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Oily Skin

This week we’re covering one of the most common skin types- oily skin! Not only is it the most common skin type, but it’s notorious for being the hardest to treat. There is so much advice flying around about what you should do, what you should use etc. So I’m going to try and give you a straightforward answer and skin care plan to stick to.

First of all, let’s make sure that you definitely fit into this category. If you are treating your skin for the wrong skin type, that may be where your going wrong. These are the most common symptoms of oily skin:

  • Visible pores
  • Shiny or thick skin
  • Prone to getting blackheads
  • Prone to blemishes
  • Highly influenced by hormones
  • Ages more slowly, with fewer lines than people of the same age
  • Comfortable upon leaving the shower, or after cleansing
  • A singly-ply bit of tissue pressed to the chin and nose an hour after cleansing will show translucent patches of oil

 

Sound like you? 

Here are some do’s and don’ts:

  • Consider exfoliation once or twice a week MAX. Exfoliating too often will encourage inflammation and irritation. If you feel you need more than just a cleanse, try a face mask like the ‘Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Mask’ from Tropic.
  • Moisturisers and oils are not to be avoided!
  • However, AVOID mineral oils, shea, cocoa, butters and super-rich emollients
  • Don’t avoid oil all the time because you have oily skin!! Oil-free moisturisers and sun creams are great advocates of makeup throughout the day but I would still invest in a nice light oil to wear as a sort of facemask at night or every so often. Not all oils are made the same and some will actually help you combat your oily-ness. When you strip your skin of oil, your skin will panic and make more oil. Therefore increasing your oily-ness. Make sure you have a good variety of products to try out and find what works for you. I recommend a good oil to start your experimentation is Tropic’s Blue Lagoon Blemish Prevention Serum.
  • Treat yourself to a facial every so often, this skin type needs it!

A Skincare Plan for Oily Skin

AM

  1. Cleanse
  2. Serum – (Use an antioxidant serum if ageing is a concern)
  3. Moisturise with a product that contains spf. (Oil-free versions are best, we recommend Clarins as they do oil-free versions.) For a separate moisturiser with no SPF, we LOVE Origins Ginzing!! 
  4. Then apply your makeup.

PM

  1. Double cleanse (clean twice!)
  2. Spot Treatments if needed. (E.g. Retinoid.)
  3. No need for a night cream unless your skin feels dry or tight at this stage.

If you would like any more advice on what to use on oily skin please get in touch!

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Dry Skin

So in my last blog post I spoke about dehydrated skin. This week I want to talk to you about dry skin. Your skin type will most likely change over time and this can be due to many different contributing factors; location, diet, pregnancy, age and many more. YOU can also have an affect on your skin type. I have always been someone with dry skin however, due to my obsession with makeup and trying new products, I have managed to manipulate my skin into a combination skin type. Where I frequently used to overuse face masks, cleansers and exfoliators, I stripped the oil from my face when I had little to begin with. In reality I encouraged my skin to start producing more oil around my t-zone therefore creating a combination skin type. (Blog post coming soon.) The moral of the story is, only treat your skin based on it’s specific needs.

So let’s find out what those specific needs are for a dry skin type! If you are not sure if you have dry skin or not, read these common symptoms:

  • Redness
  • Scaly patches
  • Flaky skin
  • Feeling of tightness, especially after baths or showers.
  • Visible lines in your skin
  • Rough feeling
  • Itchiness
  • Easily irritated
  • Worse in the winter months and aggravated by cold.
  • You have small pores
  • Your prone to milia, the little white lumps that can hang around for months, especially around the eyes. (See picture)

Dry skin is common, particularly after menopause and if you do suffer from the above symptoms you can safely say you belong to the ’dry skin’ category! Join the crew!

I would say that dry skin is one of the easier skin types to manage providing you have the correct information. Here are some do’s and don’ts:

  • Avoid long, hot showers. This can strip the skin of moisture even more.
  • Use gentle soaps and cleansers.
  • Avoid exfoliation as this will lead to more irritation. If you have flakiness use a milk cleanser and flannel to exfoliate, rotating in circular motions. Avoid products with small beads in. [Tropic’s Smoothing Cleanser Complexion purifier and Bamboo Face Cloth are amazing for this]
  • Scrubs will really aggravate dryness.
  • Opt for rich textures, butters, and oils to make your skin feel as soft and supple as you can. 
  • Overnight moisturising masks are good every once in a while.

