6 Steps For Skincare Success

  1. Cleanse your skin daily
You should cleanse your skin on a daily basis - removing make up, dirt & the impurities that have built up throughout the day. If you don’t cleanse properly then all the dirt & grime will accumulate on your skin and it can result in break outs.

  2. Exfoliate weekly
It’s important to exfoliate your skin at least once a week (or twice depending on your skin type) as it removes dead skin cells, revealing a fresh new layer of skin. This stimulates the skin and also helps your moisturiser penetrate deeper into your skin.

  3. Use a clay mask regularly
They are an integral part of your routine as clay detoxifies the skin and works like a magnet drawing out all the impurities & cleanses your pores. I’d recommend using a clay mask just after you’ve exfoliated so the ingredients can absorb into your skin more easily.

  4. Always use an SPF
SPFs are essential to protecting your skin against the harmful effects of the sun. Look for ones that include both UVA (A refers to ageing) and UVB (B refers to burning), so it will protect it against both elements. Sun damage ages your skin, so it is important to use an SPF all year round. 

  5. Keep hydrated
Drinking water is vital for the skin as it helps to retain the moisture
and also provides the nutrients needed to maintain healthy skin. Drinking the right amount of water is one way to ensure soft and supple skin.

  6. NEVER pick your spots

As tempting as it is to pick your spots, it can really damage the skins surface by causing scarring. If you can’t leave them alone then use tea tree oil using a cotton bud to dab it on, use on a daily basis as often as you want. I swear by Bodyshop tea tree oil which I’ve been using for the past 6 years. After using tea tree oil for a few days, the spot dries up and it just flakes off without leaving any scarring. 

10 Things About Me

1. I'm named after my Dad's favourite actress, Italian film star Sophia Loren

2. My wardrobe is bursting with so much clothes that it doesn't close anymore

3. I have a bucket list of 100 things which I wrote when I was 17

4. My favourite colour is green, every shade is so pretty

5. I have psoriasis and I create my own creams made using natural ingredients

6. I enjoy swimming, I won a medal for it back in secondary school

7. I have adult braces because I was terrified of getting them when I was a kid

8. I love travelling, I visited 3 places  last year - Dubai,Lanzarote 
& Iceland and I went to Rome this year.

9. I have an odd allergy, I can't eat honeydew melons

10. I absolutely LOVE cats, when I feel sad I watch cat videos to cheer 
me up and I want 3 kitties once I have my own place.

Life Update

Hi everyone!

I'm back after a super long break - final year of uni sucked the life out of me.

Now that's all done with, here's my life update: 

I've graduated with a 2:1 BSc in Media and Communications - WAAHEEEYY!

and I've recently secured a full time job and I am venturing into adulthood

The best thing about all of this is that now 
I'll have more time to blog so watch this space :)

Get dirty with Frank

Frank Body is an Australian all-natural, coffee-based skincare brand. It first started with the original coffee body scrub but now it has grown and boy that 
growth has truly been beautiful. I'm slowly working my way through all the products.

The Original Coffee Scrub

The caffeine in the original coffee scrub, is practically in its raw form so it is full of wonderful skin benefits. Coffee is rich in antioxidants which are great for the skin. It helps in calming down redness and inflammation.Coffee also has the same 
pH as the skin so aids in evening the skins texture and tone.
On top of this, it tightens the skin in doing so combating cellulite.

It also fades away stretch marks. Primarily the gritty coffee granules exfoliate the skin smoothing flaky,dry skin and after regular use (3-5 times a week) 
it even improves skin conditions such as eczema & psoriasis,
which is one of the main reasons why I am using it. 

I bought the Sweet Cheeks Bundle which was on offer, 25% off so it only costed me

 £26.20 when it is usually £34.95. In the bundle comes the Creamy Face Cleanser 

(my fav product) the Creamy Face Scrub and the Everyday Face Moisturizer.

