Miracle Serum for Eyes

As a result of using this product, I have been able to wear make up products such as eyeshadow and a MAC mascara, which previously dried out my sensitive eyes even more!
I have sufferrd from dry and red eyes for years now, and I have struggled to find a suitable product that’s delicate enough to treat the eczema on this highly sensitive part of my body. However, this all changed when I was introduced to using a ’1% Hydrocortisone’ ointment by family members that also have eczema. After one use, the swelling on my eyelids had reduced and now, less than a week later, my eyes are completely eczema free!

I have been told that there’s strict rules for using this product. You must apply it three times a day, if your eczema is extreme, then once when it’s clearing up, and stop using out when your skin has healed! Obviously, this is just an outline of the procedure and you should listen to the advise from your doctor or skin specialist! But if I were you, I would book an appointment at your local doctors, so you can see the amazing results from using this product!

If you would like to know more about skin care products suitable for dry, sensitive or eczema prone skin, please click here. 

Suffering from skin conditions? Look no further than at your pet

My last two posts explained how I had a new house mate, Sherman the hamster. Since having Sherman, my eczema has been out of control; it has been dry to the point of bleeding, my eyelids have cracked, and I have been as red as a lobster. Unfortunately, much to everyone’s dismay, after a week of living with Sherman I made the decision that he had to be re-homed.

Last night I didn’t stay in the house, my skin was so bad that I needed a night away from Sherman and, in less than twelve hours, my skin has made radical changes. My inflamed, dry and cut skin has healed! It’s now just a little bit dry, but not to the extent that they were previously, definitely nothing that a few applications of ‘Yes Nurse! Protect Your Lovely Hands’ can’t handle (a product review and buying instructions are available here!). 

I knew that Sherman was affecting me, but I didn’t realise that just spending a few hours out of the house would cause such an improved difference! This just goes to show how much pets can affect skin, and although it’s difficult, it’s best to keep your distance. Whether this means staying as far away as possible, such as putting the pet in its own room, taking anti-histamines, or even consider re-homing them.

Pictured below is my hands while living with Sherman, compared to 12 hours living away from Sherman.

Living with Sherman

Living without Sherman

I’m not a Doctor, but in my opinion, none of their prescribed medicines have ever healed my skin as quickly as this. This just goes to show that when it comes to eczema, one of the main problems is the aggravating factors around you, such as stress or allergens. My best advise is if you erase the aggravator, you erase the problem. A gentle high street moisturiser such asDove Summer Glow for your body, Yes Nurse! for your hands, and a No7 face moisturiser, will help you keep things under control after the allergen or aggravator has been removed.

I hope you have found this as interesting as I have!

To learn more about make up and beauty products suitable for sensitive, allergy, and eczema prone skin, please click here.

Leanne x

Beauty Secrets to Calm Allergies

My post yesterday described my allergies to pets. I’m going through one of those ‘depressed-about-my-skin’ phases, so I’m trying to disguise my eczema and allergy infected skin as well as possible.

To do this, I’m using a hand moisturiser called ‘Yes! Nurse: Protect Your Lovely Hands’. I brought this online following the advise of my hairdresser, who suffers from dry hands, because she’s constantly washing them! The product was developed by a nurse who suffered with eczema. Her hands became red-raw as she had to wash her delicate skin so much. Therefore, she decided to make her own moisturiser using natural ingredients, to avoid dryness and to have a product gentle enough for eczema prone skin. I have just applied this product, and although my hands are still red the dryness has decreased. This product is definitely a good investment for people suffering with dry hands, such as hairdressers, busy mums, doctors, dentists, nurses, people working in the catering industry – the list is endless! This product has been featured in Vogue, so you know it’s worth an investment! In terms of price, it’s not expensive at £5.49 for a single tube, or you can buy two for £10. The tube itself isn’t bulky, so it’s perfect to fit inside any sized bag; whether it’s a tote bag or clutch. You can also include this in your cabin luggage at the airport (I must stress that taking a moisturiser on a plane is aMUST for people with dry skin, because the air conditioning completely dries out our fragile skin and does it no favours!).

