Thoughts On Skin

I've been thinking a lot about skin lately. My skin. Your skin. That sounds kind of creepy but I swear this isn't some kind of Silence of the Lambs post. The one thing I've noticed as I've started to age is how much my skin has changed. And because of that reason my skincare regimen has changed too. No one gives a shit about their skin when they are young. And I think that's a huge mistake. I mean, I don't think I even started moisturizing until my late teens/early twenties. Yikes!

SUN
I grew up with the thinking the more sun your skin saw the better. My mom was/is an avid tanner. Not tanning salon style but straight up lay out in the backyard and bake. I remember every summer she would pull out her lawn chair in my grandparents backyard and lay in the sun for hours while I'd swim or explore. I don't remember ever wearing sunblock which isn't to say that I never did. But I do not remember being forced or told to wear it. My  regular skin pigment is moderately fair. However, I can get extremely tan if I expose my skin long enough. As a teenager I started laying out in my grandparent's backyard just as my mom did. I'd go to the beach and use tanning oil. After high school, I had my first tanning bed experience. I remember going with Katie or Erin. We'd pick out little hearts or playboy bunny stickers at the front desk and bake for 20 min. What the hell were we thinking?! I know I was thinking I looked better tan. I felt like I looked healthier and it hid imperfections like stretch marks and zits. Thankfully I grew out of that. I have not had a tan/sunburn in 5+ years. I remember the exact moment I got really serious about sunblock. Dustin and I had gone to the springs with Matt and Rachelle and we both got an incredibly bad sunburn. Mine was so bad I had blisters form on my cleavage. Dustin's was so bad that he said his back felt like it was being cut with razors. We were miserable for a good week. I decided right then and there in all my pain that I would use sunblock religiously. And I have. I never use anything less than 50+ SPF. I also make sure to reapply when needed. I have the spray. I have the lotion. I have the special SPF lip balm. I use it all. Not only do I not want to go through the misery of being burnt but I also have finally realized how important it is to protect my skin in regards to cancer and aging.

This story alone proves that tanning is awful. Don't do it.
Also, just being out in the sun without sunscreen is terrible. Don't do it.
Keep sunscreen in your car, purse, house, beach bag, etc. And use that shit!
And PLEASE WATCH THIS. It confirms the sunscreen is the bomb diggity.

Exhibit A: My mom tanning in the lake way before I was born. 

Exhibit B: Me in some of my tanner moments. 

FRECKLES

I'd like to preface this by saying that I love freckles. I love mine and yours. Seriously. I think they are beautiful and I absolutely hate when people cover them with makeup. However, none of us are born with freckles. Freckles pop up the more and more we are exposed to the sun. So the more sunscreen, sadly the less freckles. But it's more important to protect your skin than have those cute little beauty spots. Over the years I've looked in the mirror and thought "Is that a new freckle?" or "When did that pop up?". Recently I noticed a weird freckle on my upper lip line start to form. It pissed me off at first because it looked like dirt on my lip. And a dirty lip is not cool. But over the past couple months I've learned to accept it. Kind of. I'm trying. I've also noticed a flesh colored mole pop up on my right side of my chin. I mean, none of these things changes my appearances that drastically but it's just weird to see something permanent show up out of nowhere. Overall I'm very happy in my skin - freckles, moles, chicken pox scars and all.

No freckles (on my face)! Pretty sure I got shoulder freckles very early on. 

Still none in middle school. (That mark is acne. Oh 8th grade!)

And here I am in high school. Yeah still not seeing any.

And here I am at 19 with the most prominent freckle on my face starting to show - the one on my left cheek. All others are still no where to be found. So crazy!

See it? Left side of my upper lip. It's small, yes, but I notice it every time I look in the mirror. 

Red Circle: Zit

Dark Blue Circle: New(ish) freckle that looks like chocolate or dirt. 

Green Circle: Tri-freckler. 

Light Blue Circle: Flesh colored mole?

It wasn't there in 2006.

Or 2011. 

MAKEUP

As most of you know, I don't really wear makeup. I'd say I wear makeup maybe 3 times a week. And by makeup I mean, mascara, BB cream, and lipstick (but usually only on weekends). That's it. I don't even know what foundation, concealer, contouring, etc. is. I've always believed that natural is better. I just have never been interested in the look, time, and money it takes to be fully made up. I feel like there is a point where someone is wearing too much makeup and they don't even look like themselves (ahem Kardashians). I want to still look like me. And the best part is Dustin isn't a fan of make-up. He has told me several times he thinks I look best without it which of course makes me feel that much better about my typically naked face. Anytime I do wear my very minimal make-up I am religious about making sure I take it off before going to bed. 

What sleeping in make-up can do to your skin. // How bad is it to go to sleep in your makeup?

MOISTURIZE

I take a shower every single day. I very rarely miss showers unless I'm deathly ill. So my routine is to take a shower in the morning and immediately after getting out moisturize aka lotion up my entire body. I'm talking feet, legs, arms, stomach, chest, and neck. I think most girls stick to legs and forget their skin everywhere else, even the skin that doesn't feel dry. I moisturize my face twice a day. Once in the morning after I get out of the shower and once before bed. In my teen years I had incredibly oily skin on my face but as I've aged it's become much dryer, so it's even more important to me to keep it hydrated. Speaking of hydration, I also drink a ton of water. That's actually my main drink these days. As much as I do like water, I much rather have a Dr. Pepper or Apple Juice. And I do enjoy those but just not nearly as often as I used to. Water does so much good for your body and even though research hasn't really proved it's benefits to the skin, it certainly can't hurt. I'm a believer that hydrating from the inside out is key. 

Why Moisturizing Matters // What Drinking Water Actually Does To Your Skin

Does Drinking Water Really Give You Glowing Skin?

I'd like to note that posting so many photos of my own face made me cringe but I felt it necessary to really show the changes that have occurred. I mostly wanted to post this because I find it fascinating that our bodies continue to change - sometimes for the better and sometimes not. But also because skin care is important and we should get into the habit as young as possible.