My post-TSW beauty routine

***For my full updated beauty routine, you can find it (here)***

For want of a better title, this post will be all about my (pitifully small) post-TSW beauty routine. I get so many questions about this so thought it best to make a whole post about it.

Before TSW I was all about the moisturisers, hair care and sun cream - I had more make-up than I could ever use in a lifetime and needed to wear foundation to cover the steroid-induced thin skin on my face. Post-TSW and things couldn't be more different. Here is a breakdown of my current beauty 'routine':

MOISTURISER
Before anything, I feel I need to mention that I don't use any moisturisers - at all. I won't go into it here but will instead direct you to a blog post where I talk all about it (here).

MAKE-UP
Now, I only wear a small amount of eye make-up and for me, at the moment, it feels right and even the thought of wearing anything like foundation now is suffocating. Most days I wear a black Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal on my top waterline, a quick sweep along my eyelids of No7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Brown (such a great shade for redheads by the way) and the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara which I am completely in love with! On the rare occasion I need it to cover the odd spot or blemish, I'll use the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in fair shade 1. For going out, I'll swap the No7 pencil for the Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision Micro Eyeliner in Black. I find now when I wear lipstick that it feels like I'm wearing too much make-up so I don't wear it! I also love Mavala nail polishes and use their remover as well which is just fabulous.

MAKE-UP REMOVER
Coconut oil in my opinion is the best make-up remover EVER. All I do is dip some on a cotton pad then swipe it over my eyes until all my make-up is gone, which doesn't take long. It works out so cheap too and a £6 jar lasts me months! Pre-TSW I used to *swear* by Lancôme Bi-Facil ... but my purse wishes I knew about coconut oil back then. I use the Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Coconut Oil if you were curious and it's just fabulous!

BODY
I use the Dove pure & sensitive soap which is fragrance free for the shower (I only use it where I need to though) and to wash my hands. I really love how gentle it is. When I get out of the shower I pat myself dry, use a Mitchum unscented deodorant then get on with my day - that's it. I rarely take a bath and when I do, the same rules apply - I never feel the need (or want) to add anything. Currently I use an electric shaver for under my arms and legs but I'm looking to go back to using a razor. I will update this post when I have tried out a few gels/oils to shave with to see which works best. (UPDATE 19/12/16: for the last month or so I have been shaving every two days under my arms and legs with the Gillette Venus razor *here* and using the Sainsbury's Ladies Sensitive Shaving Gel, 200ml *here* and so far I haven't experienced any problems!) I also don't use sun cream or any kind of sun protection. For the last year I have been slack about looking after my skin with regards to the sun but now I'm taking it seriously and have invested in a few hats and scarves as cover-ups. I will go into this more in next Friday's monthly update post but I think I might have an allergy to sun creams. I don't know if it's the moisturiser in them or an ingredient exclusive to sun creams but I'll be looking into this more in the future. 

*2nd UPDATE 19/12/16: Since mid-November I have been dry body brushing and I absolutely LOVE it! I wanted to try it initially in the hope it would prevent ingrown hairs when I started shaving again and also get rid of some little dry spots on my legs and something called Keratosis Pilaris that I occasionally get on the tops of my arms. So far, I haven't had any issues with ingrown hairs, the dry spots on my legs haven't returned and the Keratosis Pilaris has come back, but only a little. Obviously, things could change but I'll keep you updated.*

HAIR
I can't remember exactly how long into withdrawal this was but at one point I started getting a really itchy scalp. I wasn't having much luck with any of the shampoos and conditioners I had tried so decided to give the Head & Shoulders 2 in 1 sensitive with aloe vera a go and I haven't looked back. I do two washes with it then let my hair dry naturally and I'm done. It's not life changing but it does the job and there is zero irritation. I also occasionally straighten my hair but don't use any heat protectant. 

Even though this isn't a product per se, I feel I need to mention that my Tangle Teezer I bought a few months ago is a total game changer. I have naturally very curly hair and pre the Teezer, it used to take FOREVER to comb through. Now, it takes no time at all without causing any damage. A MUST buy. 