My eyes are also affected by my pet allergy; they’re red, puffy, and swollen – just what you need! I struggle to know what to put on my eyes when they’re dry. The only thing that seems to work, and is gentle enough for my skin, is Aloe Vera Vaseline. Today I applied a thin layer, because it’s very oily and sticky, then applied No7 ‘Stay Perfect Foundation’ (click here for a product review) to dry and mask the redness. Luckily it worked, it may not have erased the problem completely, but at least my eyes look slightly more normal now!

To keep my shoulders and arms as free from an allergic breakout of eczema as possible, I am applying Dove Summer Glow twice a day, instead of once a day, to try to keep my skin as moisturised as possible. It comes in two different shades, for Light to Medium, or Medium to Darkskin tones. This product really helps keep my skin under control; you can see the benefits of using it here. Not only does it moisturise my skin, but it also builds up a gradual tan, which is perfectly preparing me for the summer months ahead!     

To buy any of the products I have mentioned, please click on the links below.

• Dove Summer Glow
  
• No7 Stay Perfect Foundation
• Vaseline
• Protect Your Lovely Hands Moisturiser

To learn more about make up and beauty products suitable for sensitive, allergy, and eczema prone skin, please click here.

Leanne x

Exfoliation: The Golden Rule for Dry Skin

It is a common misconception that people with dry skin shouldn't exfoliate. Up until I received advise from a skin care specialist, I also thought that exfoliating was one of the worst things to treat dry skin. However I, like many others, are wrong. In fact, exfoliation has been one of my skin savers when I break out in a bad spell of eczema. It's important to remember that dry skin is usually very sensitive, and some exfoliators can be very rough. Therefore, I would advise using an exfoliator marketed for use on the face on the whole body, because products designed for using on the face are usually designed to be gentle, which will not upset delicate skin types.

As a general rule, I now do not use any product that isn't marked 'hypoallergenic' or allergy tested. This means I am quite limited to the products that I can use, but it's worth having full confidence that the product I am buying will not aggravate my skin. Therefore, I use Clinique '7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula'. It's £18.50 but a little goes a long way, so the product lasts ages. I use this product at least once a week, depending on how dry my skin is: the more dry my skin is, the more I use it.

To use this product, I wet my face with a flannel using warm water. Then, I put a little blob on my nose, cheek bones, and forehead, and use circular motions to ensure the product covers my face and allows the exfoliation process to work. Once I feel as though the product cannot be rubbed any more, I take it off using warm water and a cotton wool pad. I use cotton wool, because I feel like it removes the residue better than a flannel. After this, I moisturise using No7 ‘Beautiful Skin Day Cream’ for Dry/Very Dry skin. 

My skin instantly feels smoother, and all the flakey skin has been removed, revealing a soft base ready for applying makeup.

My advise is, that any one with dry skin should go out and buy a hypoallergenic exfoliator to be one step closer to achieving perfect skin!

To buy the products mentioned, please click on the links below:

No7 ‘Beautiful Skin Day Cream’ for Dry/Very Dry:http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Beautiful-Skin-Day-Cream-for-Normal-Dry-Skin-50ml_1245032/

Clinique '7 Day Scrub Rinse-off Formula' 
http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1682/5003/Skin-Care/ExfoliatorsMasks/7-Day-Scrub-Cream-Rinse-Off-Formula/Rinse-Off-Formula-For-All-Skin-Types/index.tmpl 

Leanne x

The Best False Eyelashes for Sensitive Skin

I had to stop wearing false eyelashes; when I wore them, my eyes reacted and instead of having desirable eyes, I had red and swollen eyes, that were itchy and dry. Therefore, I had to layer on my mascara, as I love having long, thick luscious lashes! I am lucky enough to have naturally long and thick eyelashes, but in pictures natural eyelashes seem to be swallowed by the camera's flash, and I missed wearing them!

I previously wore 'Eyelure 107' eyelashes, which vary in price depending where you buy them from, but they're usually just over £5. These are long eyelashes all around the eye area, which I do like, and I am pictured wearing below (right). 

However, I think the glue was too strong, and after wearing for an evening my eyes started to swell.

