GIFTED | I’ve always had a weird relationship with beauty and skincare. I’m either all in or all out. There’s no in between. I’ve gone through various phases with beauty and skincare, which I’ll get into in a bit. But ultimately, I’ve finally realised the importance of beauty and skincare not just for vanity purposes but health purposes too.

My Relationship with Beauty and Skincare: Closed pot of Sesderma resting on a blue book with flowers around it

Rewind to when I was a young girl and started to get interested in make-up, everything was pretty normal. I still remember the first silly little lip glosses my Mum bought me one birthday! I went through all the phases as a teenager too, from head to toe in pink to head to toe in black and panda eyes for days.

It was when I was 18 when things started to shift and we could end up in a mental health spiel here but I’ll spare that for another post. I’m not ashamed to say I got a bit obsessed with trying to look a certain way. And this was even before I knew about Instagram influencers!

I know most 18 year olds want to look their best but looking back, I know I had an unhealthy relationship with beauty. My fake tanning got excessive. Not in colour but in my routine, I would wear 4 sets of hair extensions on a night out and 3 sets of fake eyelashes. I must have spent over £2,000 on hair extensions during that period.

I went to the gym twice a day and severely limited my calories because I was so unhappy with how I looked. Even though I had no reason to be. But again, that’s another story.

Then a couple of years after that, I developed my anxiety disorder and everything changed. My relationship with beauty and skincare did a complete 180. It was around this time I really started to neglect myself. Which is an equally horrible feeling to have.

I longed to get back to that girl who was obsessed with beauty. Heck, if my anxiety hadn’t happened, maybe I’d have been a beauty blogger now instead! And I still grieve for that girl sometimes. But my relationship with beauty and skincare is much better and balanced now than it was. I’m not quite at either end. But floating around in the middle.

I don’t take as much care of myself as I wish and know I should. But I’m definitely a lot better than I was a few years ago. I’m 26 years old and my skin still isn’t great – the pill I’m on gives me hormonal acne which flares up from time to time (like now!) but I’m discovering a new approach to skincare and beauty.

It’s people like Lady Writes who have actually made me realise the importance of beauty and skincare. She’s one of the few beauty bloggers who’s reviews I wholeheartedly trust. I even purchased almost the entire My Clarins range just based off of her review!

So I like to think this whole blogging thing has had a positive effect on me in regards to my confidence, my relationship with beauty and skincare and how I view products. I’m much more open to trying new things and  branching out. Which leads me nicely onto my review of a new product I’ve been trying lately!

Sesderma Abradermol Microdermabrasion Cream – £18.20

I was kindly sent this pot of the Sesderma Abradermol Microdermabrasion Cream which is something I’ve never tried before. It’s a facial and body scrub, created with aluminium oxide crystals which helps exfoliate dead skin cells from skin, remove impurities and stimulate cell renewal!

It also helps increase the production of collagen and improves skin elasticity, thus creating smooth and flawless skin instantly.

I really love the packaging of the pot itself. I think it looks really neat, high end and professional and the pot is actually much lighter than it looks! The product have a very subtle scent, nothing which hits you as soon as you open the pot but it’s not scent-less either.

The exfoliation crystals in this product are so fine. SO FINE. So using it is a really nice and relaxing experience because you can feel the exfoliation working as you rub it in but it’s not harsh in any way. It’s also a light weight cream so you don’t feel bogged down with product afterwards.

My Relationship with Beauty and Skincare: Closed pot of Sesderma resting on a blue book with flowers around it

I was told that my skin would feel really soft after application and they were right. Applying my normal My Clarins moisturizer on straight after using this and my skin felt softer than ever. I really like this and enjoyed using it and it’d be ideal for use a couple of times a week in the morning or the evening.

My only downside is that sadly, I don’t think it’s cruelty free. I can only assume that it’s not cruelty free because I search high and low on the website for any information about whether it’s dermatological tested or not and found nothing. That might have changed my mind about using it had I realised that beforehand.

