Thursday 27 June 2013

Early Pregnancy Beauty

More know as "Before you get the glow"

I need to put a little disclaimer here before I start, this is what has worked for me, I cannot guarantee that it work for other women. Early pregnancy is really tough, whatever people have told you - treble it. I've been sick, signed off from work two weeks with an infection that I had to have rest for (which I also fainted in a shop with), and could challenge a dormouse to a sleep off and win. To everyone who is suffering in silence until the 3 months is over, hang on in there and you're doing great. It shall pass.



I noticed the first thing to suffer was my skin - it looked pale apart from the break out of spots that the hormones were causing. I also found my skin had also become more sensitive to products, and I had to throw out most of the pre-pregnancy skin care (apart from Antipodes Divine Oil, which survived. I have reviewed it here previously).

After raiding my sample bag I found Avene's Cleaning Gel (£11.50 Boots) delicate clean/powder scent, that cleans everything off including eye make up. I like this because I found a didn't need a large amount, the sample bottle has lasted well at over a week, but most of it didn't inflame my skin. I also been reaching for Dermlogica Microexfoliant (£40 for 200ml), it's gentle that it leaves the skin softer by using Rice-based enzyme powder that you mix with water to the consistency you would like.

To then brighten and smooth out I used Estee Lauder Idealist (Starts at £40 for 30ml) resurfaces the skin and illuminates. It's worn under moisturser during the day (I've been using Estee Lauder Daywear plus) and I have noticed that any make up I've been wearing has been wearing longer and smoother.

A quick note about dental care (as in my other work I am a dentist receptionist) - I found my breath smelt even worse than normal because your mouth waters more. It is more important to look after your oral hygiene as your gums will bleed more which can lead to infection. I switched to a softer brush, sanative mouthwash (no drying alcohol which can make bad breath worse) and flossing more. I noticed an improvement after a few days. You are also entitled to free dental care when pregnant (and 12 months after the child is born).



Preparation done, time to cover and conceal - I converted over to my slightly higher coverage foundation just because it made my skin tone even out and covered blemishes better. For this I went back to my old faithful Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ivory (£27.50). I used YSL's Touche Eclait (£25)  to brighten my dark circles around my eyes (you will be getting up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks) and MeMeMe Beat The Blues (£5.50 Superdrug), a neutral illuminator that you can put on the areas you would like or mix it in with foundation for an all over glow.

I did keep most of my look simple, a slick of mascara and the new Bourjois cream blush in Healthy Glow (£6.99), a peach toned blush that goes on creamy but then goes to powder. It an also be built up so tailor how much glow you want.

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