I don't usually blog events, but I learnt so much about skin at this event that I wanted to share it with my beauty community. The afternoon was filled with informative information about skin, games to help get to know one an other, healthy food and delicious juices. For the sporty ones among us there was even yoga. Experts were on hand to answer any skin related questions we had and to feed us knowledge.

For those of you that don't know Bioderma is a French Pharmaceutical company that specializes in remedies for the skin, hair and scalp. Founded in the 1970's they have built up extensive knowledge on how our different skin types work and have created their products around those categories.

Sebium - for combination to blemish prone skin.

Sensibio - for sensitive, redness prone skin and dermatitis of the scalp.

Atoderm - for dry to very dry skin and skin prone to eczema & skin inflammation.

Hydrabio - for sensitive and dehydrated skin.

Photoderm - sun care.

ABC Derm - for babies and children.

White Objective - for hyper pigmented skin.

Cicabio - for damaged and irritated skin.

Node - for hair and scalp

In the UK you can find Bioderma in Sainsburys, Boots, Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and in some participating pharmacies.

The event I attended was to draw awareness to acne prone skin and how breakouts should be embraced. How you can work with acne/ breakouts and how you can help prevent it.

Nutrition

The lovely Francine Ganasia - Joyce held a work shop to teach the main things we need in our diets to create healthy insides, those in turn will keep us looking beautiful on the outside.

She also touched upon skin aggressors and how we can protect our skin from them.

Skin aggressors (horrible monsters) are:- The sun, pollution, stress, sleep deprivation, smoking, poor diet.

Free Radicals are what fight the "horrible monsters" and prevent them from ageing or damaging our skin. As well as in our skincare we can find them in nutritious foods.

Vitamin A (aka retinol) - Found in fish oil, liver, dandelion, carrots, spinach, parsley and cress. Vitamin a can also be found in food what contain carotenoids such as oranges, blueberries, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. Vitamin A (retonoids) act as a natural sunblock to the skin.

A vitamin a deficiency can lead to weak nails, dry skin and dry hair. Taken in excess they will give the skin an orange tint.

Omega 3 - Found in rapeseed oil, walnut oil, olive oil & ground nut oil. Omega 3 is needed to keep the skin thick, supple and moisturized. it is also a natural anti inflammatory and will help with skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and lupus.

Vitamin E - Found in almonds, avocado, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, corn oils and fatty fish. Vitamin E is most effective when combined with Vitamin C and will protect skin cells from oxidative damage, free radicals and inflammation. It also promotes growth of healthy skin cells.

Vitamin C - Found in kiwi fruit, parsley, bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lemon, oranges and tomatoes. Vitamin c promotes, production of collagen which keeps the skin plump, young and healthy. it also protects the skin from skin aggressors.

Selenium - Found in fish, brazil nuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat germs tomatoes and broccoli. Selenium works alongside all the other anti oxidants and is also essential support for the skins immune system. in term this will help heal scrapes, cuts and skin infections.  

Zinc - Found in cereal, brown rice, fish, shell fish, lean red meat, poultry, walnuts, sunflower seeds and broccoli. Zinc is a vital mineral needed to help regulate inflammation, overall skin health and production of new skin cells.

Cocoa - Not your cadburys kind but the rich bitter dark chocolate kind. In small quantities it is shown to improve skin hydration, resistance to sunburn and skin texture.

Green tea - is found to reduce redness, improve hydration, skin thickness and elasticity.

Soy - protects the skin from the harmful rays of the sun, improve the appearance of wrinkles, production of collagen, skin dryness and skin elasticity (particulary for post menopausal women)

Things that are bad for the skin

Crash Diets - yes you will loose weight very quickly but it doesn't allow for the natural ability of the skins elasticity leaving you with sagging skin, stretch marks and wrinkles.

Saturated Fats - found in processed foods and margarine causes fatty layers to build up under the skin and clogs you arteries preventing blood flow.

Stress - drains the colour from your skin and ages fast.

Smoking - increases toxins in the bodies - all the goodness from 1 orange can be destroyed by 1 cigarette. Depleting the object of the good foods you eat.

You have heard the "saying you are what you eat" right? it is quite true.

Makeup and Skin

Makeup artist Rebecca Wordingham taught us some tricks she learnt when dealing with skin types and applying makeup over the years. Her style of work is to work with the natural beauty of a persons face, skin and features. Her model this afternoon was Ellie who suffers with Acne. I will summarize as follows.

• Always apply skincare before applying a base working with the skin. Patchwork can be used to help the skin if it is combination for example only adding hydration to certain dry areas. 6 types of skincare make the perfect base applied in this order - cleanse, tone, primer, moisturizer, SPF and lip balm.  
• Always use clean tools. Wash hands, brushes and sponges. All harvest bacteria that will clog your pores. creating blemishes or aggravating existing skin concerns such as acne.
• Recommended cleaning for brushes is everyday if working on clients and every other day when working on your own skin. Hands and sponges should be cleaned every time. Brushes can be cleaned with baby shampoo or Isopropyl alcohol.
• When applying a base to aggravated skin. Keep the foundation light, heavy makeup will cause a reaction. To conceal the blemishes or acne use a colour corrector before applying the foundation instead.
• Colour corrector's can be used under your eye instead of heavy foundations too.

To finish off I will just list a few products that I have tried of Bioderma's for my oily skin type.

Sebium H2O - A Micellar Water that cleanses the skin, removes makeup whilst also purifying and balancing the excess levels of sebum. I absolute adore this and is up there with my most favourite micellar waters. It is one of the only products I have ever used to complete empty and I do need to buy another bottle now. However, it is quite harsh so I wouldn't recommend use on the eye area. I would use the Sensibo micellar water for that.

Sebium Pore Refiner - a pore blurring primer. this regulates shine, improves skin texture and minimises the appearance of pores. works great on its own as a fresh face or under a makeup base.

Sebium Mat Control - A purifying moisturiser. Controls the production of sebum and eliminate excess shine. Also adds the right amount of moisture into the skin. Perfect for day wear.

Thank you so much for reading I hope you have learnt a thing or two and if you have any questions please leave me a comment wither on here or on Instagram.

Kisses

Nicola XXX

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