My Beauty Journey (so far…)

Happy New Year!

Since it’s now 2016 (where on earth did 2015 go??), I thought I’d take a look back all the way to 2008 where my beauty journey started.

The beginning

I was definitely a late bloomer compared to many of my peers when it came to all things beauty-related. I was very much a tomboy up to that point and only really started getting interested in makeup when I was 18 and in my final year of 6th form college. My routine at that point was just washing my face and that was it. I really did nothing to manage my appearance other than getting dressed and brushing my hair every morning and dashing off out. I was lucky that I didn’t go through any acne or breakouts up to that age. I can’t remember even having a couple of spots or pimples. I had clear skin and the only problem I had to contend with was that it was very sensitive and I would get red bruises and swelling now and again for no apparent reason.

I can’t pinpoint an exact time or memory that I first decided to try things out but I know I had started researching about skincare and makeup at 18. My memory of spring/summer 2008 was lazying around in my brother’s room (he was away at uni in Wales) and playing with makeup I had randomly purchased. That’s when I first learnt how to apply eyeliner. My first attempt was with Avon pencil eyeliners.

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1st Year of University 

By the time I had started my first year of University in September 2008, I was properly wearing makeup outside the house on a daily basis. I spent a lot of my spare time online researching and reading about how to take care of your skin, dealing with your skin type, different types of makeup and what were popular and good products to buy.

I was pretty much a child discovering a whole new world at that point. I was never really into buying and reading fashion and beauty magazines so one of my first forays into the beauty world was stumbling across bubzbeauty’s Youtube channel which really taught me a lot about how to apply makeup and why skincare was important. From there I discovered many other popular Youtube beauty bloggers and beauty blog sites and I was hooked.

I read and watched many reviews on products and my first year of uni involved a lot of time and money experimenting with makeup. My first year was also when I properly started a daily skincare routine involving cleanser, toner and moisturiser. While I was trying out different product types, my basic main everyday staples included:

SKINCARE

• SIMPLE Cleansing facial wipes
• SIMPLE Moisturising facial wash
• SIMPLE Soothing facial toner
• SIMPLE Hydrating light moisturiser

MAKEUP

• MAYBELLINE Dream Satin Liquid Foundation
• MAX FACTOR Second Skin Foundation
• MAYBELLINE Expert Wear Blush
• MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner

With skincare, I found Simple very easily as it’s a popular UK brand. It was targeted for sensitive skin which was exactly what I needed. Since I started with the 3-step skincare routine however, my skin calmed down a lot and reacted a lot less to the external environment and less prone to irritation and inflammation. It wasn’t difficult to see that maintaining a skincare regime was doing great things for my skin. I didn’t even classify it as sensitive anymore since I wasn’t getting any trouble.

As for makeup, I quickly settled for gel eyeliners as I realised pencils and liquid liners weren’t working for me. I could get a cleaner smoother and neater application with the former. As for foundation, I didn’t really have a clue where to begin with this actually. It was only because I saw an advert on tv for the new Maybelline dream satin liquid foundation that I decided to try it. Though it took me 3 attempts to find the shade that fit me, when I did, I loved this foundation. This is the reason why I still have a preference for liquid foundations even today and I’ve never tried traditional powder or compact foundation.

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2nd-4th year of University

My staples pretty much stayed consisted for the remaining 3 years of university as I found products I was satisfied with and happy to keep repurchasing.

SKINCARE:

• SIMPLE Cleansing facial wipes
• CLEAN & CLEAR Deep action cream wash
• SIMPLE Soothing facial toner
• GARNIER Fresh essentials 24h4 hydrating day cream (for normal/ combo skin)

MAKEUP:

• SKIN79 Super+ Beblesh Balm BB Cream
• MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream
• E.L.F Studio Blush
• MAYBELLINE The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara
• E.L.F Bronzer
• BOBBI BROWN Long Wear Gel Eyeliner
• L’OREAL True Match Concealer

I had discovered the trend of BB creams from Korea back in first year and by the time I was in 2nd year I had fully switched to using it on a daily basis and switched between the two brands shown above. My skin was really great in my first 2 years of uni so I only needed a light coverage to even out my skin tone and foundation wasn’t really needed everyday. I only used foundation for special occasions and nights out. The Bobbi Brown eyeliner became my holy grail that I’d never go anywhere without. Much more smudge-proof and long lasting than the Mac fluidline. I still use it to this day. I also delved into more point makeup like bronzer, mascara etc for occasions.

