4 Skincare facts you didn't know about me

My skincare journey started when I was just 13 years old and my Gran bought me my first routine. To this day, I still remember how excited I was to receive it and how I rushed to the bathroom to apply the products.

Since then, I've battled acne as a teenager, qualified as an Aesthetician, started my own skin clinic and helped to transform the skin of thousands of people, before finally creating BASE.

Along the way, I've picked lots of little tips and tricks that I'm excited to share. So without further ado, here are a few of the lessons I’ve learnt so far that I hope will make a difference for you too…

#1. Occasionally, I embrace ‘Speed Needling’

For those of you who follow along on Instagram, you’ll know that for me, Wednesday night is TLC Roller night. But last Wednesday I didn’t get home until after 10pm and although I was keen to do my routine, I was feeling quite sleepy.

So, rather than needling my whole face, I simply picked my key areas of concern and focused on needling those only. For me this was my forehead, frown lines, nasolabial folds (the lines that run from the corner of your nose to the corner of your mouth) and my marionette lines (these go from the corner of your mouth, down to your chin).

It literally took a couple of minutes and meant that I didn’t have to choose between skincare and self-care - It was the perfect compromise 😊

#2. I once prioritised makeup over skincare…I know 🙈

As a teenager, I struggled with acne. I tried everything and anything to get it under control but just couldn’t seem to find a winning solution. Over time, this of course knocked my confidence and I became far more conscious of covering it up rather than finding the route cause.

This meant my makeup collection was extensive and I had full camouflage foundations to try and stop the pimples peeking through. However, when I turned 18 and got help from a professional aesthetician (I’ll link the full story here), the routine and treatments she prescribed completely transformed my skin.

Within months the breakouts faded away and my makeup collection went with it. Ever since it’s been my mission to create the perfect skincare routine, so none of us need to invest in covering our complexions up.

#3. I don’t always feel like it…

By this point, we’re all aware of how much I adore skincare. But, I’d be lying if I said that occasionally, there aren’t nights where I consider sneaking into bed without doing my routine 🙈

In these rare instances though, I always remind myself of the quote ‘You never regret a workout’ because exactly the same applies to your skin…You never lay in bed wishing you hadn’t applied your products!

So, when I need to give myself a little push, I break things down into baby steps. I start by telling myself I’m just going to do my double cleanse because I have to go to the bathroom to clean my teeth anyway. And as soon as I’ve committed to the first step, I tend to find the next flow with ease. In fact, those 5 minutes with my Kit are always exactly what I need to unwind at the end of the day.

#4. I aim to glow on the inside as well as the out

Back in 2017 I was diagnosed with psoriasis - An autoimmune disease that causes red, scaly patches of skin across your face and body.

Currently there is no known cure, however science continues to prove the strength of the gut-skin connection. A happy tummy helps to keep inflammation such as spots, rashes and irritation at bay. So, in a desperate attempt to soothe my skin, I had my intolerances tested to see if there was a link.

Sure enough, the results showed that I’m allergic to both dairy and gluten and as soon as I removed them from my diet, my skin completely healed within 6 weeks. To this day, I continue to work super hard taking care of my skin on the inside as well as the out…Even if the Easter egg aisle is beyond tempting at this time of year!

One of my favourite things about the BASE community is that we’re all learning together. A lovely lady commented on one of my Instagram posts this week to say that she’s 53 and only just getting into skincare.

From the emojis she used, I could tell she was judging herself - But I’m a fully qualified aesthetician and as you can see from above, every day is a school day for me too. This will always be a judgement free zone and I’ll continue to share all I know and learn along the way, so we can all glow together ✨