How Pet Allergies Contribute to Pet Allergies

I love pets, but sadly I am allergic. I have two pets at home, one short haired cat named Dee, and a long haired cat, named Perdy. In my other house, where I am currently living, a new resident has just moved in: a hamster called Sherman. People are surprised that such a small animal can cause such adverse affects on my skin.

Since Sherman has started living with us, I have had small white bumps emerge on my hand, a dry rash on my face, red puffy swollen eyes. These are the same symptoms that happen when I go back home,especially if I am close to Dee (a short haired cat). As much as I love her, I have to keep my distance. This means, she is not allowed on my bed, although she tries, and I try to avoid her using my lap as a second best option for a bed. As far as Sherman is concerned, I try to keep my distance, although he is currently in a communal area, which isn’t helping my skin and is difficult to avoid.

Long haired pets definitely have a different affect. Perdy is my oldest pet, and because she has long fur, it comes out in clumps which look like cotton wool. Whereas Dee’s fur seems to get everywhere! I have never had a bad experience with Perdy, and as far as I was concerned before we got other pets my only allergies were nickel and hayfever. Therefore, if you are going to buy a pet and someone in your family has an allergy a long haired pet will be best. But, incase it does affect someone, it’s probably best to stick to fish I’m afraid!

It wasn’t until I was away from home for a few months that I realised I was allergic to pets. Since I adore them so much, I didn’t make the link that my bad skin conditions got worse when we got Dee, and cleared up when I was away from her for a long period of time. The addition of Sherman confirms my allergies to pet fur.

But what to do?
The only way I can keep the allergies at bay is by taking Tesco’s ‘One-a-day hayfever and allergy relief’ tablets, that are non-drowsy. It’s so important that you buy non-drowsy tablets, because the only way I have found that drowsy tablets work is by knocking you out! This helps slightly, but my skin is still ridiculously dry and swollen. Sherman will be moving from the communal areas, so I don’t have to come into contact with him, so hopefully this works, because no matter how much moisturiser I apply, it doesn’t seem to be keeping things at bay at the moment.

If you have any advise, or are in a similar situation, I’d love to know how you deal with skin conditions by commenting below!

Let’s hope things improve soon!

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

Can self-tanning moisturisers benefit dry skim and eczema? (Part 3)

It’s day 4 of my Dove Summer Glow review. I have set myself a challenge: I aim to have sun-kissed skin with as minimal eczema possible. I set myself this challenge after noticing that my eczema clears up when I get a ‘natural’ tan, therefore I wondered if a similar effect could be achieved without having to buy a plane ticket! Although I’d love to have a holiday home on a beautiful exotic island, the changes are quite low, and instead I’ve opted for a bottle of ‘Dove Summer Glow’, at the reduced price of just over £3 from Sainsbury’s. 

The results so far have been astonishing. On day 1, I took a photo of my skin before using the self-tanning moisturiser, and in comparison to my skin now it’s unrecognisable! My skin has transformed from being dry, red and itchy, to looking moisturised, healthy and no longer the vibrant red colour that it was previously. I have so much more confidence already; I no-longer feel the need to hide away in high-neck tops, and instead I want to show off my healthy sun-kissed skin! A friend even complimented me the other day and said ‘I can’t believe you still have your tan from the summer’, which shows that not only is the product working, it also looks like I have a natural tan!

Day 4 of using Dove Summer Glow

When you compare this to my skin before using the self-tanner (below), you can see that my skin is no longer looking red and inflamed and all that remains is a scratch on my chest, which will hopefully go!

Before using Dove Summer Glow

Dove Summer Glow has not irritated my skin at all, and I have nothing bad to report on it! The only thing I will mention is to remember to wash your hands thoroughly after using this product, as if not you may end up with fingers resembling carrots… But so long as you remember to wash them, you will be fine!

I advise that anyone with eczema, dry skin,  sensitive skin, or even normal skin tries this product! It is a healthy way of tanning, compared to sun beds and sun bathing, as you are at no risk from being burnt.

To see my full progress and results of using Dove Summer Glow, or to find out more about beauty products for dry and sensitive skin, please click here!

Leanne x