As a local Cobourg girl, most people know Annie for her rosy cheeks, kind heart and bright smile, but did you know that behind the scenes she struggles a great deal with rosacea? In her own words, Annie shares her raw battle of self-love, terrible red breakouts, and finding a solution.
Just looking at that comparison puts knots in my stomach. Ugh. How painful does that look? Trust me it hurt more on the inside than the outside. Like seriously, this was my face. No hat, scarf, or jewellery could ever hide what I called my, “pizza face”. I often pretended I didn’t care, but honestly how could I not be self-conscious day in and day out especially when it would flare up like this? I mean, I used to work at a spa. People expect me to have beautiful, glowing skin!
The worst part was that I couldn’t put anything on it. Makeup, lotion, face washes, etc. would make it worse and I tried EVERYTHING! I just had to live with it and love myself to the next level or fall down a rabbit hole of self-hate, which felt like walking on a tightrope. So, this was life for awhile. We’re talking over a year. I had a baby and the skin on my face officially went to hell -except my silver lining is that I probably have the cutest lil bundle ever #proudmom.
“I work at a spa. People expect me to have beautiful, glowing skin”
Okay, I bet you’re thinking, HOW in the world did I go from pizza face to the first picture in 9 months? Well, a few things:
First, I talked to my doctor which helped a TON! Recognizing that internal health is a huge factor from my diet, birth control, to consistent self-care, played a huge role in my skin and mental health as a whole.
Second, I actually wash my face more now with stuff that doesn’t irritate my uber sensitive skin. Ok, ok let’s be real. I’m still human and I occasionally go to sleep skipping my evening routine, but every morning I try to make a point to wash my face with Eminence Organics Calm Skin Cleanser or put on the Calm Skin Arnica Mask. Hello legit silky soft.
Third, when I go out -and we’re NOT talking to the grocery store (#smalltownlife) – but when I want to feel really pretty I wear makeup by Saint Cosmetics. To be honest, I only tried it because Nourish brought it in, but I quickly fell in love with it, not only because it’s natural, mineral based and free from typical alcohols and chemicals found in most makeup, but because I desperately wanted to feel beautiful again. When it didn’t make my skin scream or look like a caked-on mess I knew I’d found the makeup I’d be using for the rest of my life. It really helped me fall in love with ME again and pulled me out of my rabbit hole of zero self-confidence.
“I love myself, no matter what”
I went from pretending with a giant fake smile to actually loving what I saw in the mirror. Self-love is not all about outward appearance, I seriously believe that it has to start from within and I did do a lot of self-love work. Although feeling beautiful really helped me gain a new-found confidence, I know that whether I’m a pizza face or have clear skin I’m always me and I love myself, no matter what. But I’m super stoked that I have found my skin care solution and now I feel beautiful inside and out.
Connect with us to #StayNourished
