This post has been long overdue but back in November, my skin was just at the worst it's ever been. I haven't really been taking care of my skin too well and my diet was shit. I broke out with huge cystic blemishes and ended up with so many dark spots and it was just a living nightmare. That's when I decided that I was going to invest in some good products, set a routine, BE CONSISTENT, and get rid of the plague that has manifested onto my face.
It's been a couple of months now and my skin is slowly but ever so surely clearing up. Growing up I really didn't have acne but as I got into college and into my 20s for some reason it became a HUGE issue. I blame stress. I also blame some of the food I eat because my skin reacts very easily to what I consume. For example, I can't eat burgers. I love burgers. I would definitely eat one every day. BUT every time I do, I break out along my cheeks. This is science. I honestly waited until I cleared up to see if eating a burger would break me out and sure enough, it did.
In this post, I'll be going step-by-step on what I do and what products I use. I suffer from acne and hyper-pigmentation so the products I use and mention are meant to address those concerns.
I use the double cleansing method which is essentially cleansing first with an oil cleanser to get rid of dirt and makeup. And then cleansing again with a regular cleanser for a deeper clean.
Most people like to double cleanse at night but I do it in the morning as well. It just helps me form a better habit of doing it but I also feel like it gets rid of the sebum and oil on my face after sleeping. Because of my unsightly acne scars and whatnot, I do wear hella makeup to cover it up during the day (and I'm hella feeling myself when I do). At the end of the day, oil cleansing does a really good job and getting rid of all the shit you put on your face.
With oil cleansers, you have to apply the product directly onto dry skin. The sensation requires some getting used to because it really just feels like thick oil all over your face and can feel uncomfortable. The oil is meant to breakdown all the makeup and dirt that's on your face.
I apply the oil on my face and massage it into my skin to make sure I breaking down all the makeup and dirt on my skin. You don't want to keep the oil too long on your skin because it'll begin to reabsorb into your pores. After 30 seconds or so, I take a little bit of water to emulsify the oil (it should turn a bit white) and continue cleansing my face. Another 30 seconds or so and I begin rinsing it off. It should feel nice and clean and ready to go for the next cleanse.
What I like to do after oil cleansing is use an Exfoliating Peel. I got this tip from my friend Ivan. Using this is supposed to clear the dead skin and gunk from your pores for that deep clean when you go in with your second cleanser and a Clarisonic brush. I found that my pores, especially around my nose area, had become super clear.
I've been using this Boscia Exfoliating Peel Gel. I don't think they sell it anymore. It really worked in exfoliating and getting dead skin off like you can see it peel off while you massage it around your skin. The thing that a lot of people didn't like (including myself) was that it was so hard to get rid of the leftover bits when you rinse it off. It would get stuck onto my facial hair and even the peach fuzz on the sides of my face. You'd have to scratch it off or use a physical exfoliator.
I had a sample of the Amore Pacific exfoliating peel and I think I may purchase that in the future. It's not as satisfying as this peel gel but it should work the same way.
2. Exfoliating Peel
After using a chemical exfoliant, I go ahead and cleanse my skin again with a more specific cleanser. I like to use brightening products. It helps maintain all the acne scar fading that I put a lot of effort into obtaining.
I use two different cleansers:
In the morning, I use the Diorsnow cleanser as it's a much less intensive brightening product. It's better to use this in the morning since I'll be out and about exposing my skin to the sun. It doesn't have too much brightening ingredients on its own but in conjunction with the other products in the Diorsnow line, it works very well. Also, Diorsnow products have the best fragrances (they're natural so it doesn't irritate the skin) so it helps start the day on a more luxurious note. It also feels clean without making the skin tight or dry.
In the evening, I use the Chanel cleanser. This one is a much more potent brightening cleanser with its Licorice Extract ingredient. I use this one in the evening because I won't be out in the day where my skin is more sensitive to sun light. This one also has a very clean scent that I love so much. It does make the skin a bit tight, however, and that's common with a lot of brightening products.