Creamy Face Cleanser

OhMyGod. I cannot express my love and admiration for this product. It is so friggin' 
amazing as a cleanser. It is so gentle on the skin, even around the eye area 
which for me tends to be pretty dry. It is also very nourishing which greatly helps in 
soothing my dry eye area. After using the cleanser, my skin is not only clean 
and moisturised it feels refreshed and looks awakened. The best thing is that you only 
need a small squirt of the cleanser - just use your fingers, work around your skin massaging it, and watch all the make up, dirt and 
grime disappear. Just wash your face how would 
normally ensuring that there's no more cleanser left over.  

Creamy Face Scrub

This scrub also contains coffee but it is of a finer grind than the other Coffee Scrubs, so it consists of the same wonderfulness. It also contains Kaolin Clay - any type of clay (for the skin of course) is amazing for the skin as it works like a magnet drawing out the impurities from the skin and detoxifying it. There are so many varieties of clay charcoal, black mud, ionic just to name. I love using facial exfoliators and body scrubs, anything to do with exfoliating really. This feels gorgeous on the skin when being massaged in circular motions, the fine coffee granules get to work in gently buffing your skin whilst the Kaolin Clay purifies the skin. An all-round winner as a face scrub I believe. 

Everyday Face Moisturiser 

I'm often apprehensive about using new face creams because my skin is not only super dry but also overly sensitive. Thankfully, the everyday face moisturiser is suitable for the most sensitive of skins whilst also being appropriate for blemish-prone skin as it contains coconut oil which possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It does moisturise the skin but personally for me it wasn't enough so I mix it with an oil to quench the thirst of my super dry skin. 

 I'm enjoying using these products so far, I highly recommend the Creamy 
Face Cleanser and the Original Coffee Scrub. I intend to explore the rest of the range so once I do I will report back with my experiences with them :)

Get Under My Skin

Ever since I could remember I have had issues with my skin. 

When I was a child I suffered from eczema until my early teens. Eczema is an inflammation of the skin. The skin becomes flaky, itchy and sometimes bleeds. It is really common amongst children but it usually 

disappears after some time as they grow older. 

Having eczema was horrible, not only dealing with the constant stinging and itchiness but also the teasing from other kids. The most memorable name was 'crusty eyes' as I had flaky skin on my eyelids. It really did affect my self-esteem as a kid as my eyelids were constantly itchy, pink and in general just unsightly as my skin was literally just peeling off. Thankfully after trying and testing numerous
steroid creams my eczema disappeared but then 

Fast forward a couple years

A extended period of stress triggered my onset of psoriasis, 

something a little less well known.

(The sciencey bit)

Psoriasis is a skin disorder and is also known autoimmune disease which involves the overproduction of skin cells. This causes red scaly clusters on the skin which tend to be very itchy, dry and may even bleed. Psoriasis is referred to as autoimmune disease because it is linked to an over-reactive immune system. Normally skin cells renew themselves every 3-4 weeks whereas for a psoriasis sufferer the process is far quicker, taking 3-7 days. The clusters are a build up of layers of skin cells.

Having psoriasis was 100 times worse than my experience with eczema. It covers about 90% of my body now I'd say. It also affects my scalp - appearing as dandruff. When my psoriasis  first began spreading there was numerous days I'd just cry, I was terrified, it was as if something alien was taking over my skin. My self-esteem hit rock bottom. I was ashamed to be in my own skin. As time passed I eventually accepted my skin condition, it took me a couple of years but I got there. And now here I am, embracing it and still learning to love myself 5 years on. 

Through my time having eczema and psoriasis I have learned an incredible amount - what causes my skin to flare up, what calms it down, how to (some extent) control it - to name a few.
As well as writing about things that interest me and I am passionate about on this blog. I want share my journey and experiences dealing with issues with my skin, and hopefully through this I help others who are in similar situations as me. 

Remember to be kind to yourself
Soph x