3rd and 4th year of uni was quite stressful for me in terms of workload, exams and how intensive my course became especially in comparison to my fairly easy first 2 years. This stress was definitely reflected in my skin and it was quite a shock for me to suddenly break out more than I ever had before. It wasn’t anything like severe acne but I had lots of tiny spots clustered around my temples that would pop up as soon as they had cleared up again. I also would break out on my forehead, and get a big pimple now and again either between my eyebrows or on my chin that would take ages to heal. Looking back, I didn’t do as much as I could have to combat them but I started using clean & clear cleansers and using concealers more to conceal them.

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2013-2015  

After I left uni, my skin troubles cleared up completely, especially around my temple region and forehead.

My skincare was mostly the same with the exception of the following 2 below. I think the toner is amazing. So gentle and hydrating. As for the moisturiser, I only used it as long as I did because I bought a few as they were on offer and I was just using them up. It was not moisturising enough so it had no impact on my dry patches and made my t-zone more oily.

SKINCARE

• SIMPLE Cleansing facial wipes
• CLEAN & CLEAR Deep action cream wash
• GARNIER Moisture Match (Illuminating – orange version)
• NO.7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner

MAKEUP

• ESTEE LAUDER Double Wear Foundation
• ESTEE LAUDER Double Wear Light Foundation
• BOBBI BROWN Long Wear Gel Eyeliner
• REVLON Colorburst Lip Butter (Shade Macaroon)
• E.L.F Studio Blush

After leaving uni, I became a flight attendant. It was the first time in a long while  I changed up my base makeup but the Maybelline foundation and any BB cream was not going to be adequate for long haul flying and super long work shifts that were not the standard ‘8 hours in the office’. I needed something with the long lasting power and that wasn’t going to make me an oily shiny mess after only a few hours.

My research led me to the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation and it was my first foray into high end department store makeup (with the exception of eye makeup). This stuff is seriously THE BEST. I have totally ruined myself for other base makeup because the Double Wear is amazing and I compare everything else I try to this. It has some seriously long lasting power and is such a pain to remove fully even with makeup wipes. I would sleep in the bunks midway through a flight on crew break and wake up with my makeup still looking flawless and intact. I would always get comments from other crew members about how great my skin was and how I looked exactly the same before and after a 13 hour flight. However, it wasn’t my skin that was flawless, it was this foundation that gave me the appearance of flawless skin. I could be awake over 24 hours and still this would hold up.

I also love the double wear light which is very similar to the double wear but is a bit less heavy, not AS long lasting (but still holds up for ages) and doesn’t have as high coverage. I’d use this more for short haul flights and going out when I wasn’t working. I still used BB cream but less frequently than before.

My ELF blusher and eyeliner were also great for my job because they were pigmented and long lasting. My blush especially since it didn’t even wipe off when I was sleeping on my side on crew bunk pillows. I’d wake up and you could still see the blush!

Lipstick was a bit more difficult for me. We had to wear red lipstick when in uniform and I tried Estee Lauder and Mac before I finally settled on the Revlon lip butter. The latter didn’t dry up and crack on my lips as quickly or as easily on the plane where the air was extremely dry. i did have to reapply because it didn’t last long but it was less obvious when it faded off my lips and made my lips dry out less.

Overall, my first year of flying didn’t do much to affect my skin but by the second year I was starting to notice my thread veins in my cheeks were becoming more obvious (this problem had started during uni) and I was starting to get lone pimples again on the chin and forehead. I believe the dry plane conditions were starting to affect my already thin skin and moisture barrier, and dehydrating my skin –  my skincare wasn’t adequate enough to deal with it.

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So just before I quit flying I made the switch to Korean skincare and cosmetics and currently, my skin has been doing a lot better than before. In my next post I will be discussing the reasons why I changed up my skincare and makeup routine, and in particular, why Korean beauty products.