As some of you may already know, I recently had a patch test done at the recommendation of a dermatologist. The reason being I had self-diagnosed myself as having eczema, something I had never had before previously until the past 2 years or so. I finally decided to see a dermatologist to get to the bottom of why this suddenly popped up on my skin.

 The patch test was really interesting, as I went in on a Monday, had 10 different patches put all over my back testing for 95 different allergens. I was not allowed to shower/get my back wet until the Friday, so essentially didn't make many plans. On Wednesday I went back into the test centre and got the patches removed, and was curious as to what the results would show because I had been experiencing severe itchiness on a certain area of my back. The nurse told me that I had reacted severely badly to preservatives and fragrances. I laughed and just thought well that's quite annoying, and as she went through the list of things I couldn't use - it was essentially every household item toiletry and cosmetic. To be honest it didn't bother me at all. I took this as an opportunity to start thinking about the products I have vs the products I actually use/need. It was a very Hikarui enlightened moment. I then went back on the Friday as some allergens take a bit longer to show up and was told that I was also showing an allergic reaction to bee propolis (found in bio-cosmetics, face creams, ointments, lotions, toothpastes, mouthwashes, tablets and chewing gums, and turpentine - which I also found out is in a lot of cosmetics, soaps and bath oils which I found utterly bizarre and kind of scary that we use a lot of things on a day to day basis without having a bloody clue what we're actually putting on our bodies.

Now this is just me and I don't want you to go and change your skin routine based on this information, but just wanted to pique your interest as this is what happened to me and I am so intrigued by this now.

So I went home and culled my make-up. Now by average standards, I don't think I have that much make-up, I recently did a huge declutter and got rid of a lot! But using this amazing app I found called Skin Safe (you can find their website here), I was able to cull according to my new-found allergies. Now, these aren't fragrance-free but I have yet to determine exactly what Fragrance I am allergic to and am going back for another test specifically for fragrances and decided that I love these following products too much and have never experienced any problems with them. Since my main allergic reaction was to preservatives and they have none, I decided to keep them as they were expensive and I wanted to see it through and couldn't bring myself to part with them just yet. All I am left with now are my Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation in No. 2, Perricone MD No Eyeshadow Eyeshadow, Perricone MD No Concealer Concealer, Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Bronzed Garnet which actually is a 100% top free allergen free product.

I adore Perricone MD. I am so completely in love with the No make-up, make-up line, as they offer healthy, glowing coverage that smooths over even the driest of skin leaving no creases or any indication that you're even wearing makeup. I have never been one for make-up or looking like I am wearing any. I hate that. So this is really just the most wonderful selection and all I really need in my life.

Since finding out about my allergies and being simplistic in my skincare and make-up routine, my skin has been the best it's ever been since being a kid.

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post includes affiliate links and I would love if you decided to use them. Affiliate links + referrals programs help educators like me, at no extra cost to you, fund the free content that we provide on our blogs.

Want More Hikarui?

Get lightweight content straight to your inbox to guide you through modern stressors and help restore creativity.