A Skincare Plan for Dry Skin

AM

  1. Cleanse – Cleansing milk is the best type of product for dry skin. You use this product with a cotton pad rather than using water. Cleansing milk dissolves oil and dirt without drying the skin out further.
  2. Serum – Use a hydrating antioxidant serum
  3. Moisturise with a product that contains spf
  4. Then apply your makeup.

PM

  1. Cleanse – ensure all makeup has been removed first.
  2. Use a night cream or oil. Our favourites are Tropic’s ‘Super Greens Nutrient Boost Oil’ or if you prefer a cream Origins ‘High Potency Night-A-Mins Resurfacing Cream with Fruit-Derived AHAs’.

If you have discovered that you have dry skin or the opposite, you thought you had dry skin but maybe you don’t, comment below! As always feel free to contact us if you need any advice or product recommendations for what to use on your skin! 

Thanks for reading x

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Dehydrated Skin

Patchy makeup that separates on your skin is such a common problem! I hear so many people telling me that foundation ‘doesn’t work’ for them or ‘doesn’t look right’ on them. This inconsistent coverage is a result of dehydrated skin. NOT DRY SKIN! Don’t get the two mixed up because they are different. Dry skin is a lack of oil and dehydrated skin is a LACK OF WATER.

Dehydrated skin means that your skin becomes desperate to absorb any moisture that it can. So, when you apply your foundation, your skin will absorb all the hydration it can and leave you with whatever is left over, making your makeup look patchy.

Hydrated skin flushes out toxins and maintains its natural barrier. This results in the skin having a much more even texture and reduces any irritation or sensitivity, unlike dehydrated skin which is damaged and so can’t flush out toxins or maintain its natural barrier.

When your skin is dehydrated, it often produces more oil to compensate for the lack of hydration in the skin. Again, when your skin is dehydrated it is in need of water not oil so this excess oil builds up and makes your skin greasy and congested (which makes you more susceptible to breakouts). The annoying thing about this is that people often treat oily skin and acne with harsh products meant to combat these issues. This then worsens the dehydration which then makes the skin more oily and acne prone. As you can see, you can get stuck in a loop of bad skin. 

Things that will help combat dehydrated skin:

  1. Drink more water! It sounds boring and people will probably tell you to do this all the time! But honestly, it’s the most important thing to do to help separating and patchy makeup. 
  2. Concentrate on your skin care. Clean your skin AM and PM. Moisturise your skin AM and PM.
  3. Adding a little bit of hyaluronic acid to your skin care routine can make a huge difference to dehydrated skin. It can hold 1000 times its weight in water.
  4. Avoid drinking alcoholic drinks such as red wine that will dehydrate your body much faster. If this is your favourite tipple then for every glass of wine you drink, drink a pint of water.
  5. NEVER sleep with your makeup on. This will suck all the life out of your skin.

A Skincare Plan for Dehydrated Skin

AM

  1. Cleanse – Micellar water is the best type of cleanser for dehydrated skin.
  2. Serum – Use a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid in. (Nip & Fab’s Dragon Blood Serum is great £19.95 from Boots.)
  3. Moisturise with a product that contains spf. (Preferably not containing oil if you are prone to blemishes)
  4. Then apply your makeup.

PM

  1. Cleanse – ensure all makeup has been removed first.
  2. Spot treatments, if needed.
  3. If the skin is feeling tight and scaly, use a night cream. 

This skin type can benefit from using hyaluronic face masks and overnight masks. Exfoliate with caution, at most once a week. Use a cleanser and flannel to exfoliate, rotating in circular motions. Avoid products with small beads in.

