Been browsing this website for reviews on what products I should buy.

*** Check my signature for updated regimen products***
Currently I'm using:
Purpose Gentle Cleanser
DDF BP5% with Tree Oil
Olay (Combination/Oily) Lotion with SPF15

St.Ives Apricot Scrub Acne/Oil ( In the shower )

Skin Type:
Asian (Tan, I live in Cali lol... ), Combination Oily I would say, after a couple hours in the day my face would start to build up oil around my nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. I need like 2-3 oil absorbing sheets ... Kind of annoying you might say.

Acne Condition:
Moderate, I get 2-4 pustules a day it seems, it's lame... and I have scars everywhere before of it. there are blackheads on my nose, but that doesn't bother me much. Oh and milia around my eye has been with me since forever I used to tweeze them, but it just hurts. Worried about my acne first before I bother with the milia under my eyes.

Make-up:
When I go out, I put on Bare Essential mineral make-up ( This stuff if GREAT ) just don't put on toooo much or you'll look like a powdered cookie. It covered most of my scars and reduces the redness. (Oh I use C.Dior make up oil remover when I take it off, can't find this at places anymore, not even at the airport stores.)

Food:
I don't really restrict myself on anything lol. I drink soda, eat chips, fries, mashed potatoes... I believe food shouldn't have a major effect on your skin unless you're having too much of something ? ( Note*** I don't like chocolate, don't drink, no drugs, or don't smoke.)

Habits:
I spend most of my day in front of the laptop. I'm told the computer screen is "Bad" for my skin ? I don't think so... when I was on vacation for a week my skin was just the same and I spent like maybe 1hr in front of any type of screen.

I'm 18 and I've been using Proactiv for... who knows how long... maybe 2 years? It did help "control" my acne like other have mentioned, but it didn't prevent new breakouts here and there. I even ordered the "Advanced Blemish Control ( 6% BP)" but that pretty much did nothing for me. I went to get a facial or two a month before, and the facialist just told me it's a hormonal thing. I stopped going since she advised me to use Murad which I did... and I broke up horribly.

Just trying out a "simple" regimen... I don't like using 6-8 things a time just to take care of my face and feel a bit more confident about myself... I think Proactive might of been too strong on my skin since I keep have a little break out here and there. I just don't know what's wrong, out of everyone I know only one other person at my age is suffering from acne like me.

Day1:
Cutting down to using simpler products like Purpose a BP and a Lotion day and night. Few days ago (since it's Summer) I let a few pustules grow and pop themselves so scarring wouldn't happen around my mouth area. But hey ! What do you do if you're going to go out or have date, can't do that all the time. But while doing that using the regimen, I noticed other pustules beginning to form and my skin was oily throughout the day . When I was staying at my boyfriend's place ( long distance relationship ) , I would use RareMinerals ( a Bare Essentials product ) mineral therapy, it's just loose mineral powder I put over after lotion so it would reduce redness, it had 4% sulfur. It's embarrassing for him to see my "real face" under the make-up with all my scars and red bumps, and at those pustules. He tells me I'm beautiful anyway, which just makes my day . After coming home from my vacation at his place, I started using my regimen above. ( I was using proactiv while on vacation, and took forever in the bathroom which I felt bad since he takes like 5 minutes tops.... ) Just used the RareMinerals again since my acne was looking for red than usual. I see some improvements . Thinking about going out today and buying for of that RareMineral stuff since I'm going low. I just want clear and smooth skin .

Two pics of both sides of my face, at bumps and all the ugly stuff.

Any comments about my regimen would be helpful, I just want something "simple" to be honest, nothing that takes like 30 minutes just cleanse>treat>moisturize

LOL, I've heard so many acne myths, it's seriously insane. I know different things work for different people, but who cured acne by spending less time in front of the computer?
I can see why fresh air, sun, etc. would be good, but unless you're a hermit of some type, I think you're okay!

Anyway, good luck!

Thanks I'm planning to keep a daily update with pictures about my acne. Really hope there are improvements before college starts !

So have i Is it true cigarettes, mastabation and fast food making acne worse ?
I hope not because they are three of my favorite activities.

Day1(Night)
Well.. my left side is looking good but my right side is breaking out whiteheads and pustules are forming here and there... Just took a shower using that scrub and then putting on Olay lotion and Rareminerals over to calm the redness. I did pop a few of them carefully since I KNOW they aren't going to be miraculously gone by tomorrow when I go out. zthere is this one spot on my right cheek that is bothering me, it feels like a HUGE pimple or something underneath the skin and it hurts if I touch it. Maybe after tomorrow I shouldn't put any BP on it and just let it be?

Wish me luck tomorrow morning !

Actually... after taking pictures both sides look horrible... *sigh*

*Edit* It looks worse than earlier today lol... might be due to the lightening of the web camera that I'm using to take the picture. my skin doesn't look that bad when I look in a mirror .

Day 2 ( Night )

Skin is improving, althought using BP and sulfur at the same time dried out my skin a little bit . I didn't realize it before, but the sulfur helps reduce how much oil my skin forms as usual, that is a major plus ! I just have to not use too much. Thinking of just using BP at night when I go to sleep and use the sulfur in the morning. Also not use the apricot scrub ever time I shower, maybe every other time. 'Cause my skin was a little redder than usual last night. Oh and had like two whitehead/pustules this morning extracted them safely using needle/q-tips ( those are annoying, I can handle redness but whiteheads are blah ). The skin around the corners of my mouth are kind of dry, I think I'll reduce the tropical usage there too... *puts on extra lotion there* I was out in the sun all day today tho, and had a turkey leg for lunch lol.. if that makes any difference.

