A love letter to my skin, by Ellie

When we talk about our skin, we sometimes tend to trivialize this organ to a superficial envelope. Especially when we try to improve it with 10-step skincare routines, make-up, cosmetic medicine... Yet this part of the body - the largest and most visible - is also the body's first protective barrier. Protection: that's the key word and THE role of our skin, which may sometimes have been forgotten, and which I wanted to emphasize.

Hormonal imbalance, stress, lack of sleep, pregnancy, poor eating habits, emotional upheaval... there are many reasons why the skin acts - or reacts - to show us its displeasure. In the final analysis, isn't skin the physical manifestation of our own experiences, our psychic and physical states, a kind of portal that allows us and others to glimpse our past and present?

Even with all this in mind, it can be hard to see things so philosophically. How can we remain positive when our reflection in the mirror is one of the first things we observe when we wake up? Because somewhere along the way, it's easy to think there's something wrong with us, to start believing that our body and face are the elements that define our worth. And that to maximize our value, we need to look our best.

Just as I arrived at Oh My Cream a few months ago, my skin started to act up. A combination of minor health problems, hormonal imbalance and fatigue put my skin - and my self-confidence - to the test. For the first time in my life, acne was breaking out and making my life a misery. I hated waking up in the morning, spending hours in front of the mirror looking for a solution. I was almost ashamed to go out with my friends or to say I worked in beauty. In this downward spiral, my lack of confidence led me to "mistreat" my skin. I was stressed, covering it up as much as possible, sleeping less and eating poorly.

And then one day, I finally decided to listen to my skin. Because I'm a big believer in "in and out" beauty, I swapped my bad eating habits for superfoods and cut out refined sugar - without depriving myself and creating frustrations. I changed my skincare routine (a good double cleanse, serums - including Oh My Cream Skincare Anti-Imperfections Serum - and a moisturizer adapted to my skin type and problems thanks to the expert advice of our experts). I started taking food supplements (including Oskia's MSM Bio-Plus ). I was less stressed and more attentive to my skin, which I no longer had to fight, but rather to consider as an ally. I resumed my yoga sessions and began to sleep better. And then, little by little, I got it back.

So sometimes, it's true, the little pimples and rashes can reappear. But I've learned to accept it, realizing that you have to learn to love yourself, even with your little flaws. In this beautiful movement of self-acceptance, this expression in the air of time that feels good alongside "self love", "be good to yourself", I learned to let go of what I didn't always control - an art that you have to learn to handle - and to listen to what my skin was trying to tell me.

Today, I just wanted to take the time to say thank you. Thank you for showing me when I'm not doing so well, because it's thanks to her that I listen to myself a little more. Thank you for making me realize that it doesn't matter, that these imperfections are part of me, that they make me beautiful in the end. Thank you for teaching me to take the time to love myself and take care of myself.

Ellie