With both cleansers, I apply the products using a Clarisonic brush, which is really just an exfoliating device. Using something like this helps clear out pores which helps the ingredients of your cleansers penetrate the skin better much more effectively. There are many different brush heads out there but I like to use the Radiance Brush Head (to be honest, I got it because it was pink). This brush head is gentle enough so that it doesn't feel like you're over-exfoliating your skin and still be able to use it everyday. It has a very velvety texture which feels very soothing on your skin. So if you do have blemishes, it won't irritate them too much.
Since both cleansers are foam cleanser, I need only a dime sized amount of product. I apply some directly to the brush head, start the device, and cleanse my face. It's important to use gentle strokes with the Clarisonic. Once I've completed the cycles (there are beeps on the device that tell you when to move on to the next part of your face) I rinse my face and rinse the Clarisonic thoroughly.
3. Second Cleanse
Clarisonic Mia 2 - $149
Clarisonic Radiance Brush Head - $27
At this point, I do a mask or facial treatment. This is not a daily part of my routine but I do try to apply a treatment 3-4 times a week. I honestly almost never follow the rules about keep it for a short amount of time - I tend to leave masks on for as long as possible until it becomes uncomfortable.
When I feel like my pores are a bit clogged, I like to use the Boscia peel-off mask. It's quite the experience. You just slather this all over your face (avoiding your eye, brow, and mouth area) and wait for it to dry completely. Once dry, you peel it off your face slowly and you can see all the shit that comes out of your pores. I like to do this once a week because it really is a hassle to try to take this off your face. But it works well and makes your skin feel smooth.
Another treatment I like to use is the GlamGlow Supermud mask. I heard so many great things about this product so I thought I'd give it a try. This one I like to use when my skin has been feeling clogged and I'm breaking out. It has bits of eucalyptus leaves in the clay and really makes the skin feel tingly. But what I found after using this is that inflammations go down a lot and my skin feels very refreshed afterwards. You can really see all the oil and sebum sucked out of your pores as the product dries. The one thing about it is that it's very messy to get off and I usually get grey drops of water all over my sink and counter. You really have to put in some effort to get it off so I try to use this sparingly.
My favorite treatment is La Prairie chemical resurfacing peel. I was looking for a peel for the longest time and a beauty rep at Neiman Marcus suggested that I try this out. First of all, it's $220. That price alone turned me off at the beginning. But I tried it in the store, it smelled nice, and it had a ton of great ingredients in it. So I tried it thinking that if I didn't like it, I could just return it. BUT THIS IS THE BEST PEEL I'VE EVER USED. It's so gentle when it's on your skin but it's very potent. You can see reddening in your skin afterwards which goes away in an hour or so. Within the first week of using this, my blemishes disappeared and my dark spots began to flake off and fade. It says 3-minute but I usually like to keep it on for half an hour at which point I rinse off. I actually will buy this again when it runs out. It's one of those crazy luxury products that is actually worth the investment. For someone like me who has had the biggest struggle with dark spots, this has been a miracle product.
The last treatment I like to do isn't necessarily skincare but it's part of my routine. I like to use this facial toning device from Nuface for a bit of a face lift. Honestly, I got this because I wanted to define my cheek bones (I have none) and get a nice sharp jawline. It honestly works so well. I see a difference right away when I use it. Training your face everyday is supposed to firm up the skin and lift the face. Not sure if it's going to give me that v-line face I want but I still see a significant difference. Depending if I have time or not, I like to use this every other day.
4. MASKS & TREATMENTS
Boscia Bright White Peel-Off Mask - $34
GlamGlow Supermud Treatment - $69
After treatments and rinsing my face for the last time, I use a lotion to tone and prep the skin for the more intensive products afterwards. The reason these products are called lotions and not toners is because of their consistency and texture - it's much thicker than a regular toner.
