Happy Birthday to me!

So, I am 34 today. Yes, I still feel like I have never crossed over 25. If you're still to cross that bridge - get used to it, that feeling never goes away! :)

Few things in my life recently made me feel a bit nostalgic and reflective - if I could sum up my life advices for my younger self - what would that be? How I feel about my age and how my approach to life changed? Get yourself a cup of tea (or coffee, in my case), as there are quite a few things to address - from beauty to life philosophy, as for me, it goes hand by hand.

We need to have a little introduction here, before I address beauty stuff - I am more into skincare recently, then I am into makeup. Why? Well, as I got older, I have realised that there are certain things that you cannot hide with makeup, but can try to fix with skincare. Or at least have hope that they will improve. I keep telling myself that, anyway, but time will tell, I guess.

LOOK.
Since this is a beauty focused blog, I feel I shall start with that. Recently, I have started to notice major changes in way my body and complexion looks - I have realised, that routines working for me few years back need to be updated. There is slight panic when you realise that - OMG, my undereye looks so dry and crinckly! WHEN did that happen?! How can I stop that?! 

CALM DOWN first! ;) Firstly, breathe! Then realise you ARE getting older. Got there? Great! :)
So, I think the first and most important thing is to accept the fact and prepare for the big changes. We cannot predict what nature got in stock for us, but we can prepare mentally, that things will change. Stop comparing yourself to Instagram pictures or beauty gurus, who use filters. These things aren't real (in case you needed me also to say that)!

 Ok, we have set the expectations clear. Now, let's have a look at beauty/makeup related sins from the past and how to try to fix the damage.

MOISTURE.
There is never too much. Period. Even if you have oily/combo skin. Especially, if you have combo skin. Why? First part of our lives we focus on getting rid of excess oil, mostly using some sort of anti-acne routine, that strips our skin off any natural protective layers. When I was a teenager, I had quite severe acne - no one told me to keep the moisture balance in my skin. Instead, I was drying the life out of my face using aggressive products, thinking, it will get rid of the spots. That left me with dehydrated skin that became apparent at around 30 years of age and it was already to late to fix the damage. Major factor that will pin to the category is also not using an eye cream in your 20s.
Why it's so important? Years of drying my skin out and not using the right moisturisers frequently enough, made my skin dryier now and I struggle to keep the moisture in. The collagen amount is depleting, making any lines and pores more visible, also, the oval of the face is sagging quicker that it should.

Advice?
Luckily, we do not live in 90s anymore! There is a multitude of products to choose from, whenever your skin type. Moisturising your skin sufficiently will help your skin to regenerate quicker from any blemishes and will leave you with best skin possible when you are my age. A little discovered secret of mine for combination and oily skin..? - heavily moisturised skin in night time results in reduced sebum production during the day - will be addressing that in another post (but it works - at least worth giving it a go!)

And how about eyes..?
Start as soon as you can! There are many factors influencing the look of your under eye and how it ages - they are mostly genetic and basically, you just have to work with what you have - just make sure, it is in best condition possible. I remember myself, that I was only focused on covering my under-eye darkness when I was in my teens and early 20s, which resembled more of a regular wall plaster than makeup (if you have the same habits, be aware, that it will have to change after 30 - will get a proper post devoted to eye area later on, as the topic is as broad as horizon - in my case, anyway..). On top of all layers of full coverage, heavy concealer, I was applying tones of powder to set it in place - baking was not a thing back then (oh lord..!), but it was pretty much the same thing. Years of sucking out the moisture from the skin by using powder and NOT using the eye cream underneath to protect the eye area from dehydration, resulted in over-dried and extremely thin skin that is very hard to cover/conceal because of it's texture. Or maybe in this case, I would say - disguise..? ;) I would suggest starting as early as 20s, with some light gels or creams, moving into richer consistencies when you get to 25. If you have quite oily skin, I would recommend applying thick layer of cream over night, where regular moisturiser may be enough for a day, so your makeup does not slide off.

Body.
Yes, we cannot forget about that, especially if your skin is on dryier side of things. We often neglect moisurising our skin other than on face, which will start giving away our age too soon in no time. Moisturising our body on regular basis can improve looks of things like: skin texture (bumps, ingrown hair), stretchmarks, skin clarity and firmness (ever thought about those bingo wings in your 20s? No? You will when you are in your 50s, so better start now!). Regular body moisturiser will do, just be consistent.

ACID PEELS (and Retinol)
 There is not such thing as too early. As Caroline Hirons says, you can start as soon as you hit the puberty and I regret not knowing that. Acid peels and Retinol changed my life, when I have discovered them and they are definitely the biggest game changers, when it comes to improving the skin condition, whenever that is a texture issue (including spots and blackheads), skin regeneration properties or wrinkles and lack of firmness. That is a very deep topic and also, will need a separate blog post to fully cover the extent of knowledge I have gathered so far.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR.
We tend to over process our hair this way, or another. I used to think my hair is immortal and will take any amount of bleach possible. Nope! Last year, I was forced to drastically cut my hair, they just looked sad, with thin, dry ends. Now, if I ever decide to go blond again - may do, actually - I will do it slowly (eh, patience..!) and safely, researching the salon first. As much fun as it was, I have forbidden myself from having bleach baths for my hair at home! I love my hair long, so I have retreated safely to browns, for now..;)
Trouble with hair is, it may start thinning down unexpectedly when you age, due to hormonal changes, stress and health factors - something, we have never take into the account, going for that pastel pink do few years back.. Let's make sure we can enjoy our hair in it's best condition for as long as it's lasts.

ACCEPT YOURSELF AND FOCUS ON LIFE
And, finally - life and happiness is so much more important than looks - cliche, yes, but you only truly realise that, while seeing signs of aging and time passing by (and some of us never do - I am aware of that). Also, reaching certain points in life make you focus on other things, where strong and fulfilling relations help you accept the way you look. We no longer feel the need to search for acceptance in eyes of others and start liking the person's we are, which comes from understanding ourselves better. It's how it is with me, anyway.
I feel liberated somehow, not feeling the pressure to look my best at all times. Some days, I just focus on being, instead of looking (in a certain way), which makes me feel satisfied in a completely new way. There are so many things to expierience in life, instead of worrying on how we look like.

The work of improving ourselves never ends - sometimes I feel, that there will be not enough life for me to get all my lessons. Despite all - I am happier and happier when time goes by - I love my wrinkles, as they tell a story of my experiences.
 I choose to love myself the way I am for many reasons. I hope you have your own :)





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THANK YOU FOR READING!

Gwedhan*