I aimed to find a hypoallergenic eyelash glue, and as luck would have it, No7 have excelled again for us with sensitive skin! I decided I wanted a change from my usual Eyelure 107 eyelashes, and wanted something a little more natural. However, I have tried 'Eyelure 100' lashes, and the lashes were thinner and shorter than my natural lashes, so I wanted to find something in the middle.

I went to Boots, and had a long search through all the different types of eyelashes. I was either going to buy No7 'Hypo-allergenic Lash Adhesive', which comes in a large mascara-sized tube for £7.50, then buy a pair of eyelashes from another brand, but after a long decision I decided to buy 'No7 Lash 30 Exceptional Definition', which includes a small bottle of their hypo-allergenic lash adhesive.

I did need to add a little bit of mascara to the eyelashes to make them a little bolder, but I think it's because I am used to having high volume eyelashes. I applied the glue, waited a minute for it to go tacky, and then applied it to my eyes. Usually, my eyelids start to tickle and itch. However, I did not notice that these eyelashes were on and experienced no irritation all evening.

I would definitely recommend using No7's Hypo-allergenic Lash Adhesive, but I may keep looking to find my perfect shape false eyelashes.

To buy any of the products mentioned, please the above links.

As always, if you'd like to share your experience with anything I have mentioned, please comment below!

For more information about products suitable for eczema prone, sensitive and dry skin, please refer to my other posts. 

Leanne x

Fake Tanning Solves Eczema and Sensitive Skin Disorders!

I aimed to discover whether fake tanning moisturisers can benefit eczema-prone skin. I was fed up of having to hide my inflamed red skin on a night out. I hated having pictures taken, especially with the flash on, as in my eyes all I saw was my eczema taking over my body. Prescribed creams never seem to help, and the only time my eczema cleared up was on holiday abroad. Although buying a holiday home abroad would be a lovely idea, it’s not a reality, therefore I decided to use a self tanning moisturiser, ‘Dove Summer Glow’, to test whether a similar effect would be achieved, and if a ‘bottle’ tan would have similar benefits to a sun tan.

I applied the self-tanner every day after a shower or bath, usually before I went to bed. I was anxious that it would be streaky, or I would end up looking orange, but neither have happened. I aimed to have a natural looking tan, as I was attending a party and wanted to be able to confidently wear an outfit without having to worry about my eczema being on show. 

The results:

‘Dove Summer Glow’ is without a doubt the best product I have ever used to erase my eczema. My skin immediately improved as soon as I started to use the product, and has got better and better as the days progressed. The redness has gone, my skin is not dry or irritable, and instead it has freshly sun-kissed glow. The product is gentle, and never made my skin sting, or caused irritation. My confidence has been restored, and I could not wait to slip on my dress to show off my skin! I wore a black racer front dress from Zara, which showed off a lot of shoulder (a place where my eczema is usually particularly bad), with a statement necklace, also from Zara. But my best accessory was the confidence that I gained from the look of my skin! 

You can buy ‘Dove Summer Glow’ from a variety of shops, including Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets, for approximately £5, but keep your eye out for offers, as I managed to purchase mine at the reduced price of £3.55 at Sainsbury’s. 

I used the shade ‘fair to normal’ skin, but now I feel that if I wanted to enhance my skin tone I could start to use ‘normal to dark’, but I may wait until the summer to go up a shade so it looks natural. below is a picture of my skin taken on the final day of using the moisturiser, when you compare this to the appearance of my skin before using ‘Dove Summer Glow’, you can physically see the benefits of using this product.

The final day of using Dove Summer Glow

Before using Dove Summer Glow

I will definitely keep using this product, and will stock my cupboard up so I’m never without it! To view my progress, or to find out more about beauty products that are suitable for eczema, dry or sensitive skin, please click here. 

Leanne x

Nail Polishes for Sensitive Skin

I’ve read before that nail varnish can trigger a flare-up of eczema. Since reading the article, I have noticed that certain nail varnishes do make my eczema become inflamed, and my hands become red and dry. For awhile, I stopped using nail varnish to try to keep my hands in the best condition possible, but why should people with sensitive skin be left out when all their friends have perfectly manicured hands? It’s just not fair, I thought to myself.

