It's all clear to me now.

Acne.

Girls, I know I am not alone in this battle.

I've had acne since I was a teen. And I'm not talking a little pimple here, a little pimple there. I'm talking about those nasty huge ones that are below the skin, that hurt like a mother, that last for months only to leave scars that last for years.

Awesome.

Thanks, Mother Nature. Love you, too.

As ya'll know, I am now inching towards the ripe ol' age of 34, and it is only in recent weeks that I have finally gotten my face under control. So under control, in fact, that my face is currently the clear clear clearest that I can honestly remember. This is big stuff, people. Really big stuff.

I cannot promise these products will work for you, but I'm going to tell you what I've been doing lately, just in case you're looking for a new solution to try. I glean a lot of my information from other friends, blogs, articles, etc., so I think it's important that when you find something that works, to share it with others so we can all benefit and help each other out. Keep in mind I have always had moderate to severe acne, my skin is white-as-the-driven-snow, combination oily and normal, I've never been one to really stick with a routine as far as skin-care goes (until now), and yes, I've tried prescriptions, and I've even tried the dreaded ProActiv (which I'm not even going to link to because it was such a horrid experience).

So you can imagine how happy I've been lately with the fact that my skin has cleared up, is super soft and moisturized, and is a smidge away from being able to go out without makeup (foundation) on if I really wanted to. Here's what I've switched to:

In the morning, I wash my face with this:




I love that it is a cream cleanser and doesn't foam or lather up. I don't know where I read it, but I know I've heard that cleansers work better if they don't produce as many bubbles.

Then I use this applicator and dot it on my face where I see any small bumps/redness:




Then I go ahead with my makeup routine (starting with a matte photo-finish primer).

At night, I remove my eye-makeup first, and then I wash again with this:




I dot on the applicator again wherever I see any small bumps/redness:




Then I slather this all over my face and neck. It smells really nice and has a pretty sheen to it:




And I finish off with this on my lips:




When I wake up, all redness is gone, and my porcelain skin (as my grandmother used to call it) is glowing. And let me tell you, it is only in recent years that I have come to appreciate my uber-porcelain skin, and I'm hoping to take better care of it from here on out.

So far, so good, and I'm hoping this trend continues. I've been doing this for about a month, and it has rocked my little world. I'm thinking of buying the radiance day cream next to add in to my morning routine, and maybe an eye cream (for the wrinkles, girls, as they are starting to show up more) to add to my nighttime routine.

Do you have any awesome products to recommend?

***FYI: I bought the radiance night cream and the Carmex at my Walmart Neighborhood Market and the rest of it from my local Ulta beauty store.