Comfortable in my skin

I always find reading other blog posts about confidence and improving yourself hugely motivating. That's why I thought I'd try to share a few tips for boosting confidence. Although this list is not exhaustive, it does help me massively.

1. Wear things that suit you

Don't follow just trends. If you don't suit a certain colour, just don't wear it. Wear things you like and feel comfortable in. I have plenty of clothes but tend to stick to dresses or colours I love most. I also find dressing nicer, making effort with hair, makeup and nails helps when in stressful situations like a first day at a new job, an interview or meeting someone new.

2. Find hobbies that suit you

So many people keep up pastimes they feel they should like such as doing sports, gym or cinema, but the list is exhaustive. If you wish  to be more creative, the internet is a perfect place  to find something you might like. I want to do more creative things like scrapbooking, but also enjoy going to events like fundraisers, music gigs and seeing live comedian (although  don't do the last two as often as I'd like) and enjoy watching films (new and old), writing, reading and doing yoga.

3. Be healthy!

Walking my dogs is my perfect excuse to get active!

I can't stress this enough. If you struggle to walk basic distances due  to lack of fitness, you won't feel too great about  yourself. You are also what you eat! Being healthy can be a huge confidence boost. I've noticed a big difference from cutting portion sizes, trying not to feel guilty if tempted by chocolate or snacks and keeping up regular exercise that I actually like.

4. Taking care of your skin

For almost a year, I changed my skin routine and noticed a huge difference. I have very spot-prone skin that can pop with acne or spots when stressed. I need to be careful to avoid fizzy drinks and limit sugar (although difficult). I have found things along the way that help such as Liz Earle products as discussed in previous post here. I didn't want to scare readers in that post, but here is my skin transformation:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Granted my after picture has me with eye makeup and eyebrow pencil, it is without any skin makeup. It shows my spot-prone skin with just one spot and minimum scarring from spots. My skin feels much healthier and never could imagine it looking like this - naturally. Now I just need to find a cheap acne scarring treatment...

5. Improve

I think everyday is a learning curve. It's nice to take time to learn and improve yourself. For example, at the moment I've started volunteering at a local charity to improve skills for better  employment. I'm also continuing my battle to pass my driving, which will increase my independence and open more  job opportunities

6. Take time for you

I try to dedicate Sunday to pampering. This means no makeup, exfoliating face, painting nails and anything else I want to do to ease stress.

7. Positivity

Surround yourself with positive people, positive things and take positive steps. I'm not saying you'll be positive 100% of the time, but good to try. It will definitely make you feel better.

8. Make yourself proud

Setting goals really helps me. I set lots of goals every year that you'll notice from reading my new  year posts. I like to feel I've achieved something.

I hope you like your tips. If there is anything else you do that helps with your confidence, I'd love to hear it. Being an anxious person I always look to improve my  confidence as it helps makes me happier.

Liz Earle Review

I feel like I've been telling anyone who will listen how fab Liz Earle is, so thought it was time I wrote about it in more of a review-form.

My favourite items to use so far are the hot cloth cleanser and toner - it has done wonders for my skin. I started using it April of last year (still can't get used to describing 2016 as last year!), when my skin was stressed and had lots of breakouts, yet was very dry. I had no idea what to do with it. I knew wipes were bad for my skin, so didn't use them. I started using the miscellanea water cleansers which seemed to be popular, and felt they were soothing to my skin, but did little else for me. I learnt they weren't actually taking all the makeup off no matter how long I took taking it off!

Here is a picture of my skin when I first started using it:

Here is a recent picture of me:


It's a real benefit, and has changed my life! I know that sounds dramatic, cheesy and even silly, but it has. My confidence has increased and I can talk without my skin actually hurting. The appearance of acne scars have also softened. My skin has more of a glow, and best of all it feels like I'm having a treatment.

Tips for using:
1. Make sure you softly cleanse first, and then double cleanse. I soon realised other cleansers hadn't been taking all my makeup off before now! That double cleanse makes all the difference, and other brands are encouraging this.
2. When washing your cloths, don't use conditioner as it means they stop being abrasive.
3. My Mum sometimes uses cheaper alternatives to the cloth, and truth be told when you want to buy new ones, I notice little difference
4. It's better to cleanse when using hot water with it. I find it more therapeutic and that it lifts everything
5. Always use with the amazing toner!

Before I wouldn't spend more than £10 on a cleanser, but this is worth it. It gives you confidence and makes you feel like you're getting the care you need. If you save in any area, I would always go for makeup as without the good skin, it makes it so much harder anyway!

Superdrug offer a budget range, which my mum did like. I didn't like it. I like their exfoliator  and still use it. However the cleanser felt like I was putting butter on my skin and it just turned me off it.

I also love the eye cream, as I've used it on my eyes and forehead (as it suggest using on forehead and around the lines by your mouth). The lines on my forehead were minimal but can not even notice them anymore. It has lessened at the edges and recommend this. I also use it on my eyes and find it to be cooling, relaxing and help a little with the appearance of dark circles. I think you should start early with eye creams, but I often forget to use them. With this, I like using it so much I don't forget it. A little goes a long way! I get a small squirt, rub it again my fingers and dab with ring finger around my eyes in a circular motion. Sadly I've lost this...

I like the moisturisers too, but have switched between ones. You put the tinest amount and spread across your face. I use less than even a pea size amount for my skin, which is normal, but can sometimes be dry.

I always feel it is important to cleanse, tone and moisturise, and then at least once a week to exfoliate. I can't say I've exfoliated with Liz Earle before, but have tried two of their treatments, which are nice. My Gran got me an exfoliator for Christmas. I can't say a huge amount as not had it long, but I like how gentle it is.

My mum had been using Liz Earle for her skin for a fair few months (maybe over a year), and found it was the only thing she could use after finding she was allergic to a chemical. She had already converted my Gran to using it. If saying, 3 generations of women are using the same product and liking it is not enough...My Gran has reached 70, and her skin looks better than I've seen it. My mum has always had good skin, but it also helps women who notice a change in their skin due to hormonal imbalance which results in dry or oily skin. I find my skin has more of a glow, and the few wrinkles I had on my forehead are unnoticed to me now.

Don't just take my word for it! Liz Earle uses natural ingredients, and is made in the Isle of Wight. It is one of the few beauty items not tested on animals, and which is completely vegan. The majority of the products are non-perfumed and alcohol-free, which is perfect for anyone with sensitive skin. They occasionally bring out special-edition cleansers like the one pictured below, which are nice and have a different scent, but other than that you don't see many perfumed products.

Have you ever tried anything from Liz Earle? I'd love to hear what you think, and any difference it might have made to your skin. I've started trying other skincare items and will tell you what I think of them.