Turning 30 was a big milestone for me. Not just from a life perspective but from a beauty perspective. I’ve always been interested in skincare but never have I been so intrigued than the last few years. While we mindlessly snap up any new product on the make-up stands as adolescents, there’s a complete shift in perspectives as you get older and where you concentrate your beauty efforts. For me, it’s skincare. As much as I love finding the perfect foundation formula or that fake-lash effect mascara, investing in my skin has become a priority. After all, there’s no point having that amazing foundation if you’re not putting it on a worthy canvas. And this is where beauty supplements come into it.
I’ve always had OK skin but with every fine line and spot of pigmentation I see, I’ve become more focused on getting to the core of its problems and creating a complexion that I’m happy with. While I passionately trial every lotion and cream I can get my hands on, there’s only so far topical products can go (even these ones!). Beauty supplements, on the other hand is a grey area. With so many empty promises, I’ve found that a lot of them are glorified multi-vitamins that barely scratch the surface of what we really need from beauty supplements. I’ve been skeptical for years about how effective they are so over the last few months I’ve been trying lots of different ones in the quest to find the right products in the lead up to my wedding.
I’m so conscious of what I put in my body and vitamins can make me feel nervous – what if it’s having a negative impact? What if I’m taking the wrong dosage? These are the types of questions I ask myself as I put the packet firmly back in the cupboard! But I was looking for something that would boost collagen, hydrate from within and just give my skin a bit more of a calmer, even appearance on a cellular level.
OSKIA PURE MSM SUPPLEMENT
I love Oskia – as an all-natural brand it has the most interesting back story (you can read it HERE) and I really trust their products. This MSM supplement is where it all started for them as it’s a supplement formulated to boost collagen and keratin production while nutritionally supporting the condition of skin, hair and nails. As an anti-inflammatory it helps to reduce acne, eczema and psoriasis as well as doing everything you’d expect from an anti-ageing aid. I’ve taken these every day with food for the last 8 weeks and I’ve definitely noticed a difference in the elasticity of my skin. It hasn’t done much in terms of fine lines around my eyes but it feels less dry and more glowy in general. The biggest disappointment of all is that there isn’t many in the pot and they’re not cheap.
VIVISCAL MAXIMUM STRENGTH
If you’ve ever had a bad haircut or wish your hair would grow like a Rapunzel Barbie, the first thing that will crop up in your Google search is these. We’re not exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to hair supplements but who cares when these do it all? My aim is to grow my hair as long as possible for the wedding but I also want it in its best condition ever. When I researched the list of ingredients I needed to look out for to promote hair growth, Viviscal had every single one of them (FYI it’s zinc, biotin, vitamin C and horsetail). I’ve used these for over two months now and I’m so stunned by the results. Not only is my hair thick shiny and longer, my hairline is full of new baby hairs. Ok, a bit annoying when trying to tame them but it means it’s growing at a faster route than usual. With a new shampoo and conditioner line, I can’t recommend these enough.
MURAD AGE REFORM HYDRO-GLOW FOOD SUPPLEMENT
Apart from drinking lots of water, hydrating your skin can be tricky to achieve from the inside out. Which is why I had to include Murad’s beauty supplement. Thanks to the inclusion of glucosamine, they boost the hydration levels of cells while increasing natural hyaluronic acid and collagen production within the lower layers of your skin. I was about to give up on these as I had taken them for a month and saw absolutely no results whatsoever. But on week 7 my skin started to pick up. It looked firmer and felt a lot less tight when I got our of the shower or when I woke up in the morning. I’ve always used a rich face oil on my face in the winter but since I’ve been taking these, I haven’t needed to and have been able to switch back to my lighter moisturiser.
SKINADE 30 DAY SUPPLEMENT
As one of our main advertisers on the magazine, I never paid much attention to Skinade. Sure, they had lots of celebrity ambassadors but it wasn’t until I saw that Gigi Hadid swears by them that I started to look into them more. I mean, when your ultimate girl crush endorses, you listen, right? Crammed full of the beat bio-available ingredients on the market, Skinade is one of the best beauty supplements out there if you want quick results. Promising better skin in 30 days, it delivers essential micronutrients in liquid form and aims to to re-build the collagen matrix in your skin. I won’t lie, I wasn’t convinced with the mango-flavouring – it was not a tropical breakfast, that’s for sure. But for the sake of a couple of seconds versus Gigi-worthy skin, you suck it up! And sure enough, after 30 days my skin looked amazing. Smooth, even and not a blackhead in sight, I stopped using it immediately – this baby I’m saving for the wedding!
ALCHEMY BEAUTY ELIXIR
Firstly, can we all stop and appreciate that this is the most beautiful beauty supplements packaging ever. This has sat in my kitchen for months purely for this reason but for the sake of research, it had to be used. This earthy powder contains (deep breath) goji, acai and camu camu, vitamin C (for healthy collagen production), pea protein and wheatgrass (to help repair), a rich source of plant protein, vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E and iron. Still with me? As you can see, it doesn’t look that appetising but thankfully, it doesn’t really taste of anything and I’ve been quite happily glugging it down in the morning while I get stuck into emails. It says 2 teaspoons but I’ve been using 1 and still noticed a subtle difference. It wasn’t dramatic and it’s only been a few weeks but I have noticed that those occasional hormonal blemishes every month have been few and far between. Not only that, those annoying little bumps that appear (seriously WTF) with no end result, have been non existent!
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