I think that's about it! The joy now of stepping out of a shower and not having to wait for various creams etc to sink in is an utter revelation - total freedom and something I always used to dream about waaaaaay before TSW when I was a child and struggling with my eczema. I remember one time in particular when I was in my teens - I was with a huge group of my friends and we were staying in a house in the country but I had to leave them all playing and come inside so I could have a bath with some random potion prescribed by the doctor ... then wait a further 2 hours for the ointment to sink in ... oh eczema.

Sending you all lots of love <3
Cara xxxx

My Topical Steroid Withdrawal update – Month 37

It's been quite a month for me! Definitely one of the hardest emotionally - TSW is only a small reason why though so don't worry. On my 3 year anniversary on 6th June, I took that as the start of a new phase in my life and it's brought up a lot of issues that need to be addressed. All to do with decisions and experiences over the last 17/18 years that have shaped who I am as a person and stopped me from doing so much and going for what I really want. I have done a lot of thinking and it's been at times immensely painful. TSW truly opened the door for me to deal with these issues and it's yet another reason why I will be eternally grateful that I went through this. I know it's something that I need to do if I want to move on and achieve everything I want in life. I feel like I'm getting there but it's going to take a long time to undo years upon years of thinking a certain way. Moving on now, I have a lot to mention about my skin in the last month which I will try my best to cover below:

• From Tuesday 14th June I had a really bad cold and concurrently had minor lumpy/pimply skin on my chest, torso and back. 
• On the weekend of the 18th & 19th June I noticed my skin was also a little more lumpy on certain areas of my torso - not itchy or anything, just there. I will add that over that weekend, I worked 25 (full on) hours and my cold was pretty terrible. 
• From Monday 20th June I got a little rashy (very minor) on my torso. I took some antihistamines over the next few days and it calmed down. The cold was still very bad I think because I didn't have any time to recover from it. Because the rash had calmed down, I didn't take an antihistamine on Thursday evening and the following morning, I woke up and was a little more rashy on my torso, back and chest area. I took an antihistamine after that every day for about a week.
• On the weekend of the 25th/26th June, I was really unwell with my cold and the rash started to get irritated on my chest, torso and back - I also had a few lumpy, pus-filled spots. I went to the doctors on Sunday and they said I had acute sinusitis and I tried where possible to rest over the weekend.
• The following week the rash didn't get any better - it was completely stagnant - and over time, my anxiety grew and I spent sleepless nights panicking about it. The rash itself wasn't bad AT ALL - so much so that I found it hard to even take a photo of it, it was that faint - but it really messed with my mind. I was terrified of what could happen. On the evening of Thursday 30th June I really worked myself up and cried a lot. The next morning I woke up and it had got so much better. The strange thing is, I don't think it had anything to do with TSW - I think it was Urticaria brought on from feeling extremely run down both mentally and physically, having a very bad cold that developed into sinusitis and not looking after myself. Today, it has nearly gone. Bar the mystery rash, my skin itself has been wonderful - I have had no problems with my hands apart from a minute rash on my right knuckle that lasted a day and my face has been INCREDIBLE! I think more than anything what this month has done is hit home what a toll it takes on us emotionally. I've come out of TSW with better skin than I've ever had in my life but I think it will take a lot longer to deal with the fear that I have talked about on this blog before. Someone on my Instagram page mentioned it's like a type of PTSD and I am inclined to agree. I am lucky as I have a great support network and am generally a very happy person but for us as a collective to have to deal with this on our own, without the proper help we need, is shocking. I hope things change soon, I really do.

I know what I said above probably came off as quite negative, especially as I talk a lot about the immensely profound and positive elements of going through TSW, but I want this blog to be an honest account of how life is after TSW. I haven't taken too many photos of my skin this month because of everything and I haven't had time today to take any more photos but the skin on my face and hands hasn't changed so I hope the selection below are still ok!

We will all get through this <3

Cara xxxx

Trying to take a photo of the rash on my torso (and failing).