Top Five Tips For Clearer & Healthier Looking Skin

Having clear and healthy skin is something that every woman, teen, girl and even guy want. In my ideal world my skin would look magazine worthy everyday, but thats realistically thats never going to happen! There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and seeing a few angry spots that have decided to make an appearance overnight and there is always that one that you have to squeeze even though you know you shouldn't. When I was a teen I was a fairly spotty teenager and it pains me to say that even in my late twenties, I still wake up some mornings to some angry looking  skin. Since having my baby, my hormones seem to be going crazy and my skin has been aggravated so much that I've been trying my hardest to take things back to basics and taking the time to make a few lifestyle changes that have really helped my skin clear up in the past. Taking the time to look after my skin is so important and whenever I do take that extra time, I really do notice a difference - So it's only fair that I share my top five tips for clearer and healthier skin with you all.

1. Keep Hydrated

Drinking water is probably the most obvious, but probably the most difficult step into achieving healthier skin. Water really is your skins best friend, and when I've drank enough water my skin really does thank me. I suppose its difficult because  I forget to drink frequently or I don't always feel thirsty. Sometimes I look at a big bottle of water and think to myself 'am I really meant to drink all of that?'. However it's not impossible. I've found that the easiest way of drinking plenty of water throughout the day is to buy a water bottle. I love my Fill and Go water bottle from Brita as it filters all of my water as I drink it and in my mind that tastes a lot nicer and fresher than regular tap water. For some reason, having my water in a nice water bottle not only makes it more drinkable but helps remind me that I need to keep hydrated - And of course being hydrated is a key step to having lovely clear skin.

2. Clean and Cleanse

Since becoming a mum my nightly cleansing routine has vanished. With so many lifestyle changes going on cleansing has been on the bottom of my priory list and as a result my skin has been suffering for it. I've been so guilty lately for not taking my makeup off before bed, or skipping toning my skin in my nightly routine. So the last week or so I've really made an effort and took some time in the evening thats dedicated to my clean and cleansing routine and what a difference it makes. Not only is it lovely having a little pamper at the end of the day, but the feeling of actually looking after my skin is so satisfying. Within a week my skin is already starting to get a little glow back to it and those spots are starting to disappear.

3. Dont Stress

More often than not I find that my skin tends to flare up more when I'm feeling stressed, tired or generally putting a lot of pressure on myself. Then to make matters worse I end up stressing about my stressed out skin which only makes my skin look more stressed. I know saying the words 'don't stress' is easier said than done, but no matter what happens I try to keep positive. Even if I'm having a stressful day or in my case right now I'm seriously sleep deprived, I try to take at least half an hour out of my day thats dedicated to some stress free down time. My favourite way to do this is to run a bath, light a few candles and just chill out; It really does make a difference to my mindset, which helps reduce my stress levels which in turn helps me out a little bit with my skin.

4. Foundation Free

I think it's so important to try and ditch the makeup at least one day in the week and if you're feeling brave then aim for a couple. If you had asked me to do this before having a baby, I would have told you this would be near on impossible for me to do as I have no confidence in my bare skin. However after having a baby, I just don't have the time to pop on makeup some mornings (there have been days where I haven't even brushed my hair!). I never thought I'd say this, but having more makeup free days is definitely more beneficial to my skin and I really notice the difference, so much so that I feel a lot more confident with how I look in my natural self. Plus it feels really nice to let my skin breath.

5.  Eight Hours Sleep A Day

Ok so getting eight hours sleep today is never practical when you have so much to do and so many tweets to send whilst your laying there in bed, right? This is the one step that I swear by but struggled with even before my new found mummy duties. Whenever I have taken the time to get the right amount of sleep that I should my skin thanks me so much. If I'm tired, which I have been lately, I find that not only does it make my eyes look wide and sunken but my skin looks so dry and dull - No matter how much highlight I'm putting on, nothing is going to give me that glow! Ideally I like to get my eight hours sleep in a day and I think it's so important to get your sleep before midnight, I personally find that this makes me feel more well rested which is more beneficial to me. Although now I have a six week old baby, sleeping for that length of time is definitely a thing I can say goodbye to for a long time, so the skin underneath my eyes is going to have to continue to suffer (if anyone has any tips for under eye circles please share).

I think these a relatively easy steps to follow, I know whenever I stick to some kind of routine and am consistent with it, my skin looks cleaner, clearer and much healthier. Even if you take one of these point and try and stick to it, you'll start seeing changes.

Let me know what you skin secrets are? Do you swear by any of these simple five steps? Let me know in the comments.