Thursday, March 3, 2011

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.

7 comments:

~Michelle~ said...

I've been using the Burt's products quite a bit myself... because I have the same darn problems you have! Deep nodular acne is what one dermatologist called it (and wanted to put me on Accutane, NO THANK YOU)... I will have to try the night cream, and I've been thinking about using the wrinkle stuff as a preventive measure (they aren't there yet, but my skin already doesn't seem as firm as it used to be). And I alternate between the Burt's lip gloss and Carmex! :) And I can find a lot of the Burt's products at Target.

~Michelle~ said...

oh, one more thing... it's entirely possible this combo wouldn't have worked for you 5 years ago... your skin, like your eyes, hair, and other bodily things, all go through cycles where things change... so you will have to switch products every so often!

Pray~and~Wait said...

I HATE acne!!!! I had it bad until my late 20's! ICK! I'm so glad you found something that is working for you. I went through the same things you did: dermatologist stuff (multiple), Murad, ProActive...anything I could get my hands on. I'm sure Burt's Bees works b/c its all natural. There is just something about putting chemicals, dyes and fragrance on our skin that does bad things. Anyway---I actually had someone recommend Pynoxyl 10. I thought they were crazy b/c its only $5 at walmart. Its a bar soap (and they have some other products too). I was willing to try anything!!!! I still used my Arbonne day creme and the eye creme. And, I switched to mineral powder foundation. Those two changes (bar soap and powder) changed my life!!!!! :) I share this, too, so that others might try it JUST IN CASE it works for them!

Angie said...

Thanks for the tip. I mistakenly believed acne was a teenage thing, but since I've now had it for almost 26 years, definitely not. I also tried proactive, as well as prescription treatment. Ugh

Rhonda said...

Please don't throw your night cream at me when I say this, but I wash at night in the shower with hand soap. You know, like Softsoap? Sometimes, if my face is on the dry side, I just rinse it for a night or two.

Lisa said...

i love burts bees stuff...im glad you have found something...i think the older i get the happier i get with how i look (or at least accepting of things i can't change).

@nnie said...

I love the "porcelin skin" compliment! and that you've grown to appreciate it. Thanks for the skin care tips... I can ALWAYS use info like this.