The first “segment” – this one is Laura’s Life – In Skin!

I’m going to start with my very, top most, super important subject of the quarter and that’s 🥁 SERUM! Where I’d love to take you though my 7-day trial experience I had last month at Avon HQ in the sunny ☀️Northampton! I did this trial last month and then after stopped using it for a week or so to get ready for my current trial which has taken place where I’m on day four currently! But more about that next time!

I have had a dramatic time with my skin… and no one knows this more than my friends and family! My skin and me have never been best friends… the day before my first interview (which I got) as a training journalist and office junior, I woke up the morning of with my face covered in scales! We couldn’t work out what this was (later a trip to the doctors established after going over the medical journal that it was psoriasis! I called the newspaper and said I couldn’t make it as I was embarrassed, due to literally having flakey and scaled skin, I was covered face, scalp, joints, you name it I had iron however me being me I turned up anyway. I was 16… I got the job, however until the age of 32 it was really really horrible, if I’m being honest! A mum in a shop once said to her kid to “stay away from me in case they caught something”, I was 17 and embarrassed enough as it was but this meant be running home in tears to my mum asking her why I had to look ugly and horrible. This was my first lesson on judgements and self belief, although it would take me years after this to gain confidence! Can you imagine waking up with your bf, or husband or other half and finding half your skin on the sheets? I mean I’d shake my head and wow snow fall alert! Even to this day my scalp sometimes gives me a surprise!

According to the doctor this was stress related, everyone has the psoriasis gene but it take a a special someone to bring it out 🙄, I’ve had it from being so painful I can’t move my hands, to being so flakey I’ve lied about not being able to meet friends or go to meetings. If it gets really serious it actually can kill. One year Before I woke up for the interview I found myself unable to walk as every time I put my left leg down it hurt my back and spine, it was determined after 1 year on and off crutches that my psoriasis had managed to actually get on my spine! This has meant that until 6 or 7 years ago I’ve always been in severe pain when my psoriasis flares up! So this takes me to my skin care! Before finding the skin care routine nearly 3 and a half years ago that didn’t aggravate me I was left rubbing in steroid based creams (dovabet and dovanex all over my skin which has caused loss of breast mass and severe thin patches on my face, this in turn as meant that finding a routine and serum that does not aggravate my latent psoriasis was a nightmare! And this is where my Distillery products came in, and then the amazing renewal power serum, which Seems to be working wonders!

I went into the seven day trial at Northampton to see if this really would be the moment I found a serum that would work (so sceptical) but most of all a serum I could actually use without it feeling like a million fire ants were attacking my face!

The order which I use my products is so important! Did you know you should use serum before moisturiser as it sinks in easier then fighting through the moisturised layer?

Here’s my routine so as to keep you clear with what I do.

1. Cleanse – Distillery cleansing balm

2. Purify – Distillery purify oil with C-Shot powder

3. Treat- Anew Renewal Power Serum

4. Eyes – Anew Dual brightening cream & Anew lift cream

5. Moisturise – Distillery Shade the Day

I go to the studio at Avon HQ, when I arrive I sign some forms agreeing they can use my image… (I mean it’s pointless saying no, my face is on a house, or was it’s probably gone now who would want it up there all the time)

After a chat and a drink, I head to the MUA, just a bit of gloss and mascara and I’m done! Keeping it natural we decide to pull all my dreads back, lucky I wore white clothing after asking them what to shoot in, it saved so much time! By the time they took the angles they wanted I was ready to go, after saying goodbye and straightening my self up, I headed home for the unofficial night of first time application! Remember I had never used this before, and didn’t know if it would effect me like Retinol does.

So let’s begin Day 1!

Day 1 arrives I get up at (8am) I woke up and as usual and begun to cleanse my face using the distillery cleansing balm as this is my go to cleansing product, having major problems over the years to find one that did not irritate my latent psoriasis! Moving on to the Distillery purify oil and Cshot before opening the renewal serum!

The first pump only got a little as my hands were slippery so I did two more. A lot goes a long way I found as I thought it was going to be too much however it went on my face and neck which I massaged in like a treat! It felt a lot easier to go on then I imagined!

9pm I’m in the bath after washing my face and I then realised how much moisture had sunk into my face! I felt very mosurised to the extent it was a little too wet and it seemed like it wouldn’t soak in! Eventually it did and I’m now sat here thinking how can my skin take more 😂

It’s a very unreal experience not having an issue with sensitivity like I normally do (retinol 🙄) but the power of protinol seems to of sorted that!

So day 1 is over and apart from my face feeling fresher than it normally does I’m excited for the rest of the week!

I haven’t described or gone into more detail about what Protinol is but I will soon so keep an eye out for that and all about day-two!

I’d love to talk more, so if you have thoughts, questions or tips please let me know 💚 Love. Peace. And keep rocking it 🥳🎸