Skin Deep....?

'Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty you get the face you deserve.' - Coco Chanel.



It happens to us all ladies at some point in our lives. For some it's our teens, some it's our twenties and for others our thirties or older. Stress makes it worse, diet can too, it's oily, it's dry and we spend hours covering it with make up! Yep ladies it's a skin thing!

In our teens it can be a battle with spots, acne and oily patches that look like a slick. We inch on a cheap make up brand, in any shade in an attempt to cover up as much as possible with little respect for our natural beauty such as freckles or scars. We all went through a phase where the heavier and thicker the eye line the better and wearing an interesting shade of red lipstick that doesn't suit us. At a time when all beauty essentials come from freebies on magazines and our make up bags are a wondrous place of mis matched items it's no wonder we look like clowns!

As we hit our twenties we begin to realise that quality rules over quantity. One premium brand foundation that is a flawless match (with out hiding your natural beauty) is worth more than the high streets 3 4 2 offers. We begin to think more about our skin care routines and what we put on our faces can impact not just us but our environment. We can get sucked into buying all sorted of products without really understanding what we need or what would be best for our skin. For most of us our twenties are a time for more settled skin and more of a healthy glow rather than an oily one but for up to 50%of women adult acne can still affect us.

Beauty magazines preach endlessly and tirelessly about the benefits of drinking 2 litres of water a day, eating a balanced healthy diet (no, chocolate doesn't give you spots, thank goodness else I'd be acne ridden for life!!) and whilst there is some method in this madness it would need a miracle to defy time for ever. For every two thousand frowns, it creates one brow wrinkle. Dehydration can cause fine lines and a hang over can make us look haggard! So what do we do ladies....?

As we hit our thirties the elastine in our skin naturally starts to reduce in line with the natural ageing process - sombering thought. It takes years to learn to love and respect your skin and when you do it starts to age, changing its needs again!

With this in mind I'm beginning to wonder if our skin is as much trouble or if not more trouble than a man?! If it's not grey and dull with dry patches , it's oily, troublesome and brings us out in a rash. Of course then there is the PMT, practically grown another head spot that stubbornly sits on our chin laughing manically for 2 weeks, whilst we try every trick in the book to get rid of it and sadly we all know a man like that! Luckily some tea tree oil and a facial gets rid of the spot, if only getting rid of a troublesome fella was as easy....

As I approach my thirties at an alarming rate my skin is something I have really started to think about. A switched my skin care to organic rice oil (it's amazing!!) home made products , I only buy premium make up products that suit my skin and I try to drink enough water to drown a fish but yet father time (typical bloke!) is one step ahead and as a pesky fine line has appeared around my left eye I have found myself booked in for micro dermabration. And whilst I can hear a debate beginning to rumble about growing old gracefully and blah blah blah I wonder how many of us would consider more extreme skin care routines to preserve their skin? Through my twenties I would never considered any think more advance or invasive than Creme de la Mer eye Creme but now the time is here, I'm totally unsure. Botox.... Will I or won't I......?xX