In My Skin

For as long as I can remember, I have been self conscious of my skin. As a teenager, I struggled with acne. My skin can be blotchy and red. My pores were enlarged after years of Acutane abuse. I'm flaky and dry in some areas, and oily in others. I struggle with ingrown hairs when I shave. The list goes on. As you can probably assume, my skincare journey has been lengthy. I also feel as though there is an added pressure on those of us working in the fashion and service industries to have perfect skin, teeth, hair, style, etc. Maybe I'm imagining this pressure but nonetheless its a pressure I feel, and is very real to me. I feel as though the point of being a stylist, in a lot of ways, is to provide inspiration to others. To try our best to be a beacon of confidence and style. This is a tricky roll to play when you, yourself, are struggling to be your best self. Which is why I thought in today's article, we could discuss the many different avenues I've taken to get my skin under control, and I could share with everyone what I've settled on and what I include in my day-2-day. I am definitely not a skincare expert. I'm aware all skin is different, and I don't expect the products I talk about to work for everyone. BUT, if you are someone who struggles with confidence related to your complexion, perhaps in this article you might find a single product, tip, or trick that could work for you, too!

Back in Highschool my skin was horrid. I had acne everywhere. My problem area was around my mouth, and near my eyebrows. I tried everything from cleansers, alcohol wipes (DONT DO THAT), prescription face washes, and other things. Eventually when nothing seemed to work, I made an appointment with a dermatologist. As a result from an appointment with this dermatologist, I was prescribed Accutane. My skin cleared up significantly while using this prescription, However it left me with large pores, kidney issues, and even life threatening cholesterol levels. The side effects of dry lips, throat, eyes, etc. were also almost more than I could bare most days. I would highly recommend to anyone considering this drug to heavily weigh the pros and cons before you take this prescription.

The years following high school, my skin definitely improved but I still struggled with enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, and dry areas. Most of the products I used would be much to heavy for my skin. I tried using FAB for a while (First Aid Beauty, available at Sephora). It was what I could afford at the time, and was seemingly a step up from my drug store products of the past. It was also the first time in my life I had fully committed to using a daily moisturizer. YIKES. Then I found Tatcha.

For those of you who know me personally, you know about my obsession with this skincare brand. Every single thing I have used from them has dramatically improved the tone of my skin, size of my pores, and just overall quality of my complexion. The holy grail for me, is by far the Water Cream - more on that in a bit.

In addition to my skincare routine, I have also made a few selections in the cosmetic area. I now also use a tinted moisturizer with SPF to further even out my complexion and reduce damage from the sun, a brow gel, a liquid highlighter, and a lip oil to further improve the look of my complexion on a day-2-day basis.

EVERY MORNING I START BY POUNDING WATER. I drink water first thing in the morning to help start my metabolism, and also because your skin and body are dehydrated after 6-8 house of sleep. This also helps me to wake up as the water I drink is always ice cold and seems to shock my system haha. Whether this is good or not, idc.

While I'm in the shower, I take the opportunity to wash my face. For a cleanser I am using, and loving, the Deep Cleanse from Tatcha. This is an oil free, gel cleanser that uses amino acids derived from silk, and bits of Japanese Luffa Fruit to help gently cleanse and exfoliate the skin. Also, every Friday after the work week, I exfoliate using the Deep Rice Polish, after I cleanse, and follow with the Clarifying Clay Mask. The Rice Polish is non abraisive, and harnesses the power of rice bran, green tea, and algae to scrub away any deep set debris sitting on my skin from the previous week. The "Deep" variation that I use, also has Japanese Wild Rose in the ingredients to help tighten my pores and further clarify. In other words, it scrubs all the residual hairspray and shit off of my face. The Clarifying Clay Mask includes ingredients like: Okinawa Kucha Clay, which helps to absorbs excess sebum, Japanese Konjac, which helps to further exfoliate and remove debris, and Japanese Volvcanic Ash, which helps to create a warming affect, further drawing out impurities beneath the skin and preventing future breakouts.

As a final step in my skincare routine, I moisturize. The Water Cream has been a go-to for me, for years now. It's so lightweight and seemingly evaporates into my skin. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and supple and has next to no scent for those of you who are sensitive to that kind of thing. In fact, I believe the same can be said for the whole Tatcha range. The list of ingredients include more Japanese Wild Rose to tighten pores, Japanese Leopard Lilly helps to reduce the production of excess oils and works together with green tea to further reduce the redness in my skin. If there is one product from this post that I would highly recommend you try, it's this one! Twice daily, I also apply the Silk Peony eye cream to help with the dark circles I get from stressing about roots and breakage. This one is also a lifesaver. As a final step I like to apply a face mist. my favourite one is from Huna Beauty which is a Manitoba company and smells delicious! One of my dear friend's and clients gifted this to me a while back and I have been obsessed ever since!

To enhance my skin on workdays, I also like to use the NARS tinted moisturizer. The range is quite large and has multiple shade options that blend perfectly into my pasty white skin. This one helps to further even out my skin tone, and does in fact have and SPF of 30, although not advertised on the Sephora website. Once my tinted moisturizer is applied, I slick up my Levy-esque Eyebrows with the REFY Brow Sculpt and Shape. I love the way this product holds my thick eyebrows in place all day and doesn't leave my skin feeling heavy, or flake off. Continuing with REFY products, I recently discovered their Gloss Highlighter. HOLY F*CK you guys have to try this. It's a beautiful sheer highlighter with a bronzing effect that leaves your skin looking dewy and sun-kissed. I don't find the product to feel heavy or oily at all and is perfect to achieve a radiant glow without making it look as though I have a face of makeup on. I like to apply this to my cheekbones, and eyebrow arch to help define my face and give me a more sculpted and masculine shape. The whole REFY line is stunning, and I would recommend to everyone reading this to try a few of their products. The line was created by Beauty Influencer, Jess Hunt, and has flew off its shelves since its launch. Everyone in MTL is obsessed and for good reason! The packaging is also beautiful and minimalistic. To finish, I apply my HAUSLABS Lip oil, and I'm out the door!

In recent years, I have found comfort in my skincare routine. Taking care of my skin has helped me to feel much more confident. I used to loathe washing my face at night; It was a chore more than an act of self care. Since finding a skincare range that works for me, I can't wait to get out of bed, or home from work, and do my full routine. It brings me peace now, and hopefully I may have shared something with you, that you may keep in your back pocket, as well.

PS always rinse your face with cold water.

:)

Over and Out,

Klay for Apollo