Well hello there! How's that for a long title?
Talk about not posting anything beauty related in a while long time! I can't even remember what my last beauty post was about but I sure do miss it!
I don't realize how much I miss blogging about beauty until I'm actually doing it and I'm like, "Why don't I do these more often?!"
It's nice to take a break from all the home decor and DIY once in a while, even though those are just as fun for me!
Anywho...
If you know me you know that I have sensitive AND acne prone skin, which is not the funnest combo at all! You're either breaking out from a product being too harsh for you or you're breaking out from all the hormonal changes during the lovely time of the month (if you're a girl at least).
But I'm so happy to say that there has finally been an AMAZING difference in my skin this year!
And today, I'm going to share with you THE SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR MY SENSITIVE ACNE PRONE SKIN that has improved my complexion big time!
And of course there will be some pictures of me sans makeup- be warned.
First, let me give you a bit of my complexion's background.
I was the girl in High School with flawless skin. No zits, no blackheads, no dullness, no discoloration. Zip. Nada. Perfect. I could go to bed with my makeup on (which happened more times than it should have) and never have it irritate my skin or cause me to breakout. I could have slept with motor oil slathered all over my face and be completely fine. Thinking of this now makes me shudder. Ignorance was bliss.
Fast forward to age 22 and my complexion totally rebelled. It started with a huge zit here and there and then all of a sudden I could have anywhere from 2-6 huge zits (painful ones too) on my face all at once. But because each and every one of those suckers left a scar, it pretty much looked like I had them all over my face by the time I was 24.
So if you went to high school with me and ever heard me gloat of how I could go to bed with my makeup on and never wake up with a breakout, you can totally laugh at me now.
My skin finally calmed down by the time I had my daughter (age 26), but I was left with horrible scars, discoloration and dullness.
These pictures were of me last year when I first started this blog- about a year and a half ago and you can see how there were still plenty of scars and discoloration. You could also notice the lack of a healthy glow.
*You can see how my skin looks now at the end of this post*
I struggled to find skincare products that wouldn't irritate my sensitive skin or cause it to break out (it can totally still do that if I'm not careful) so I've experimented with a lot of products!
What I've found is this: THE LESS THE PRODUCTS THE BETTER! AND WATER IS MY BEST FRIEND!!!
I noticed when I ditched all those excess products that promised to make my acne go away and started to drink more water, my skin really started to look and feel better.
Even though improvements were made, I still had to find skincare products that kept my skin going in the right direction and not turn it into a habitat for nasty zits!
Best Skincare Products that work Well with Sensitive Acne Prone Skin
Remember I said that LESS PRODUCTS IS MORE so please know that I don't use all of these at once!
Friends, let me introduce to you to my four lovely "skincare bff's" as well as tell you how I use each and one of these products!
1. Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover: this cleanser and makeup remover works so well in cleaning my face AND removing ALL of my makeup. It has a nice lather and my face never feels tight after using it. Added bonus: it has a lovely crisp apple scent!
If I'm washing my face in the morning or not wearing any makeup I will wash my face with this once. But If I'm using it to remove makeup I will do it twice just to make sure I get rid of every trace of makeup...and it does! I have white towels and never see makeup residue on them! And even when I wash my face twice with it, my skin never feels tight!
2. St. Ives Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub: hands down, the BEST facial scrub I've ever used! It's exfoliates are teeny tiny so they don't damage my skin or ever leave it looking red. And call me a sucker for scents but this one is amazing as well! It's smells like a man's fresh cologne. Love it and so does my hubby!
I only use this twice a week and never scrub really hard. I just take a small amount and gently scrub in circular motions.
The last two products are my moisturizer and "night serum", so I never use these together.
3. Eucerin Daily Protection Moisturizing Face Lotion SPF 30: I just started using this a couple months ago and I'm so happy it's high SPF didn't cause any breakouts!! I love the way this moisturizer feels on my skin! My skin feels moisturized and supple throughout the day without getting oily.
I always apply a generous amount to my face, around my eyes, neck and decolletage. Using this product is big for me since there's only one high spectrum sunblock that won't cause a rash on my body. I'm glad to know the high spectrum ingredients don't irritate my face like they do my body. Took a gamble when I bought it but there was only one way to find out!
4. NOW Solutions 100% Grapeseed Oil: I've always heard that a woman should begin an anti-wrinkle regimen at age 28 but because most anti-wrinkle ingredients like Retinol tick my complexion off I had to find an all natural alternative....and this is it! I won't go into too many details because I plan on doing a separate post on this oil but I know this is the #1 reason my skin looks and feel so much better!
I use this at night as a serum and I also apply it generously around my eyes, neck and decolletage. When I wake up my complexion looks dewy, supple and healthy!
Along with those products these are the ones I use sometimes...almost rarely. But since I do use them I thought I should mention them.
1. Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Control 3 in 1Hydrating Acne Treatment: I only apply this to any breakouts that I feel coming up and it does a good job of cooling the area off and helps the zit not overstay its welcome. Not that it was welcomed in the first place but hey.
2. Dead Sea Amazing Minerals Mud Mask: I used to use this more often when my skin was still misbehaving but now that it's better than it's been in a long time I only use it maybe every 3 months or so. I also sometimes use this as an overnight treatment for any zits. It dries very quickly so it stays put till morning.
I used to wake up with 5 or 6 brown spots in my face and freak out my daughter in the morning. I'm happy to say that when I do use it, it's only 1 or 2 brown spots that I have to explain to my kin folk in the morning.
By the way, I still love my Homemade Eye Makeup Remover, Oatmeal Exfoliate and Brown Sugar and Honey Scrub and tend to use those more in the winter time!
What Works to Keep Skin Healthy along with Skincare Routine
- Downsizing on my skincare products- less is more and sometimes too many ingredients from different products can have an averse effect.
- Drinking lots of water- I drink a glass in the morning, after breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and in between! Water is my new love!
- Not going to bed with makeup on- this takes a lot of discipline for me because I go to bed at an ungodly hour and the last thing I want to do is wash my face. But thinking about all that bacteria and oils just lingering while I sleep has kept me motivated.
- Giving my face a break from makeup- I love the days that I don't have to wear makeup. I think our skin needs to be allowed to breathe once in a while.
- Applying my foundation with clean hands as opposed to a makeup brush. If I wash my hands before applying, I know there will be no distribution of bacteria.
I can definitely see a difference in my skin now. It's not perfect. There's still some scarring and I still get a couple of zits around that fun lady time of the month but it's nothing out of control or that makeup can't hide.
This is me today (9-4-14) and even with the couple of breakouts on my chin my skin still looks the healthiest it has in a long time!
There's more color, a healthy glow and the scarring has decreased significantly.
And that makes me oh so happy!!
It's been a journey but my skin is finally heading in the right direction.
Is your skin sensitive or acne prone like mine? What are your favorite products or home remedies?
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