In the morning, I use the Chanel lotion - it's very light but has very potent brightening ingredients, in particular, Kojic Acid. It's much more suitable in the morning when you don't want your skin to feel weighed down with product during the day. The Le Blanc line in general smells very nice and very fresh. This, too, has natural fragrance ingredients that won't irritate the skin. Instead, it feels very spa-like and luxurious.
In the evening, I use the Diorsnow lotion. This one has a much richer consistency than the Chanel one. This also has a shit ton of Vitamin C so it's a much more potent product. Again, this one smells very nice but it has a tackier feel to it. I don't like to use this one during the day because of that although I do find that when I use the Diorsnow Day Creme afterwards, the stickiness goes away.
I like to pour the lotion onto my hands, warm it up a bit, and then press it onto my skin and let it soak in. Sometimes, I soak the product onto a dry sheet mask (you can get a 25 pack at Daiso for $1.50) and place it on my skin for additional brightening benefits.
5. Toner
Chanel Le Blanc Brightening Moisturing Lotion - $67.50
Dior Diorsnow White Reveal Moisturizing Lotion - $65
Serums are new to my skincare routine. I never felt the need for it but I thought I'd give it a shot. They're traditionally very expensive because of their high-concentration of potent ingredients. I also didn't want to bother with putting more stuff on my face and feeling the weight of it all throughout the day. But after trying this out, it's really not so bad. I use the Diorsnow brightening serum both morning and night and I've actually noticed that my new acne scars fade much faster. The older scars I have are much deeper in my skin so they've been fading very slowly. The consistency is thick and looks rather milky. I was skeptical at first to see if it was worth adding to routine. Even now, I don't know if it's super necessary to keep in my routine but it really takes a couple of months of use to know for sure.
To apply, I use two pumps of the product on my fingers and press it into my skin usually focusing on my cheeks and forehead where all my problem areas are. With toner and essence already on my skin, I feel that pressing the serum into my skin will keep its potency concentrated rather than swirled around everywhere. I like to let it set on my skin and soak in completely before I move on because it is a bit tacky and I don't want it moving everywhere.
6. Serum
The last step is moisturizer. With all the shit I've been doing to my skin recently to get rid of acne and hyper-pigmentation, it was important for me to keep my skin hydrated. All the treatments can really dry out and tire your skin. Plus, brightening products are meant to resurface new skin so my skin peels and flakes off a lot.
I stuck with this cream moisturizer from the Diorsnow line. If you can't tell, I'm in love with this entire line of products. They're very light, they absorb into my skin so well, and THEY SMELL SO GOOD. I like to read reviews on products and one of the negative things I saw about this was that the product was in a jar and could go bad easily BUT it comes with a spatula. I almost always disregard price on products because if it works for me, then it works for me and that's honestly worth the investment if it does the shit it's supposed to.
I was afraid that a cream would be very heavy but this one honestly dries to a nice satin feel. With the lotion and serum only applied, my skin feels very tacky. However, once I apply this cream, it isn't tacky anymore and my skin actually feels dry to the touch. I originally was going to use this just for the evening but I now use it throughout the day too. It doesn't make my skin oily at all which I thought it might do. I'm naturally very oily but this moisturizer does a good job at keeping my skin looking dewy and satin-like.
7. Moisturizer
My seven step skincare routine. The only thing I didn't talk about was sunscreen since I don't wear sunscreen to bed (you really shouldn't). The BB cream or foundation I use carries enough sunscreen which is very important when using brightening products. Otherwise, you're much more susceptible to sun exposure and the acne scars actually get worse. Sunscreen is important.
I'm always on the look-out for great skincare products so I feel like some parts of this routine will change a lot. Right now these are what works for me and what I like to use. This is my winter routine so I may change it up once the season changes again.
Skincare is a long-term commitment meaning that changes won't just happen overnight. For me, it took about two months until I finally saw the results I was looking for. So be patient, BE CONSISTENT, drink plenty of water, and be positive.
