These newsletters seem to come around really quickly - it barely feels like a week since the last one, let alone two! Fancy a glimpse at what delights are included in this edition?
A song, a blog post about a potential rosacea treatment, a lip balm, some fantastic articles (rosacea and hormones, body image, and a rosacea awareness win), a face mask set I’m far too excited about, three books I’m currently enjoying, the perfect nail varnish for autumn, and a sneak peek at the blog posts I’m working on at the moment.
If you’d like to catch up on more recent newsletters, you can find them all HERE.
Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means if you purchase using my link I get a small percentage, at no extra cost to you. It’s a great way to say thanks for the content I share here.
Listening: This week’s song obsession - and title of the newsletter - is I Lied by Lord Huron and Allison Ponthier. Also, if you’re someone who cares about this kind of thing, you have less than a month to course-correct your Spotify end of year round up. Do with that information what you will…
Posting: Yesterday I published a blog post all about Polynucleotides, a treatment that seems to be talked about everywhere at the moment. Friend of the blog Dr Anjali Mahto very generously gave up her time to answer all of my questions, so I can help you better understand this treatment and how it might be beneficial for rosacea. You can read it HERE.
Buying: I saw this cooling face mask set on Amazon and added it to my basket immediately. I’ve spoken about gel eye masks before and how helpful they can be for soothing the cheeks and eye area, but this set also includes a full face mask, under eye patches and some rounds that are intended to be placed over the eyes, but I think they could be used on the cheeks to help cool a flare up. I will update you with my thoughts in two weeks in my next newsletter, but just couldn’t wait to share as I assume you’ll all be as excited as me! Have a look at the set HERE.
Celebrating: This article from the National Rosacea Society has really given me a boost so I wanted to share it with you as well.
“65% of rosacea sufferers were aware of the disease before their diagnosis. Of those diagnosed within the last five years, 76% had heard of rosacea before their diagnosis. In comparison, only 50% of respondents who were diagnosed more than 10 years ago had heard of the condition prior to diagnosis.”
That is incredible. When I was first diagnosed (nearly 20 years ago!) I’d never heard of rosacea. It wasn’t spoken about in magazines, on TV, by skincare brands. It just wasn’t a thing. Which is why I started talking about it and sharing my experiences so publicly, because I knew there must be others out there who needed support and information, just like I did. The changes that I have seen in the ways in which rosacea is spoken about over the last decade have been amazing and I feel really proud to have played a part in that. And - as that article points out - now that awareness is rising, we just need to work on the education of what’s next and give people hope and support. The more we talk about our skin, share our stories, and amplify those doing the work to raise awareness and research rosacea, the better off we will all be. A rising tide lifts all ships.
Reading: I found this article about hormone changes in middle age and the subsequent impact on rosacea really interesting. As always, I share these articles and studies not to be taken as gospel, but because I think the more we all know about rosacea, its causes, and the way it behaves the better, but also because I want to demonstrate that there is research happening, people are trying to find ways to help us, even though it might feel like there have been no tangible changes in the way rosacea is treated by the medical community.
Wearing: In my last post, I shared some things that helped to distract me from my own brain and one of them was painting my nails. This is the nail varnish that I’ve been wearing for weeks: essie ‘totally plaid’. I highly recommend essie nail polishes (those of you who remember that my blog is called Talonted Lex because it started as a nail blog will know that I’m a long-time fan!) It’s from their Gel Couture range which (confusingly) doesn’t need to be cured with a lamp like gels, the name just refers to the shiny finish. They are long-lasting, fast-drying, and give great coverage and this one is the perfect olive shade.
Reading: This Allure article written by the always wonderful and insightful
really spoke to me.“The crux of my body image issues is centred on how I mentally isolate parts of my body and see them as separate entities. I criticize and compliment sections rather than looking at my body as a whole in and of itself.”
I spent so many years focusing on and obsessing over my rosacea that it was often the only thing I saw in the mirror, everything else was secondary. If my skin was flaring up, that would be the only thing I could see, if my skin was calm I would be analysing it and monitoring it to check for early signs of flushing. I couldn’t ever see myself as an entire being, I was my rosacea first and foremost and even if I could see positives in other parts of my appearance, I would feel like they were always outweighed or overshadowed by my rosacea. If this sounds like you then I think you’ll find the article really interesting and hopefully useful in disrupting some of those thoughts.
Sharing: I am still not back to full-strength on instagram - or any social media for that matter - after everything that happened this summer (details HERE if you’re new and lost!) but I’m trying. I shared a new reel last night talking about make up and confidence and how things change. I’d love it if you showed it some love, whether that’s simply watching it and reading the caption, or liking, commenting, saving, sharing… every eyeball and every click makes a big difference on whether my content is seen by other people, and personally I think this message is one that needs to be seen.
Using: I have recently cheated on my long-term lip balm love. For over 10 years I’ve been raving about the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm and using it every single night before bed… until now. When I was in Tokyo, I bought a pot of the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in ‘vanilla’ and I am a total convert. It’s so hydrating and smells divine, but stays on your lips all night. Plus you only need the tiniest amount so a pot will last me flipping ages - I’ve been using it for over two months and I’ve barely made a dent in it! I can completely understand why it’s such a cult product.
Reading: I’m reading a real mix of genres at the moment, and enjoying all of them. The Secret Barrister: Stories Of The Law And How It’s Broken is a fascinating book that is also shocking and rage-inducing. There’s so much about the law that the average person doesn’t understand and this book tries to show the ways in which the system is failing and why. Panic by LJ Ross is #5 in the Alexander Gregory series and I’ve enjoyed every one. The protagonist is a Forensic Psychologist and (like with many books of this genre) he’s a handsome, intelligent, but damaged and mysterious figure with a hidden past. I love a psychological thriller and LJ Ross is great at pacing and keeping you guessing. And finally, I’m reading Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein. I love the film and wanted to see how to book compared. It was written in 1959 but could easily pass for modern sci-fi. If you don’t fancy the book, I still highly recommend the film if you like sci-fi and action with strong satirical political commentary and criticism of military and jingoistic propaganda.
Writing: I’m currently working on some really exciting blog posts, all of which are taking so much longer to research and write than I thought they would. They span all sorts of topics: exfoliation, flare ups vs flushing vs blushing, autumn/winter skincare switchovers, hormones, retinoid tips… they will be published in the next few months, I just need to find a few extra hours in the day! Feel free to comment below with any particular blog post ideas you’d like me to add to my list.
Thank you for being here, for subscribing, for reading, for generously sharing this with likeminded friends, for commenting (even if it’s just to say hi!), for doing all of these small things that make a woman sat alone in her office, typing words and sending them out into the universe, feel less alone. I really do appreciate it.
Love Dr Anjali Mahto 💕💕
Great info lex as always really informative and interesting.
Thank you 😊