So just a note for anyone who only uses cruelty free products.

So I’m slowly learning to take care of myself again. To not be scared to buy and try new products. Take pride in the way I look. And to consider it a form of self care. I might not ever get back to that girl I once was but maybe I can become something better.

Have you ever tried this before? What’s your relationship with beauty and skincare like right now? Have you ever been through tough periods in your relationship with this area of your life?

My Relationship With Beauty and Skincare

* Products in this post were sent to me in exchange for a review and feature. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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62 Comments

  1. […] A skincare routine in the morning is really important to me, as someone that works from home. I don’t have your regular morning routine or commute (my commute is to the living room) so having that sense of routine each morning really helps. But, whether you work from home or not, it’s always worth taking those 5 or 10 minutes for a little bit of self care every morning before your day inevitably gets hectic. […]

  2. This is a great post! I’ve really struggled with my skincare routine over the years suffering with really dry skin I’ve gone in and out of fads and products I think might help. But now I’ve got a set skincare routine and I stick to it my skins better that ever!

  3. I definitely need to take better care of my skin. I’m really quite lazy and grew up as a bit of a tomboy so don’t really have much of an idea about beauty stuff – but I know I should put more effort into my skincare as I also get hormonal flares and it’s not nice to be super spotty at 24!

    I’ve never heard of this brand before but I do like the sound of this. Shame it might not be cruelty free though…

    Abi | https://whatabigailsays.co.uk/

  4. I’ve definitely had some difficult moments in life with my skincare, when my anxiety was pretty much the worst its ever been at the beginning of 2018 it caused me to have extremely dry and flaky skin which was so sore as well. I had no idea it was related to my anxiety at first. I’m not someone who has wore a lot of make-up throughout growing up, when I was a teen I was probably the complete opposite and never actually wore any make-up. It is so important to look after our skin though for sure!

    Chloe xx
    http://www.chloechats.com

  5. I remember all my lipglosses, and Flora has just started getting into tinted lipbalms – history is repeating itself! I’ve not heard of this brand before but the product sounds lovely. You do need to be careful with abrasive products but this one sounds extremely gentle and effective. So pleased you’ve found something you enjoy using that seems to be working for you too. Great review and lovely pics, Jenny! X

    Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com

  6. I was looking for a very fine scrub for a while. I think the big chunks damage my skin but scrubbing is really important:) i will check this product out. Also, i had very similar period with the hair extensions. Horrible time😅

  7. I am such a slacker when it comes to my skincare, I admit it… it’s something that I know I need to work on more often. It’s disappointing that this isn’t cruelty free, because it sounds like such an incredible product!

  8. I am terrible with my skincare. I buy everything but never make time to actually use it. All the gear but no idea!

    This cream sounds amazing though.

    I do have to really rate some of the Avon products though, I find them easy to use and leave my skin feeling clean and fresh. It makes me actually want to bother x

  9. I’m terrible at keeping up a beauty and skincare regime – half the time I struggle to just brush my hair and wash it on a regular basis. Reading beauty blogs often prompts me to go and do a quick swipe of micellar water or a sheet mask but I’m not routined enough to see a huge difference in my skin.

  10. It wasn’t until this year that I actually started a skincare routine. My anxiety and depression made me like you with the neglecting but you definitely inspire me to look after my skin more!

    Daisy xoxo | TheDeeWhoLived

  11. Honestly I don’t have either a beauty routine or a skincare routine. I moisturise my face, hands etc maybe ONCE a year, when I remember, and I never use tan. I am the pale, sick looking person every one comments on.

    Truth be told I just can’t be bothered, but I know I would feel better, both physically and mentally, if I did.

    1. It’s hard to get over that hurdle of starting when it seems like such an effort. Once you get into the routine it’s obviously much easier. Maybe try with one product and build from there.