However, for Christmas I received a set of ‘W7′ nail varnishes. I was so pleased when it didn’t make my eczema worse! One colour is a crimson red, with a pearl undertone, which looks gorgeous! It applies fairly quick, and dries extremely fast, which is perfect for busy women! Unfortunately, I cannot advise you where to buy this from, or the price of the item because it was a gift, but I have included a picture of the product, so you can keep your eyes pealed!

W7 nail varnishes are perfect for sensitive skin

Another nail varnish I would recommend for sensitive and eczema prone skin, is ‘No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour’, available from Boots, at £6. I brought this product as I use multiple No7 makeup and skin care products, as they are hypoallergenic. In simple terms, this basically means that their products have been tested on sensitive skin, and have fewer allergens in them, therefore this means their products are gentle on sensitive skin. I chose shade ’14 – Oyster’, which is similar to my Barry M nail varnish in ‘Ice Cream Pink’. However, I had to replace it with the No7 colour as it started to go gloppy, but at no surprise considering it is years old! When my hands are sore, they have a red tone to them in places, therefore wearing a pale shade of nail varnish creates an illusion of calmer looking skin, in comparison to a vibrant shade, which enhances red skin tones. This is the first day of wearing this shade of nail varnish, therefore I will let you know how things progress, but so far so good!

No7 is also a perfect choice for eczema prone skin

If you would like to find out more about products suitable for dry or sensitive skin, please click here.

Leanne x

Can Fake-tan Solve Eczema?

It is nearing the end of my ‘Dove Summer Glow’ challenge. My aim is to achieve a clearer complexion! For those who haven’t followed my progress so far, I have achieved positive result from using this product.  From day one, the redness of my skin has decreased, and it is no longer dry, inflamed and itchy.

Today there are hardly any imperfections, apart from a scratch scar across my chest, which will hopefully go down after a few days. To compare this to the condition of my skin before using ‘Dove Summer Glow’, please click here, and you will notice the clear improvements from the past few days.

Today’s Progress

My skin is also gradually starting to tan; I haven’t gone from resembling ‘Snow White’ to one of Willy Wonka’s Oompa Loompa’s, and instead I have a subtle sun-kissed glow!

I would recommend for anyone to use this product, as it is gentle, provides quick results, and provides moisture for thirty skin!

I have applied quite a thick layer of this product this evening, therefore I will keep you posted on the results tomorrow, which is my final day of using this product! Wish me luck!

Leanne x

Make-up for Dry and Sensitive Skin

I’m sharing my make-up tips for dry and sensitive skin. It’s tough for any one to know what make-up to use. It’s even worse when you have sensitive, dry and eczema prone skin. It’s took years to find the perfect make-up that doesn’t cause flare ups, but now I think I’ve eventually got the secret. I must also stress, that even if you don’t have dry or sensitive skin, and you are looking for make up products that won’t harm your skin, you will be able to benefit from these products too!

My day make-up consists of:

1. No7 ‘Stay Perfect’ Foundation. I apply this liquid foundation, priced at a very reasonable £14, using a Clinique ‘Foundation Brush’, costing £23.50, which is a little bit more expensive but definitely worth it. If you keep washing it, using shampoo and conditioner, it will last years! No7 have a foundation match finder. The sales assistant uses a gadget to take a picture of your skin, then the gadget automatically finds your perfect match foundation shade, to avoid any orange lines or streaks forming on your face! This foundation includes SPF 15 to protect your skin from sun damage, is hypoallergenic (therefore, a life saver for sensitive skin), and claims to last 24 hours.  I believe this stays on for approximately 15 hours, and then it starts to rub off a little. Nonetheless, this foundation is amazing. It has a soft and silky formula, providing medium coverage, which can be built to provide a full coverage. If you don’t like wearing a powder, you definitely don’t need to use it with this foundation. Before I usedMAC ‘Pro Longwear’ Foundation, however after three years of wearing it, and suffering from what I thought was chronic eyelid eczema, I soon realised I was allergic to MAC‘s foundation. I was gutted, as I love MAC products, however I have had no problems or flare-ups since using No7′s foundation! It’s given me so much more confidence, as I no longer have to suffer from extremely red eyelids constantly.
2. No7 ’Extreme Length Sensitive Eyes Mascara’. After months of not being able to wear mascara, due to believing I was allergic to it, I found this mascara designed for sensitive skin. The unique product has a gentle formula meaning it stays on when you want it to, but wipes off easily when you want it to come off. This saves you from scrubbing your eyelids and damaging your skin during the process of trying to get the excess product off. I like to have long, thick, luscious lashes, and I’m a little obsessed with mascaras and making sure my eyelashes are perfect, so take it from me that this mascara is definitely a good investment at reasonable price of £12.50.To apply, I take the comb-bush and apply it to the bottom of my eyelashes and use a slow motion wiggling action taking the wand from the bottom of my lashes to the top. I do not usually wear false eyelashes on a night out, as they’re so much hassle, but friends have commented that my lashes are longer and thicker than their false eyelashes after I have coated them in this mascara!
   
