Talking About My Skin Journey

This post was sponsored by Olay. All content and opinions are my own. Today I’m talking about something that is not easy for me to talk about, and that is my skin. You typically don’t see me on here without any makeup (always gotta have that red lip though, ha!), but with such high beauty expectations for women it’s becoming increasingly important to me to share my struggles. This is why I’m so happy to be partnering with Olay and share my skin story. After high school, my skin started to change drastically. For the first time in my life I had extremely dry skin and breakouts all over my face. I tried to cover the breakouts using makeup, skincare, anything I could find. I always felt like people were staring at me grossed out and I wouldn’t even leave the house unless my acne was covered. I had never had this problem before so I wasn’t sure what to do to combat the breakouts and I wasn’t familiar with my new skin in any way.

It always seemed silly to me to fixate on something like this that is so normal and small, but there were times when I would check my skin multiple times a day in the mirror just to see if it was getting any better. Last year, I started to really focus on embracing my skin instead of trying to cover it. Don’t get me wrong, I still wear makeup, but not only as a way to cover my imperfections now!  I actually feel good about my skin now, can you believe that?! I still struggle with acne and breakouts, but I’ve learned that this is who I am and I’m beautiful with or without acne!

This will always be different for everyone, but one of the most important things I learned was how to properly care for my skin throughout different times of the month. Stress and not drinking enough water played HUGE parts in how my skin reacted. When my skin starts getting really dry, I now use a vitamin C serum and the Olay Regenerist Whip. The Regenerist Whip is also really great for me on days where I choose to wear makeup! It leaves my skin feeling super smooth and I use it in place of a primer. It instantly absorbs into my skin too, so I don’t have to wait for it to dry before applying my makeup. At night, I wash my face with a gentle cleanser (I used to exfoliate ALL of the time and it was definitely not helping my super sensitive skin), apply acne cream to any breakouts, add a vitamin C serum to combat redness and scarring, and finish off with the Olay Regenerist Whip so that I wake up in the morning with hydrated skin!

Sometimes it can be hard to remember to moisturize before putting on makeup or after taking it off for the day, especially when I’m in a rush for a photoshoot. Having a moisturizer that does double the work has really helped me in terms of keeping my skin healthy even when I’m too busy to really notice. By consistently moisturizing, I’ve already started to see a difference in how my skin feels! It feels much softer and smoother now that I am keeping it hydrated, and it really just makes my skin feel refreshed!

I know how difficult it can be to see women online with seemingly perfect skin and wonder why yours doesn’t look as good or think about what you could possibly be doing wrong. Just know that you’re not alone, and even people with perfect-looking skin suffer with breakouts! Your skin doesn’t own you or determine your worth; you’re beautiful no matter what your skin looks like!

Thank you for continuing to support sponsors that make this blog a lot more Aww Sam! You can find more about our  sponsorship opportunities here. You can get your free sample of Olay Whips here!