Unaltered beauty: Slugging, Skincare & More

It had been a while I had seen myself, underneath the pressure to always be perfect. Constantly looking perfect especially in the medias eyes can be draining. I often find my self realizing how hard we try to hide the imperfect parts of who we are, the acne, the little dents and moles in our configuration. So just like I enjoy the art behind giving my face a full beat, I believe in seeing yourself in your default form to appreciate the wonder you truly posses, unaltered.

Being a social media influencer swept me off my feet! When I first started, it was exciting to get new products on a recurring bases. At times brand expectations were high and there were some products that I tried that I truly felt were good at the time but looking back weren’t the best. What really suffers through this process is my skin, this is my day to appreciate myself as I am, I love this person without the filters without the makeup, I wake up to her. Hyperpigmentation, scarring, beauty marks are all alright. They tell a story about where we’ve been and the experiences we have had, Texture is normal, facial hair is normal! As women we are constantly shown women whose skin is flawless, glowing and have gone through their skincare journeys which is okay but at the end of the day some things are harder to reach than others.

I know when I’m dong my makeup I use a smoothing primer to make sure my pores are covered and you cant see them through my makeup. In reality I’m that girl who either has a full face of makeup or no makeup at all. Which means I would much rather not do liner, brow or lipstick if I don’t have a full face of makeup on. In that same light I’ve learned along the way that though makeup definitely makes me slay, my true self, without makeup is also a baddie (yes I used that word)

My thing for this year is to only work with companies I’ve tried that actually work for my skin. Products that either I invest in or I’ve received in PR and seen if they ACTUALLY work with my skin. Right now there a couple of products I’m in the process of trying to see if I can get my skin to a healthy (not necessarily flawless state) It’s honestly been a process of trial and error (I’ve gotten one too many new product breakouts) But personally I’ve noticed that my skin during the winter is a lot different than my skin during the summer. Winter can be a very drying time and I’ve been using a lot of nourishing hydrating masks and Slugging to keep my skin from getting dry overnight (I have normal/ combination skin).

Now what is slugging? According to google “The latest viral skincare trend is called “slugging,” which involves coating your face in petrolatum, or Vaseline, to moisturize your skin overnight. It been used safely for babies as a body moisturizer, or used on wounds but it offers great hydration to dry and irritated skin.”  I will say that overtime I realized that I preferred using oils like rose hip oil (my favorite is from the ordinary) overnight because I felt like it worked better for me (in my opinion) Everyone is different and I’ve realized that with so much information being pushed out to us on a daily basis, it can be hard to sift through what works and what doesn’t, but you have to do what works for YOU and not anyone else. If a $5 moisturizer makes you glow, by all means use it! If a $600 moisturizer makes you glow, then use that too.

I’m still in the process of figuring out my perfect routine (I’m in the trial phase currently) but when I do get my routine to a stable place (a place where my breakouts are reduced) I’ll definitely be sharing the REAL products I use. Not going to lie I’ve gotten some recent products I’ve used from recommendations on tiktok but the thing people may not talk about with skincare especially, is that it takes at least a couple of months to see results. I’m very patient because I know that once I get it, I’ll get it. For summer my skincare will be switching up again, however I’ll probably just stop using so many oils but the base routine will still be the same.

The one thing I absolutely love about the information era that we are currently in, is that you can literally learn anything and this year, I’m increasing my knowledge on skincare especially because amazing skin = amazing makeup, but also equals more confidence. I remember back in 2010 when I first moved here from Nigeria, my skin was clear.  I used just my body  soap for my face, nothing else. The second I moved to the U.S, my skin broke out drastically during the winter months and evened out during summer (Obviously because it was used to the warm weather) I remember my mother buying me proactive, because at the time that was the popular acne solution. I used it for a bit and things seemed to get better but immediately I stopped using it, it was worse than ever.

Over the years, I’ve tried so many different products and while I know some products change the pH of your skin, I’ve considered going to a dermatologist. However, like I said this is all a journey and I hope that I’ll get to a place where my skin is healthier. For now I’m embracing my skin, just as it is, flaws & ALL. So, 2022 is my year to find and tailor my skincare products to my needs. Who better to take care of your skin than you? Right?

What are your skincare goals and what skincare have you used that you are currently loving?

Signing off, until Thursday.