Roughing it: Giving your skin a break

Jul 29, 2008 Author: Jen Hill | Filed under: Acne, Skin Science 101, Skincare

I just returned from a two day camping trip with the family.Â Our campsite is one of the best camping destinations in America, and it isÂ only 20 minutes away from our house!Â Â Little Cottonwood Canyon is full of green vegetation, wildflowers, and wildlife (we even saw a moose).Â Â The lower third of the canyon consists of of smooth steep faces of granite, some up to several hundred feet high.Â The Little CottonwoodÂ Creek runs right next to our campsite, and the sounds of the cascading water along with the cool breeze are incredibly relaxing!Â Â

If you want to read about an interesting riverÂ rescue that took place while we were there, check out this news story:Â http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=12be9347-f8a1-48ea-9d74-e12e5934d6fe.Â Â Luckily a young boy staying at our campgroundÂ heard the man’s screams and got help.Â This is a picture we took of the LifeFlight helicopter leaving the with the rescued fisherman.Â How horrible for him to haveÂ his leg pinnedÂ all night under a boulder, and that water is so cold!

Right before this trip, I noticed that my skin was giving me some trouble, namely some breakout activity.Â I am attributing this breakout to hormones, stress, and using a lot of new skincare in the last few weeks.Â My skin can beÂ pretty tempermental, and changing things around isn’t always a good thing.Â Because of my self-appointed position of reviewing skincare items, about every three to four weeks, I will try something new.Â You always hope that this transition will be smooth, but this isn’t always the case.Â I would definitely characterize my skintype as sensitive, meaning, sensitive to breakouts.Â

Needless to say, I switched things up a bit, started breaking out, and had this camping trip coming.Â I decided it was time to give my skin a break.Â A break from anything new, and my makeup routine.Â Guess what?Â I survived!Â Two days using just the basics for my skincare (cleansing, toning, moisturizer), and sunscreen and insect repellent.Â Although, I am scratching one bug bite on my leg right now, drats!

This morning, my skin is feeling stable, and on the mend.Â I think that giving your skin a breather (on your off moments) is very good beauty advice.Â Next time you get an opportunity for a few days away, consider giving your skin a break.Â Â Just don’t forget your sunscreen!

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6 Responses for "Roughing it: Giving your skin a break"

Jami July 30th, 2008 at 5:57 am 1

Great advice on giving your skin a break! I’m trying to get my skin to calm down enough to start trying some new skincare actually. I had a bad experience with a foundation last week, and I’m STILL breaking out all over the place. Ick. When WILL I learn to read ingredients first???

Looks like you had a good trip. So glad that the fisherman was found, that had to be incredibly scary. I can’t even imagine!
Jen Hill July 30th, 2008 at 7:16 am 2

Glad to know I am not alone with the breakout. I was using a scrub last week, and probably over did it.

The man rescued was interviewed on the news last night and is doing quite well considering.
Mo July 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am 3

On the days I’m planning on staying home to clean house I skip all the extras (though I may throw on a touch of concealor in case someone comes to the door!) It’s a nice break for my often dolled up face.
Check off another reason not to like fishing!!!
Jen Hill July 30th, 2008 at 11:44 am 4

Concealer is my weakness too, and lip gloss. Today I wore my makeup as usual and it felt really good. Not too glam, just the basics.

And thanks to you Mo, I put my UD eyeliners in the fridge today and will be giving them all a much needed sharpening.
s'mee July 30th, 2008 at 7:44 pm 5

Oy. I am SO not the glam-girl! Rarely if ever do I bother with anything other than moisturizer. I have such “Asian” eyes (as my girls tell me) that eyeliners and shadows are wasted and never visible. What does this have to do with anything? I am all in favour of giving skin a break! whoo hoo for naked face! It’s almost a motto with me!

On the other note, I was flipped off an inner tube while on the Kern River. I got swept under a boulder, my clothes were ripped off me and I was eventually saved by a man in the group I was with…ALL DEAF! No one heard my screams for help, I had to try and keep my face out of the water and sign “HELP!” All’s well that ends well, although I still wish I hadn’t bared all for everyone to see! Just my luck to be out with the deaf instead of the blind that weekend!

Glad to hear the man is safe and kudos for the little boy! WOW!
Jen Hill July 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pm 6

Wow S’mee! What a scary ordeal to go through, and I am grateful you survived it. Makes a great story now.

My deep set eyes don’t do fancy eye makeup much justice either. I prefer to keep my lid color simple, and use liners to add some much needed oomph on my lashlines.

Great to hear from you, visit again!