Natural beauty tips for pregnancy breakouts

Dear Lucy,

I am pregnant and breaking out like crazy! I feel so ugly, I have tomato nose, and my skin is just wow, in a bad way. I am worried about using even supposedly mild or safe topical acne medication because I want the best health for my baby. Do you have any natural beauty hacks to share?                                 

Clang-Clang

I can relate. When I was pregnant with Juliana, my skin was breaking out like crazy. The entire nine months. Started out mild enough, but every month, it just got worse and like you, I also did not want to use acne medication. I just had to weather it. (Don’t worry, the baby is worth it!)

A beauty hack I know now that I wish I knew then involves honey. But please run this by your doctor and proceed, if you may, with caution, and please always do a patch test first! Anyway, here goes:
Get some Manuka honey, or any other pure honey you may have on hand, and mix it with probiotics (just cut the capsule and empty contents into the teaspoon of honey to make a paste). If you find it too thick, you can squeeze in a few drops of calamansi. Apply it on the spots.

Another option would be honey and some cinnamon powder. It works pretty well for most people, I just don’t know how effective it will be for more serious breakouts.

To keep the oil under control, maybe you can try, as natural astringent, apple cider vinegar (please dilute with distilled water, especially if your skin is sensitive) or witch hazel.

I hope this helps somehow!                    

Lucy

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Shine, shine, go away!

Dear Rissa,

The summer heat has turned me into a sweat machine! To keep the shine away, I always retouch with face powder, but I end up looking super cakey. What should I do?                   

Andi

A beauty tool every girl should be equipped with is a pack of oil blotting sheets. When I get shiny, I personally don’t like having to keep retouching my makeup with my powder foundation. Piling up all those layers of makeup just feels too thick and heavy. I also find it unhygienic to use my makeup sponge to blot and wipe off excess oil and shine on my face. This will eventually be a breeding ground for bacteria. Keep in mind that too much makeup can also clog all those pores. For controlling unwanted shine, use oil blotting sheets instead. Try to choose one with a built-in mattifying powder and special ingredients like charcoal, which helps absorb oil and impurities.

If your oiliness is uncontrollable, consider using a lightweight mattifying primer at the start of your routine. It keeps shine and oil at bay, and works wonders to keep your makeup in place all day, too.       

Rissa

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Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil.