My skin has always been troublesome, bothersome, and a general pain in my butt. It comes from my father’s side. Prone to breakouts and acne that was not just saved for my teenage years. Often oily, always shiny, and now that I’m older, it shows signs of sun damage here or there and the occasional marks from kitchen accidents. It’s all there.
But this year, I’ve had the best skin of my LIFE.
Mostly clear. Mostly bright. Mostly low maintenance. Mostly awesome.
How, right? How do you get that bright glowing skin? You mentioned it, people on Facebook and Instagram. I’m not making this up. You can see it too. Because the one thing we ALL know is that without significant editing {and some go to the trouble, pfft, why bother} there is no way to hide blemished skin, dull eyes and lacklustre hair with an Instagram filter. You’ve either got it, or you don’t.
And how do you get it? Here are the five things I changed this year that left my skin better than it has ever been. They are simple, straight forward and designed around advice I collected from random people who happened to overhear my complaining. It’s simple, worked for me, and in most cases, it will work for you too. Medical issues aside. Ready? Let’s go.
One: I use a daily sunscreen moisturiser.
Wear sunscreen every single day. I picked up a simple moisturiser with a high sunscreen level, and I apply it every morning whether I’m applying makeup or not. Putting a stop to additional sun damage and adding moisture to my skin, leaving it plump and fresh. And perhaps I can keep an extra wrinkle or two at bay for a little while.
Two: I eat my greens, lots of them.
Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Drink them if you need to. This year we drank green juice almost every day of the 365 days of the year. People have commented on my tan and the general glow of my skin. Now I don’t tan and rarely apply fake; the only thing we can put this down to is the high volume of spinach and other hearty greens I consume in the same way too much carrot turns you orange.
Three: I keep it simple.
Clean your skin thoroughly every night before bed but keep it simple. I use a simple cleansing foam in the shower and remove it with a washer. After I’ve gotten out of the shower and dried off, I wipe over my face with Clearasil face wipes to target breakouts. I don’t wear moisturiser at night; I don’t scrub or poke or prod. I keep it simple.
Four: I like to work it, work it.
Sweat it out. Nothing does my skin better than a great workout. I come home, and my face is clean, clear and rosy. I love that. By all accounts, it cleans out pores and gets the blood pumping. On the nights I cleanse my face after a workout, there is much less residue on the washer than on the nights when I come straight from my day. This makes cleaning my skin simple; the sweat has already done the hard work.
Five: I’m a fish.
Drink lots of water, way more than any other beverage, by three times. There are guidelines for water volumes you should drink and things like that, but as a large woman who exercises regularly, I drink a lot more. So add more if you need to; flushing out toxins and other gunk is the aim.
What I have learned this year and put into action has given me the confidence in my skin that I never had before. My skin is better is the foundation of that confidence, and filters, makeup, or good lighting are the creams on top. It’s like beauty editors have been saying since the beginning of magazine time. Healthy glows are a real thing; in the end, it doesn’t take much to cause a change.
And that, my friends, is how I managed to get the best skin of my life.
Want to share your best skin secret? What works for you? Spill!
Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.
This is great advice. I still get breakouts, but my skin has gotten a lot better since I changed cleansers. Can’t stop those hormonal breakouts though haha. Another thing is, if you DO get them, DON’T PICK! Haha I did that a lot in my teen years and was left with some scars
A top tip indeed! I have a little scarring on one of my cheeks from acne as a teen and I can tell you, when it flared up I was constantly poking and prodding it trying to make it go away. Such a bad idea. And hormonal break outs, yup, they are a bitch. I’ve had less though since changing my diet to more green and clean. Might be worth a go if they are really bothering you.
Hmm I think its definitely worth a go!
It always is, right!?
I clicked on this thinking ‘if she says green smoothies so help me…’ lol Although they’re definitely part of it it’s great that you’ve got lots of different advice most of which is quite easy to follow. I totally agree with all of the above and have pretty much the same experiences. I think the only thing I would add is that cream cleanser is the best, especially for skin 25+ because it’s not as harsh and gives your skin more moisture rather than some of the other stronger cleansers that can dry your skin out. I mostly adhere to the rules above but I’ve been a little slack lately both with cleansing at night and with exercise. Tisk tisk 😛
Haha. You HAD to be able to guess they would be included. You have to admit, it’s been a key component. A girl can not live on margarita’s and chilli fries alone. 😉
Nice tip for the cream cleanser. Thanks for that! I might have to give it another go, I always found they left my skin feeling heavy… Maybe I’m not doing ti right.
I am lucky because I just have good skin. Whilst random old men like to comment on my weight, old ladies are likely to stop me in the strew to tell me I have lovely skin. I don’t really know what that means but I have avoided the sun since I was 14. I am very, very pale and received a lot of sunburns when I was a child. So, sun protection is big for me.
For the past five years or so, I have always taken a parasol with me when I leave the house and I always wear sunscreen. I am the recent proud owner of two very good sun hats both of which came with a 50+ UV rating (Queensland Cancer Council Shop Online). If I am going outside, I have a hat or a parasol.
My big tip is learn to adapt your skin routine through your life. You shouldn’t be using the same routine in your 30s that you were using in your 20s because, take it from me, your skin will change. But also apply your brain to the sales marketing of skin care because there is a lot of BS out there in relation to what a mere moisturiser can do. Don’t be afraid to ask your GP, especially if you have a female GP as I do – they want to give you advice on skin issues.
My husband once had serious burns from the sun and is a bit sun shy because of it. Our work sites are covered in tents and umbrellas to keep the worst at bay, sunscreen and the best shirts available to keep it off him,. It never really works 100% when you are outside like he is, but we try.
GREAT advice. Thanks so much for sharing. Legend.
I do these things too! Keeping it simple and working from this inside out has worked for me too!
Great post… Will share.
Thanks Be! And it really does work. Who knew. 😉
Great advice Suger! I need to buy some SPF moisturiser pronto, I keep meaning to and forgetting. I love that all this advice is very holistic and about nourishing your body to see outside results, great message!
Thank you. I know that this is the only way I’ve noticed any real changes in my skin. There were no short cuts that I found that worked.