As
I begin this post it feels very “look at me!” and makes me feel very
vulnerable. My battle with acne has been
a long-standing issue that has not only kept me from doing everything the Lord
has called me to but also caused me to alter how I look at myself. I’ve decided to write this post for two
reasons…
1) In hopes you would see the work the Lord
has done in my heart over the last year of this struggle.
2) Knowing that what I have found to work for
me might help someone else struggle and find some relief!
As a teenager I dealt with that terrible hormonal
time of acne breakouts like anyone else.
But I noticed as I left for college that while others seemed to be over
the oily, continual breakout part of life mine seemed to only be
worsening. I tried everything from
ProActive to R&F to Dr. Oz’s Lemon/Aspirin masks. Nothing worked. I found myself not wanting to spend time with
friends, compared myself to my friends that seemed to have “perfect” skin and
doubted that what the Lord had made {me} was worthy. This past year I decided to “get serious”
about skincare and finally kick the acne that has plagued me for good. But I went about it the wrong way. I still had the mindset that I needed to have
a picture-perfect face to be worthy of friends, my husband and the Lord. As I paroozed the aisles of Sephora and
bought any and every product the sales clerk pushed at me “guaranteeing” to fix
my skin I was not dealing with the over-arching issue of my self-worth in
Christ. Reflecting on that season in my
life I truly believe the products didn’t work because the Lord wanted me to
focus on Him and His love not my face.
I can vividly recall the moment I came face to
face with my own insecurities. I was
sitting at my desk one afternoon while my students were at PE feeling yet
another pimple start to work it’s way to the surface of my skin and I broke
down in tears. At that moment I realized
my issue was not my skin but the value I placed on that instead of my
relationship with Christ. That was the
moment I made a change. My skin is not
perfect and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it might not ever be
“perfect”. But I have also come to the
conclusion that my identify is in the Lord, my worth is in the Lord & His
love is not contingent on the perfect face.
I still care about my appearance, don’t get me
wrong! And over the last six months I
have found a skincare routine that works for me. This coupled with more water intake and a consistent
work out routine has started to make a noticeable difference in my skin.
Hear my words y’all! Proverbs 31:30 is more than a feel good verse
the Lord put in the Bible just for us ladies.
It was an intentional reminder that we are worth more than our appearance.
Morning
Routine
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| Face Wash |
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| Tea Tree Oil Pads |
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| Rose Water Toner |
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| Favorite Product! Korress Buffing Cleanser |
 |
| Wild Rose Daytime Moisturizer |
I wash my face with the Tea Tree Oil Facewash in
the shower. The tea tree oil is all
natural and controls the oil throughout the day. Depending on my oil level I will either use
the Rosewater as a toner or the Tea Tree Oil Cleansing Pads. The pads control the oil throughout the day
but can be drying if you use to much.
2-3 times a week I use the Korress Buff Cleanser
before my toner to gently exfoliate any dead skin cells. It’s gentle enough to use regularly but does
an incredible job of sloughing off the dead skin cells. This might be my favorite product of
everything I use!
I finish
with the Wild Rose Brightening Moisturizer.
This moisturizer does an incredible job of sinking into your skin for
all day moisture. It is pricy but worth
every penny. It also does not take a lot
of product to achieve the desired effect so one jar can last a long time.
Throughout the day I use blot sheets to control
any oil and follow up with Caudalie Beauty Elxir. The elxir is like a mini-spa experience in a
bottle and kills bacteria on your face on contact. It’s a great pick me up!
Evening Routine
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| Not my exact Clarisonic! |
|
| Face Wash |
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| Evening Toner |
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| Best mask I have ever used! |
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| Sleeping Facial |
I am a huge lover of my Clarisonic Mia! Coach gave me a pink polka dot version last
year for Valentine’s Day and I love the deep clean it gives.
With a little of the Tea Tree Oil Face wash on my
Clarisonic I wash my face at night AFTER taking off all my eye make-up and
using a make up remover cloth.
At least once a week I use the Mint Julep Mask to
draw out any impurities that might be building up. Know that this can sting a little &
smells oddly of toothpaste. Once you
take this mask off though the slight discomfort you felt when you first put it
on when you see/feel your skin. Crazy
good. This also works great as a spot treatment
overnight for those problem pimples that pop up.
The Origins Pore Purifying Toner comes next and I
finish with the Wild Rose Sleeping Facial.
The biggest difference though for me has been my
monthly facials at Facelogic. Having an
esthetician that knows my skin and has formulated a plan specifically for my
issues and me has worked wonders! Rachel
offers fabulous service, deep cleans & a plan to address any issues. She has been such a blessing in this process.
Finally finding products that work with my skin
instead of against it came with a lot of trial and error and I have had to make
decisions based on my budget as well.
The balance between high-end pricey products and basic low-budget
products allows me to splurge on the items I love without feeling as if I am
spending way too much.
Overall though the difference has been finding my
identity in the Lord and knowing that regardless if I never have model skin I
am exactly what the Lord wants me to be and that is the ultimate victory.
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