societal pressures women face, this part, at least, I agree with.
But then she falls down a big ol’ skincare-shaming rabbit hole.
She suggests that those of us who buy into skincare, are doing so to please other people. To show off like the boujie, sh*tty millennials that we are.
Yep, I’m paying £85 for a Sunday Riley cream that goes on my face and only my face, but you’re right, I’m purely doing it to rile up Karen – a pro-tea drinker and bunny enthusiast from Bournemouth – who befriended and then unfriended me on Instagram two weeks back.
Post a great skincare flat lay, Lareese – that’ll teach her.
Is makeup-shaming not enough anymore? Must we put up with skincare-shaming now, too? *Big, fat let me just dab the sweat betwixt my clammy breasts with some oil-blotting paper sigh*
Give us some credit, lady. Let us feel empowered – be it through skincare, pottery, exercise, makeup or no makeup at all. Don’t strip us of our natural oils, pal.
The irony in all this, for me, is that she says the skincare ‘craze’ is not introspective; ‘it’s looking into yourself but stopping at the literal outmost layer’.
And that, for me, is exactly what her article is doing.
She’s scraping the surface, failing to acknowledge the complex connective layers and indeed the multifaceted and intrinsically personal reasons why us women really invest in skincare.
If she were a skintellectual, she might have known that…
Love you bye.
Many thanks to Katie for gifting me with these products for review and introducing me to a range I, and my skin, truly love.
