The "Skin Diet" You Need To Try

I wish I could go back in time and tell my fourteen-year-old self the one thing she could do to clear up her skin. Forget the white toothpaste remedies and the expensive facials. Don't waste Mom and Dad's money on Proactiv. (Adam Levine was totally wearing cover-up in that commercial, there's just no way.) All you have to do is just make one little change in your daily routine and you should really see results...

I haven't worn face makeup more than twice a week for the past couple of months and my skin is the clearest it has ever been.

I wasn't even trying to clear up my skin when I started this new "routine". My skin was really looking clear, so I just didn't see the need to spend extra time in the morning concealing and blending. I already have early classes and I'm a breakfast eater, so I already have to get up early to eat and get dressed. It's been nice to sleep in an extra 10-20 min and just simply wash my face and moisturize in the morning.

It wasn't until I was scrolling through Twitter that I saw an article calling what I was doing the "5:2 skin diet".

Basically, this means you don't wear makeup for 2 days out of the week; you let your skin breathe as you go completely natural. I've actually been doing it backwards: I wear makeup two days out of the week (usually weekends for blog shoots and church) and the other five I only wear mascara and lip balm.

It's supposed to promote glowing, younger looking skin since it asks as sort of a "cleanse". There are a couple tricks to it, though...

On the days you do wear makeup, make sure you remove it really well

Since I have white bedding, I've been very thorough with removing my makeup every night before going to bed. I use makeup remover wipes and then I cleanse my face. I'm also on prescription Epiduo, so I dab that on as well. (More about my skin story here)

Make sure your makeup isn't what's causing your breakouts

Do what I did and google "dermatologist recommended makeup brands". That's how I fell in love with this powder.

Clean your makeup brushes

It's super easy, and you don't need expensive solutions! Just follow these steps.

Keep your hands away from your face; makeup or not!

I noticed when I didn't wear makeup, I was more likely to touch my face. Despite the fact that I wash my hands, there's definitely germs there, so I try to keep my hands away from my face as much as possible. If I feel like my skin is dry, itchy, or just kind of needing a pick-me-up, I spray some Evian face mist!

Don't worry 'bout the haters

Maybe "haters" isn't the right word, but I know it may be a scary thing to go without makeup. I'm super self concious about my acne scars, and these babies are on full display when I don't have any make-up on. I just remind myself that everyone has insecurities, and if we let them get to us, we can't really enjoy ourselves. Go to brunch bare-faced, take a selfie with your friends sans makeup, talk to cute boys without any bronzer on. You can do it!

I promise it's worth it! Let me know what you think about this skin diet, and if something like this has worked for you.

Cristina