The sun is out, there are pasty limbs all over the city being shown off in cut off denim hot pants and floaty dresses, people are sat outside watering holes well into the evenings…yes it can only mean one thing, Spring has well and truly sprung, which means that Summer finals are upon us.
There’s something about Summer term finals that are just so much harder than their Winter counterparts as there are so many more distractions, with longer days and better weather- being in the library is the last place you want to be stuck. So we turn to comfort food and sugary drinks to get us through the last push, which can wreak absolute havoc with our skin. I’ve decided to do a three parter in which I’m going to talk about how best to keep our skin in top condition through this seemingly never ending period, how to keep our diets clean (no Diet Coke or chocolate brownies here) and our makeup easy and unclogging in those stuffy recycled air libraries.
Frist thing is first- skincare. There’s nothing like long days and all nighters in the library to take our complexion from glowy to dull and grey, maybe with the added accompaniment of the odd blemish due to too many sugary snacks. I find the quickest and most effective way to deal with these skin emergencies is by whacking on a few face masks (they’re also a fantastic way to unwind, I love putting a face mask on in the bath with a copy of Allure or Elle to zone out from revision). My current favourite for decongesting and adding the glow factor is this Avene Cleanance mask which doubles up as a clay and exfoliating mask in one. Leave on for 5 minutes and your skin is clearar, softer and glowier. Straight after, I like to pop on a thick layer of Origins Drink Up to really give an amazing moisture boost and leave on overnight to wake up with skin as good as if you’ve spent £100 on a super facial. If you’ve got some really angry spots from sleep deprivation, hormones playing up or general lack of Vitamin D, I find nothing works quite as well as Nick Lowe Spot Gel which you can reapply throughout the day as it doensn’t leave a crusty milky film like most spot treatments. I usually find that by applying it throughout the day the shiners have usually scarpered within 24 hours. To keep skin looking in good condition after the evacuation of the congestion and dullness, I find that using Effaclar Duo in the evening as a serum and Elemis Skin Clear Mattifying moisturiser in the mornings really help in preventing breakouts and excess shine.
These skin care saviour are not time consuming nor do they break the bank and they keep skin looking amazingly clear and supple..
Next up….library and skin friendly snacks to help fuel those all nighters!
Have a good Monday!
Tijan
xxx