Weddingbee Blog

It never occurred to me in my teens that I needed to take care of my face. Sun spots from the sun? Yes. But for the most part, I was relatively acne free and I didn’t exactly have dry or oily skin. Fast forward to now when all I think about when I look in the mirror is how badly I wish I could reverse all the years of lying in the sun without SPF 80 or wishing I wasn’t a “popper.” Ha.

Since our wedding is less than 7 months away, I’ve really been trying to pay attention to my skin. After all, I’m going to be photographed in all kinds of angles, different lighting, etc., and I don’t want to feel self-conscious on our big day. In addition, we want to go some place warm/tropical for our honeymoon, and I don’t want to wear foundation/cover-up while I’m on the beach. It’s not a good look.

I’d show you my face sans make-up, but it’s not cute. And I’m shy and I’m afraid you’ll make fun. But, maybe this visual will help: think of super pale skin. Add some redness and dryness around the cheekbones. Throw in some whopping under-skin blemishes and some scars from 10 years of picking at my face…. and that’s me.

Now, while I won’t dare say I have an acne problem, I will say that I have “issues.” You see, I’m allergic to just about everything. Pollen, most animals (boo!), tons of medicines and unfortunately most facial lotions, soaps and gels. I also live in the desert, which most certainly does not help. I can no longer get a facial or have a relaxing massage and I got a serious “talking to” from my dermatologist when I mentioned that I was still getting them. He said they were counteracting all of the treatments we’d been trying*. Shucks.

So what have I been doing? Well, for starters, I wear foundation with SPF and always wear a hat when I’m outside. I can’t use sunblock since I’m allergic to most brands. Second, I no longer spend money on fancy cleansers from department stores. I use plain ’ole Cetaphil bar soap, with hot hot water. It’s $5 at most grocery stores and lasts me about 2 months.

But here’s where I’m stuck. I don’t have a moisturizer. I can’t seem to find one that doesn’t make things worse for my face. Not even the Cetaphil brand. I’ve used Murad, Paula’s Choice, Chanel, Neutrogena, and the list goes on and on. I’ve even used Creme De La Mer, but without positive results. By the way, I’ve found (and this is just one person’s experience) that La Mer and Nivea Creme are basically the same. The only difference is the consistency of the two cremes. Nivea is quite a bit thicker and takes some time to work into your skin. Oh, and it’s significantly cheaper than La Mer.

Here’s where I need everyone’s help. Do you have know of any great organic products I should try? What has your experience been? I hope I can nip this in the bud before the wedding.

*Dumpling is not a doctor. Repeat. Not a doctor. Please don’t take anything on this post as medical advice of any kind.