Not so much a skin diary post, more of a skin and overall life realisation. In my head, I broke it down into 3 parts - responsibility, fear and attentiveness. I know these concepts intertwine but it dawned on me that these are 3 things that are reoccurring factors when it comes to someone wanting amazing skin. I have nothing against anyone wanting the skin of their dreams, believe me, I work hard in trying to deliver that. I want people to be realistic and understand what they have and how to best utilise it.

RESPONSIBILITY

Sounds a bit like mother's advice - our skin is our responsibility and it is up to us to take care of it. Something I find extremely fascinating is when people treat their skin horribly, whether it is leaving makeup on while sleeping or failing to moisturise, and then they become unhappy about the way their skin looks. This leads to the cycle of buying unnecessary makeup products in hopes of having that quick fix. I hate to say it, it's not that easy.

We live in a world where the environment is doing more damage than good, so it is up to us to protect our skin from it.

When I say take responsibility, I mean owning up to the fact that the appearance of your skin is because of something you have done or haven’t done. Even those with hormonal acne from the effects of that time of the month, puberty or even polycystic ovarian syndrome can help to reduce the effects of 'the inevitable pimple'. It's about finding out why you have those symptoms. If it’s a random breakout - why has it formed there? Have I eaten anything different lately? If it looks like you suddenly have 10 lines on your forehead - have I had enough water? Did I moisturise? Is my moisturiser enough? Have I been putting sunscreen on? It’s a hard reality to face, but by having a thorough look at own skin we can find the solution before entering the endless cycle of buying more and more unnecessary products. Don't get me wrong, I adore the power of makeup and the confidence it can give to people. I equally love the confidence someone has when they get compliments on their bare skin or when they just need a touch of makeup to enhance their natural beauty. That is all I want in life and I'm sure a lot of you will agree. It's all about going back to the roots and, for makeup, it was about enhancing your natural beauty. Of course, now it has become an art and to each their own. But let's face it when you see someone with 'instagram makeup' in real life you almost have to do a double take.

ATTENTIVENESS

Now I know what you're thinking. I don’t have time, I don’t have enough money, skin care is expensive, I can just go get a facial every now and then. What I say to that is: skincare is an investment. #SKINVESTMENTJust like how you invest time and energy into your education, your looks, your job, it should be the same for your skin. You don’t have to go out and buy the most expensive product. You just need to pay attention to what the skin needs and likes. Who better to determine that than yourself. Of course, find your reliable resources that will help you. It can be daunting, but you'll be able to find it. It’s a sad reality because we have so many amazing products (albeit amongst a world of not-so-amazing products) that we can use but just need the right information so we can find them.

FEAR

We all know that feeling when we pass the cash to the salesperson and think, "Is this product really going to work for me?". The answer is, "you'll never know until you try". There's a great fear that people believe they can't be helped. I can totally understand if you've gone through dozens of products and have hit rock bottom with results. My advice would be to look at what you've bought. Take a real look at the ingredients, how long you've used it for, whether you were using it correctly, even if it was the right product for you - they can help reduce the chances of you buying a dud product.

Fear is also found in those who think they'll never have amazing skin. Bullshit. First of all, stop comparing yourself to others, particularly those who are online, is pointless. The skin you see there is not real. This fear creates negative vibes in your brain which, I believe, prevent your skin from healing or getting better. You feel you won't have skin like theirs, so your body doesn't make it so. It sounds like woo woo, but I believe in it.

On another note, people fear breaking out from products. Why? If you have a good skin care routine, one use of a product will not break you out. Chemistry-wise, it doesn't make sense. Unless your pores were already clogged and the product you applied on top had just accelerated the effects, the one-time use of a product can not break you out. If it did, have a look at your skin routine. I've gone through this reality. I even tested the product on random days to see if it actually broke me out. There were times when this method helped me to find culprits in my skin routine. WOO!

 What many people forget is that the skin you have is with you for life. You will always be in your skin so what you do now can affect how your skin looks in the future. I believe that when your skin is prepped or taken care of properly, there is no need to pack on a lot of makeup to mask any imperfections.

When you finally start taking responsibility for your skin and how it looks, then you can start fixing the damage.