Ellie Howsdale
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hi, I’m Elle, I’ve just turned 28 (trying not to panic) and I’m a skin-obsessed dermal therapist. Working on the Gold Coast but based in northern NSW, I have a hectic/chill lifestyle balance. I have a bunny child, Hazel, and she likes to eat my house plants and my toast. Red wine, flares and disco music is my main game. I am a Pisces, so yeah, it can get deep…
What are your favourite things to do for yourself?
- Skin care is an obvious one! I should set up a bed in my bathroom because I basically live in there.
- What is life without lash extensions 🤩 (lol dying in iso over here)
- Hanging out 😉 with my PT and working on my fitness 💪🏼
what is your skin care routine & do you have any tips?
...buckle up, we going on a road trip! (Side note: I have an oily skin type, slick sisters unite!)
🌞Morning:
1. Splash face/neck with cool water. Single cleanse with Skinstitut Glycolic Cleanser 12%. Post treatment (peel, needling etc) I only use the Ultraceuticals B2 Micellar Solution for a gentle swipe cleanse.
2. Spritz with Skinstitut Multi-Active Mist.
3. I alternate each day with Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Smoothing Serum and Ultraceuticals Ultra C23+ Firming Concentrate. Targeting skin tone and texture, YAS!
4. Ultraceuticals Ultra Moisturiser Eye Cream. Then Skinstitut Ultra Firming Eye & Neck Cream on my neck.
5. Ultraceuticals Daily Moisturiser SPF 30 Mattifying on face/neck/décolletage.
🌝 Evening:
1. Remove makeup with Ultraceuticals B2 Micellar Solution.
2. Double cleanse with Skinstitut Glycolic Cleanser 12%.
3. Twice a week (oily skin) post double cleanse, exfoliate with Skinstitut Glycolic Scrub 14% (ocean friendly).
4. Spritz with Skinstitut Multi-Active Mist.
5. PONI Cosmetics Lash & Brow Growth Serum.
6. Ultraceuticals Ultra A Skin Perfecting Serum. A is for anti-ageing LOOK.IT.UP.LADIES
7. I layer eye creams because they deserve the extra lurve! Ultraceuticals Ultra A Perfecting Eye Cream then Ultraceuticals Moisturiser Eye Cream. Allow absorption in between.
8. Ultraceuticals Ultra B2 Hydrating Serum. !!HOLY GRAIL!! Read: juicy, plump skin.
9. Ultraceuticals Ultra Hydrating Lotion to lock all that goodness in.
Top skin tips:
- Continuously good skin requires a holistic approach. Think sleep/gut behaviour/stress/diet & intolerances/hormones/medications/hygiene. Be real with yourself, lifestyle and expectations.
- Don’t just buy cult brand skin care. Marketing is a bitch! Get specific with your concerns and seek advice. Remember crash diets don’t work, you’re in for the long haul honey! Seriously, good skin is addictive and let’s not even get started on the mental health benefits of that!
- SPF seriously, SPF!
- Acids (AHA/BHAs) are your friends, just do your research then, ask your skin tech.
- Never neglect your neck, lips, behind ears, décolletage. Be smart, respect the whole package baby 😉
- Change your pillow cases every 3rd day (flip pillow in between). Dust/dirt/bacteria/sweat/saliva/hair products, you catch my drift...yuck. Make a habit to wipe your phone/laptop with an antibacterial wipe at the same time.
What does self love & care mean to you?
Taking the time to just slow down. Be private and do something that only you will benefit from, sometimes it’s got to be just about you and not everybody else. You just gotta have a dance and shake the shit off 💃🏼
What are your 3 favourite songs and what memories do they bring back for you?
1. Fearing Love (Club Mix), Serge Devant - driving the fastest I ever have with Japanese midnight racers in Tokyo then watching the sunrise, with this on repeat. Epic!
2. Paris, Friendly Fires - it took 10 years of me fan-girling until I saw these guys last year! I just jumped around and cried, it was fantastic!
3. Superstylin’, Groove Armada - umm this whole song is a memory in itself, woah!
Of you could give your younger self any advice, what would you say?
It will take some serious trial and error to find your gang, persevere my dear, you can only discover by searching.
Never dull your fiery spirit, you’ll find the gems that can handle the heat. Don’t hide, don’t change, keep it zesty and they’ll love you for it.
You’ll fear getting older and the societal expectations that come with it. Shit girl, life goes fast (so far)! Say yes to those big moves, the travel, crazy adventures, career changes, meeting new people, letting go of others, dancing with anyone that asks. You will do much more than most by this age so fuck those expectations, you got this queen!
Sun is vital for life, but so is SPF!!
What are you grateful for?
* Hazel 🐰 she reminds me of the joy the small and silent in the world can bring you.
* My surroundings. The ability to just pause your mind and take it all in.
* My partner, Aaron, what a gem. He can even translate my sound effects!!Anyway, enough on that or I’ll start crying.
* Hindsight. How do you know you’re moving forward if you can’t look back?
Tell us something that made you smile recently
I recently spent my birthday in isolation due to COVID-19, however, my friends/partner really showed up with beautiful, heartfelt gifts, handmade cards, and everything else they knew made me happy! Honestly, the surprise was so special I thought I was going to explode. It was beyond lovely to know that even though we were all separated by the border closure, they really made it seem like I was right there in their birthday love bubble that they created.
So, in the tradition of paying it forward, I surprised my neighbour on his 80th birthday with beers and homemade brownies. We sat 1.5m apart in the driveway and he said to me “thank you for the surprise, I didn’t even remember it was my birthday today, until you reminded me”. SMILES ALL ROUND 🦋