I hope that this blog helps a few people who have been convinced they have oily, dry, sensitive or combination skin, when really it’s been dehydrated all along! I’d love to hear how you get on six months from now if you decide to take on this skincare plan

Comment below if you were shocked to find this is your skin type!

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What’s Next?

I wanted to pause the advice, the top tips and the ‘How To’s’ and give you guys a little insight as to who I am, who is driving ‘The Beauty Umbrella’ forward and what’s next!

First of all, my name is Beth Hawker. I am 24 years old and I currently live in Bournemouth. I went to university to study ‘Makeup for Media and Performance’ at Bournemouth University of the Arts. I am the founder of The Beauty Umbrella and my inspiration comes from the two things I love the most in this world: helping people and all things beauty! 

I’ll let you into a secret you probably didn’t know… this isn’t my first time starting my own business! Yep, I tried a few years back but I just wasn’t in the right place in my life to get it off the ground. I’m back stronger this time, with a vision and a mindset that I can really work with. I wanted to let all my followers and clients know a bit more about that mindset and what’s next for The Beauty Umbrella! 

Whilst at university I had a job on a makeup counter which truly helped combine my customer service skills and my skills as a makeup artist. It was then that I realised, as much as I loved creating avant garde, fashion style makeup, I loved helping customers much more! I used to get in trouble for sending my customers to other counters as I would loose sales and commission! But I couldn’t help but show them the products I knew would work for them. I not only helped people find the right products for them, but showed them how to use them so they wouldn’t get home and wonder why they’d bought the hottest new product with no hope of knowing how to apply it! I would show them on one side of their face and get them to copy me on the other side, practising their new look. The amount of returning customers I had grew and so did the faith they had in the advice that I gave them. 

Skip forward a few years and I hosted a Tropic party for my friends and I. If you haven’t had one yet, book one NOW! It’s honestly the best skincare range I have tried and its made with all natural ingredients and produced in the UK!

Moving on! There is a prime example of how passionate I am about spreading the word about great products! At the Tropic party, the amazing ambassador, educated us on how to use and apply the products and customised our packages to suit our skin types. We had such a fun night, learnt loads, drank prosecco and had a laugh. That’s when I started to think about Makeup Parties! A fun night in with your friends, learning about makeup application with a glass of prosecco or two!

As I, very informally, started this side of the business, I started having so many more ideas about how to make them better. I was struggling to get people to know the differences between the brushes I was asking them to pick up and use. There was nowhere to put the brushes, so they were rolling around the table! There was makeup everywhere, not enough light… the list goes on! At this point I started to build my brand, my logo, my social media etc. I figured out if my brushes were numbered, they would be more easily identified! If I had brush pots or stands, it would tidy up the work space. I bought ‘ring lights’ for each person so there was no fighting over the best light at the table! It all started coming together and I decided that I needed to take the next step.

So I’ll let you into my biggest secret yet! I am very excited to announce that there are Beauty Umbrella products coming out in October 2019! I took the plunge and The Beauty Umbrella will be releasing a collection of beauty accessories! Which is so exciting because I never thought I would get here and achieve one of my goals so early on. I can’t wait to share them with you so keep following and more information will be released in the coming weeks! Eeek!

Owning my own business hasn’t always been a dream of mine, but working in the beauty industry has. This way I can do what I love everyday and service my clients in the best way I can. Please, if you ever need some beauty advice and you’re not sure who to ask, get in touch. I’m not going to charge you for advice. In fact, one of my favourite things is giving it away for free! (Just dive into my blog library!) My dream now is to create an environment online where it’s okay to ask questions and not be the biggest makeup junkie on the internet. Instagram is an intimidating place full of beautiful, thin, women who have more than likely been photoshopped. There is nothing wrong with having an interest in makeup and hair and still be a complete novice. I’m not scary or intimidating I promise! I will never make you feel silly for asking a question or not knowing how to contour. I am here to help you feel good about yourself day in, day out.

And it’s as simple as that folks! 

Thanks for following me this far and I hope to serve you as clients, followers and friends from here on out! From hair styles to makeup, waxing to nails, hair dye to brow plucking and much more, The Beauty Umbrella has got you covered! 

Beth xX