Well hope the improvements keep coming !

Day 3 ( Morning )

Woke up to 2 pustules, a whitehead, and the pimple on the bridge on my nose seeming to be more inflamed . Not planning to do any extractions since I'm staying home for the most part of the day. The skin around the corners of my mouth are really dry and flaky, even after lotion. I used ACV on it and it did some good for a few minutes to balance the PH of the skin there but it started to dry again so I took it off with water and reapplied lotion. I think I might take a hot shower sometime in the afternoon and use that scrub to exfoliate all the "dead skin cells" ( aka the flaky skin around my mouth ) . I don't think I'll use BP today at all, only on those 4 spots that are bugging me.

Oh ! Girls, you don't need make-up remover anymore, the Purpose Gentle Cleanser takes it right off ! I tried it last night and then used my make-up remover to see if there was anything needed left to wipe off and nothing ! Saves me some money !

Edit: Couldn't stand the dryness of my skin around my mouth, whenever I open my mouth wide the skin just cracked and got more dry, so I rinsed my face with warm warm > extracted pustules/whitehead ( -.-; they just look so bad) > rinsed with cold > then did a ACV treatment as a tropical. ) I changed my Olay lotion to > Cetaphil All skin type, since the Olay lotion didn't seem to do anything but just make it still dry around the corners of my mouth, maybe because it was a oily/combination lotion. We'll see ! So far right now, my skin isn't feeling dry or flaky anymore

I could understand cigarette smoke, I mean all that gunk going right into your pores? ew.
LOL masterbation? Well that's a unique one!
And fast food, I don't think it has anything to do with it. People have food allergies, if something bothers them, then understandable.

Day 3 ( Night )

Something is going well ! I had a headache today , so in the afternoon ( I didn't shower, going to later tonight before I sleep and just use Cetaphil lotion, no bp or sulfer ) I took a nap and woke up sweating, prolly because I had too many blankets on. Looked at myself in the mirror and the redness of my skin was reduced ! From sweating or what? lol Thinking of trying to steam my face tomorrow to see how that works. I used to sit in the sauna/steam room, made my skin nice, redness, I don't remember if redness was reduced or anything cause after I come out, my face would be red didn't look in the mirror much after the gym. Anyway ! Glad to see something good, but a few pimples , and a couple of whiteheads. But still good !

Just a suggestion, I'd reconsider using the Apricot Scrub. I haven't used it myself, but I've read alot about the scrub granules scratching up your skin, which could aggravate your acne. This is because the granules are uneven and 'sharp', not rounded.

Good luck though! Remember that perseverance is key when treating acne... I'm still trying to learn that myself

Maybe I should buy this St.Ives version ? It's a face wash, not a scrub but can it be used like one since it has beads in it? They look like the rounded ones instead of harsh uneven granules. I'll post in the mil~moderate acne section.

Day 4 ( Very early morning 1:20 A.M. )

So maybe I'm going to just throw that St. Ives Apricot scrub into the bucket with all the other no good products I spent my money on . After a few hours after getting out of the shower and using that scrub, my face got oily again and I started "feeling" one of those icky pimples wanting to form on my skin. I might go out to by the St.Ives face wash to use as my shower type scrub since it has rounded beads in it, and when you're in the hot shower your pores open up.

Updated regimen:
Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash ( got the name right this time lol )
DDF BP 5% with Tea Tree Oil
Rare Minerals Blemish Therapy ( I either use this or BP, never again both since they left my skin really dry and flaked a bit too. )
Cetaphil All Skin Type Lotion

St. Ives Apricot Face Wash, Oily/Acne Prone ( on my shopping list in replace for my "in the shower scrub" even though it's a fash wash, it seems to have beads in it to be a gentle scrub, yeah, maybe? I posted a topic about it for comments.

I'll update with pic in the morning to see if I got a nasty pustules again that I was feeling or something I washed my face with Purpose, put on some cetaphil lotion and brushed on some Rare Minerals when I had a good feeling if I didn't, I wasn't going to like what I'm going to see.

Wish me luck !

Pustules , 6 of them very tempted to extract. I blame my monthly visitor.

Day 5 ( Morning )

Extracting/Popping those pustules did good My face has gotten back to it's oily state agian, I wonder if it's from switching from Olay to > Cetaphil lotion, since Olay was for Combination/Oily, but didn't take care of my dry spots well. Now I'm on my period and have cramps I'll update in more detail in a few days.

*sigh* at being female.

Day 5 ( Night )

From all your comments about St. Ives Apricot scrub, I decided I'm just not going to use it at all, since it has SA in it, and I already have a BP product. Not using the Rare Minerals sulfur product either, just sticking to my Purpose Cleanser, DDF 5% BP with Tea Tree Oil, and Cetaphil All Skin Type Moisturizer. Seems to be improvements instead of the opposite . I think I'm just psyching myself out by my spots being more red after a hot shower lol. The pictures do some justice cause there is a light over head my webcam camera which makes it more bright. Or it's the soft light that makes it more red I have no idea lol.

Hmm my upper lip seems to be kind of irratated , hope nothing shows up tomorrow morning. I need to chill out some more.

Lets see how the regimen will go

Oh, just a thought, even those it has only been 5 days ... It seems like forever just watching and waiting for your skin to improve .

I would avoid St Ives products, I've heard horrible things about them and it personally broke me out. I just think its too harsh for acne sufferers. Yes, cheap is good sometimes, but not when it comes to that stuff.