  12. I neglected my skincare for quite a while too which was not like me as I ALWAYS took care of my skin, always wore makeup etc Mental health definitely effected my relationship with skincare and beauty too. This products sounds really nice! 🙂

      1. It really can, I got so bad I didn’t wash my hair for weeks at a time. But when you are going through it you just don’t have the energy or care about your appearance.

  13. Kudos to you for sharing this story! I can definitely relate to “trying to look different” when I was younger as I was desperately trying to fit in and be somebody I wasn’t. Nowadays I try my hardest to be myself, even in times of Instagram influencers. Nobody’s perfect and everyone’s got their own insecurities!

    Such a great and in-depth review! I’m definitely going to look into this facial and body scrub more! x

    Malena – https://malenablogs.com/

  14. I’ve never heard of this product before but I’m really lazy when it comes to skincare. Occasionally use some Simple Micellar Water, maybe some Simple Light Moisturiser and some Nivea or Savlon on my hands. That’s about it. I’ve never bothered much and I rarely use make-up either.

  15. I find my skin care routine has to be simple because otherwise I’ll have products that I just won’t use! Plus my skin is SUPER sensitive so I avoid a lot of exfoliaters, toners, etc because I don’t want to feel like it’s burning my skin! However, my favourite products include the Lush Mask of Magnaminty face mask, the Body Shop’s seaweed face wash, and again Lush’s facial moisturisers. They’re all really nice to use on my skin, and apart from make up removers or cleansers (I have another Lush one and I can’t remember the name) that’s all I use for my skin! I haven’t got perfect skin by any means but it’s definitely better than it used to be!

  16. I can relate to the panda eyemake up days so much! Thank you for being so honest with this post. Skin care used to feel like a chore to me because I had acne so I HAD to tie my hair up and take off my makeup the second I came home from school so it’s only lately that I’ve been enjoying skin care now that it’s cleared up and use products I actually like, as opposed to trying so called miracle cures which never worked.

    Ash | thisdreamsalive.wordpress.com

  17. I applaud you for sharing your truth with us. I too used to have an unhealthy relationship with beauty. In high school, I used to over do it with makeup and weaves because I was told my acne was gross and I would be prettier with longer hair. So I tried to achieve that look by hiding everything that defined me. Today I do the opposite. I’m not afraid of my acne and I rock my natural hair daily🤗 Thanks for sharing your story it was super encouraging for me💖
    O btw, the microdermabrasion cream sounds great for us sensitive skin ladies too✌🏾

    Natonya | https://www.justnatonya.wordpress.com

  18. I loved this post! I’ve always had a love for beauty as I now do it for my job but I’ve definitely felt the same way at times. The one thing I really need is skincare as it actually helps with my confidence when I feel that my skins looking lovely! X

  19. I definitely care a lot less about my appearance now then I did in my teens. I used to obsess over make up and looking my best and now I just sort of make do haha.

    I’d love to try that microdermabrasion cream! 😊

    Love Lozza xo
    http://girlygabble.com

  20. My relationship with skincare when I was a teenage is that I just didn’t use any. I never really had a problem with spots and I always felt like the only skincare out there for teenagers was for acne. So I’m paying for it now as my skin is quite dehydrated!

    Ellyn x | Life Of A Beauty Nerd

  21. This was really interesting. I struggled so much with my dry skin in my teens that I really had to learn the importance of taking care of it/me when I was really young. It’s great that your relationship with beauty is in a better place now and you can find it enjoyable too x

    Sophie
    http://www.glowsteady.co.uk

  22. It means so much to me that you find my content and reviews to be helpful, and reading your story made me well up a little bit. I’ve got a similar story in my teens to you – overdoing the ‘beauty’ thing in terms of confusing beauty and glamour. I’m much happier now I’m more comfortable in my own skin. xxx

    1. Awh you’re so welcome! I agree, I was very much the same. I totally over-did it thinking the more “fake” I was, the prettier so to speak. I still love fake tan and lashes etc but there’s definitely a line between overdoing it and not!

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