My skincare routine has slowly evolved in the past couple months. Just like many other things in my life, I decided to do better, to take it ‘more seriously’.
This is truly a process for me because it has never been a priority. I’ve never really been into creams, masks, treatments and certainly not into a cabinet full of products. Indeed my skincare routine was, for a very long time, a one step routine. Apply moisturizing cream and… go!
Of course, I did the occasional mask while soaking in my bath. I have to admit some had an impact and I promised myself to do it every week, without ever keeping up with such a promise.
But, time passes and as mentioned before, my numerous trips to take care of my dad are weighting on me. They are exhausting me physically and it started showing on my skin. Definitively, under my eyes, where dark circles appeared the days I drove back home and took longer and longer to go away, with every trips. Until they decided to stay more permanently.
With all the things I have to do during these long week-ends, I often forget to even moisturize. My skin is often under attack by the work done in the garage, the paint work, the products used, the dust… and as I come back home and see myself in the entrance mirror, I realize the damages caused, in just a couple days.
Things I tried in the past
So in the last year or so, I tried several new things, several fashionable products. Q10, hyaluronic serums, vitamin C serums and even recently eye patches. I can’t truly say if any of these had an impact. They eye patches were the most disappointing.
In addition, I tried to do more face massage with simple oil like almond oil and Frankenstein essential oil. These had the biggest impact on my skin, but I can’t seem to keep it up.
It’s a work in progress. I’m trying!
My latest test: Typology.
Knowing very well that consistency is key, I decided to make a commitment to better pamper my skin!
I kind of splurged and bought a whole range of Typology products.
Firs,t I’ll make it clear why I wrote just above ‘kind of splurged‘. A lot of people seems to think Typology is expensive. And yes, the products adds up but I felt early on my test that despite the tiny bottle size, the products lasted just as long, if not longer than other cheaper products, because so little is required. When they say 2 drops for the whole face, you have to believe it because if you add more, you won’t know where to put it even after covering your face, your neck, your décolleté and the back of your hands. You’ll be rubbing your arms next!
Typology is organic and vegan and has no preservatives or other nasty ingredients and this usually means slightly more expensive than petroleum based products. Since I don’t want toxic products on my skin, I’m fine with the price.
The real reason I chose Typology
Typology is French, I’m French and living very close to France… we were made to match!
OK, weird statement! Why?!
Well, I’ve started growing this maybe bizarre idea that local skincare, with local ingredients, is probably better for your skin, than a foreign brand. Foreign to you and foreign to your country of residence.
This is based on a couple very small experiment which have absolutely no scientific basis! But these have lead me to think that maybe, local ingredients are better than their distant cousins. Thinking of you here, my dear coconut oil but I won’t say more! 😉
Historically and until fairly recently, we’ve always used mostly local ingredients. We ate local food, made medicine from the plants around us and yes, skincare. Plants grown next door maybe have a greater affinity with us and maybe more effect?! Grand mother’s recipes anyone?!
In addition, we are all the same but somehow, our skins are all different and need different things. The air we breath, the humidity level, the pollution level… these are all different, in different parts of the world.
A moisturizing cream formulated in the US is surely slightly different than the one formulated in Japan? It ought to be.
Anyway, I might not express this properly but thankfully a small trip on google confirmed I’m not the only one to haves such suspicions.
And so for my next experiment, I chose a French brand because I’m French after all!
How is it going?
It’s been almost a month, but let’s start at the beginning.
The first night was a bit of a nightmare for me!
At first, it was because I had no idea what to do with so many products. Thankfully and very smartly, Typology gives you an action plan based on what you bought! Thanks so much for that!
The nightmare however continued when I realized that taking care of my skin was going to be a time consuming affair! First serum around the eye, second serum all over the rest of the face, third serum?! Really, I bought a third one? Next, moisturizing cream and then… another night serum?! Wait I bought a fourth one?! Why? Oh that was part of the plan. I didn’t know what I was doing, clearly!
By the time I was done, I felt slightly greasy (remember this is all new to me!) and a little worried for my pillow cases.
But by morning, I felt pleasantly surprised by the plumpness of my skin. I looked well rested!
The next day, I decided to put all of these products on a little tray so I could carry them around and do such an evening routine in front of Netflix, because by the time I got my teeth brushed, I knew I wouldn’t do any of it.
The first week was a bit of a challenge
You got this! You can do it! Yes, I had to prepare mentally to do the routine, to actually do the routine! It isn’t unpleasant obviously. Nothing hurts. Somehow I still had to motivate myself.
Plus I had a week-end at my dad planned and I knew it would make things tricky. I even considered pausing my routine for the duration of my stay. Surprisingly I didn’t! Surprisingly, as a couple days had passed before I took off, I didn’t want to pause anymore. I started enjoying this moment. I started really liking the feeling of the serums on my skin, I started liking how my skin looked! Yeah, yeah, I’m a dummy!
I should add that with the order I placed, I got 2 gifts (actually 3 – no wait 4!). The first gift I chose were reusable make-up removal pads (yeah finally got some of these and they are soooo soft!) Most importantly here, the second gift I received was a week-end pouch. Perfectly sized to carry all my products, I had no excuse to not take them with me… and well… use them!
After that, it was just easy and incredibly pleasant
Once I came back from my dad, it was so much easier to keep up. Seeing my skin liking it, I couldn’t possibly skip on such a routine either. I started liking it and looking forward to it.
Night routine has been easy, partly thanks to my little tray! My partner isn’t even surprised anymore, of all the things I do while watching Netflix.
Morning routine has been a little more challenging. Working from home and not always having the same morning routine, did mean that I had to adjust things a bit. But I’m changing that too and now I feel almost like an adult!
Results?
Plump skin, soothed skin. A lot smoother and radiant and with a lot less (small) issues like irritations and redness. My skin feels happier and ready to face life!
My dark circles are still there, but they are starting to do better.
Additional product I’m testing: the stretch mark gel
So as you may have read before, I’m on a journey to getting healthier overall and on my way to a new body! One of the side effect I didn’t mention in the article just linked is that stretch marks are appearing! I had not realized it at the time of writing that piece. I thought that stretch marks came with weight gain but I’m only noticing them now that I’m shrinking. Go figure?! I must have not paid a lot of attention.
So I got the Typology stretch mark gel to oil and I can’t say that I’m seeing results but I do like the gel. Easy to apply and I even like the smell. Well, I don’t expect incredible results on this front, as there isn’t much you can do with established stretch marks, apart from going on with your life!
My dears, this isn’t a sponsored post, there are no affiliated links, I bought the products and got the regular gifts that Typology offers… I wanted to tell you about it because I have a feeling, I may have found my brand of skincare! It took me ages to understand the importance of skincare, and to be honest, I’m not even sure I entirely comprehend it. And, yes, it took me ages to find products that work for me… And if there is only one thing you get from this read, it is that maybe, if you are still looking for your ideal skincare products, you should look closer to your roots or to your home!
Beautiful Things 