   
3. Clinique ‘Stay-matte Sheer Pressed Power’ in 101 invisible matte. This is a translucentshade, therefore is perfect for any skin tone. Also, because I use a No7 foundation I don’t need to worry about the colours pallets of different brands not matching. It comes in a range of different colours, for a variety of skin tones, which can be matched in store. All Clinique products are 100% fragrance free and allergy tested, which means they don’t add harmful unwanted chemicals into your skin. However if you have any problems, you can return their products. I love the aqua coloured marble packaging too, which is complete with a mirror and sponge, therefore perfect for on-the-go touch ups. I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of their skin type, as it keeps foundation fixed into place, reduces shine, and stays put for hours! It costs £23, but keep your eyes peeled for any ‘Clinique Bonus Time’ offers, as they usually offer a gorgeous makeup bag full of free products, so you get more for your money. I moved onto this powder firstly after using MAC ‘Mineralise Skinfinish Natural Powder’, which was amazing, but I’m cautious after my flare up from using MAC’s foundation. I then used No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder, which didn’t last long, or stay put for long, or provide enough coverage for my personal preference.
4. MAC ’Brown Down’ Eyeshadow, £12.50. Although this is an eyeshadow, I use this product primarily as an eyebrow powder using an angled brush. I love the deep rich brown colour of this product, and the soft texture does not scratch sensitive skin, and therefore reduces dryness and inflammation. This product also is a gorgeous eyeshadow, which can be applied to achieve a thick or thin layer, depending on the look you want to go for! If you’re interested in using a MAC eyeshadow as an eyebrow powder pop into your local MAC store, where their sales assistants will give you help and advice on the best shade for you.
5. MAC ‘Powder Blush’ in ‘Mocha’, costing £18. I like to refer to this as my Kate Middleton blusher, as it is quite a pink blusher, but it adds a subtle healthy glow of colour to your cheeks, just like the style Kate Middleton opts for. I apply this using The Body Shop’s gentle and soft ’Blusher Brush’, costing£12, which has lasted years and is worth every penny. I then smile to reveal my cheek bones, and apply the colour following my cheek bones. I also own Clinique‘Blushing Blush Powder’ in ‘Bashful Plum’ which was free in a Clinique Bonus Time set, and is unfortunately no longer available. This is quite a bronzed hue and is quite shimmery, so it’s perfect for making the illusion of sun-kissed skin. I quite like having the option of two different coloured blushers as it can really transform the look of your skin!

I take my makeup off at the end of each day using No7 ‘Beautiful Skin: Eye Make-Up Remover’. If you would like to learn more about this product and my skin care routine please view my blog post Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin or if you would like to learn more about my bodily skin care routine please read The Best Moisturiser for Dry Skin.

As you can see, I like to keep things quite minimal for my day time look, so getting ready for a night out feels like a special occasion. I will post my ‘going out makeup bag’ for you later this week. If you are interested in buying any of the products above, then please click on the linksprovided.

As usual, I’d love to know if you can recommend any makeup products so please do not hesitate to contact me!

Leanne x