1. At what age did you start experiencing breakouts?

I started experiencing breakouts pretty early, when I was around 12 years old.

2. What ingredients do you look for in your skincare products?

When looking at the ingredients of a product, there are so many amazing ingredients out there so it’s hard for me to pick ahaha. So, when looking at the ingredient list, I focus more on looking at ingredients to avoid, and also the concentration of the ingredients. I try stay clear of fragrances and fragrant essential oils as much as I can, as they can be very irritating for the skin, and certain alcohols as well.

3. Products, skin tips and tricks?

My favourite products right now are The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% & Zinc 1%, the tommi skin Green Clay Mask and The Ordinary AHA 30% and BHA 2% Peeling Solution.

My top three skin tips & tricks would be:

1. Do your research! Everyone’s skin is different; what may work for someone else may not work for you. Knowing your skin and knowing what you are putting on your skin helps so much! My favourite YouTube channels to learn about skin are SkincareByHyram and Cassandra Bankson.
2. Look at the ingredient list! The ingredients don’t lie and they will tell you what the product will do for your skin.
3. Always wear SPF30-50! (Even if you have very melanated skin, like I do ahaha).

4. Is it ok to label our skin with ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or ’normal skin’? Do you think these exist?

I know that early in my skincare journey I labelled skin this way, and thought I had ‘bad’ skin because of my acne. But now, I think of skin more as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’. You can have acne, rosacea and eczema and still have extremely healthy skin. And then you can have not even one spot on your skin, and it can be unhealthy. I know that even though I still deal with acne, my skin is so healthy right now because of all the love I’ve been giving it; with the food I eat, the products I put on it, and by changing how I view my skin and acne.

5. How do you think social media has shaped the way people feel about acne?

I think social media plays a big role in how people feel about acne. Teenagers with acne in movies are and have always been portrayed as “the weird, uncool, nerd”. And then in all types of media those who are seen as “attractive”; models, etc., always have clear, airbrushed skin, and we associate this with being beautiful. This definitely has had such a negative effect on teenagers and many of us have an unhealthy relationship with our skin because of this. We are scared of pores and spots, when really, they are what makes us human.

Despite what is portrayed in the media about skin and beauty, I think we still have the ability to turn social media into a space that has a positive impact on our relationship with our skin and how we view acne. Following pages, creators and brands that showcase all types of skin as beautiful has helped me so much in viewing my skin as beautiful, even if I have acne. One of the reasons I love tommi skin so much, is because while many skincare brands only use models with clear skin, tommi skin shows us that all types and shades of skin are beautiful. This has helped me on my journey with feeling comfortable and confident showing my skin with and without makeup, and with and without filters. 

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