16 replies to this topic

[lilgilly]

Soooo ive been battling my blackheads, uneven skin tone, redness, and hormonal breakouts now for awhile. I have been trying different products for a couple of years now and I now have a regime which i am pretty happy with.

Morning:

1.Cleanse: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap- mild- This is so good, its gentle, yet it also removes me makeup.
i used to use Cetaphil but it made my skin really oily, i felt it wasn't cleaning my skin enough so then i tried Neutrogena Skin clearing facial cleanser and this just aggravated me skin made it red and dry because it had alcohol in it. and alcohol is a big NO NO for my skin. I also tried the St Ives scrubs but they are all too aggravating for my skin, then i read your meant to be gentle to your skin and not scrub it, if you want to exfoliate it use a AHA or a BHA product instead.


2. Exfoliate: Clinique Clarifying lotion- mild. This is really good. Its an exfoliant and it has 0.5% BHA in it which yes is a small amount buuuuuuut just wait.....
I tried some other Clinique clarifying lotions which were aimed at people with acne and i used them and BAM my skin broke out like crazy overnight and then i realized the damn things had alcohol in them and all these irritating ingredients. Damn things.

3. Moisturize
Clinique Turnaround Concentrate...YAY! This has 1% BHA in it and glucosamine which are two exfoliants but it also moisturizes at the same time. With my skin i tried many other moisturizers for the day-time and they would all go on nicely but by lunch time i felt my skin was oily again which i hated!!! So this works well all day.

4. Prime- Napoleon Primer- This is good is provides some moisture and lets my makeup go on really well. If i feel my skin is oily i use Clinique Instant Pore Perfecter which basically mattifys that area you put it on. I put it on my t-zones.

5. Makeup
Either Bobbi Brown oil-free compact makeup
or Cliniqu Superbalanced or Superfit both oil free .
maybeliene Dream matte powder makeup.

Then at night i take off my make-up with
Night


1. Cleanse
Clinique liquid facial soap

2. Tone
Estee Lauder- Re-Nutriv Intense softening Lotion.
Then i tone my skin, i always thought this step was a sham. I didn't think i needed it but since using a toner at night my skin is smoother and it has evened out my skin tone!! hence the name Toner. It has stopped my skin from flaking as well. (if the weather is windy and dry i use the toner in the day-time as well)

3. Exfoliate
2% BHA Paula's Choice Liquid
I put this on to eliminate my blackheads i have been using it for 3 weeks now and it has worked. Most have gone I used to have them badly on my nose and cheeks and now i cant see them! And I own one of those magnifying mirrors.

4. Moisturise
Clinique anti-Blemish moisturizing cream (2.5% benzoyl peroxide)
I love love love this stuff. Its great. I used to use just a basic 2.5% BP product and it make my skin red. This doesn't make my skin red and it makes my skin feel really really soft and smooth and it prevents me from getting breakouts.

I'm really happy with this routine at the moment. I tried other products from Galderma, Neostrata, Clarins, neutrogena, Clearasil, Clean and Clear, Aveeno, Dr Lewinns, Biotherm, so I've tried and tried and tried and i hope I'm done!!!!!

[lilgilly]

i think part of the reason why i have blackheads is i workout/dance alot, ad when i dance i leave my hair out so it gets all over my face quite a bit?? meh i dunno im trying to think of everything. but i cant change this no matter if i use 4 hair ties it ends up falling out after 5 minutes anyway so i gave up on that.

Screw it

i;m thinking of adding jojoba oil into my skin care regime.....

[lilgilly]

Well its turning into summer again
so i don't need to use the Napoleon Primer anymore
and i use the EL Toner at night every other night.
I also have added back in my Neostrata 10% AHA lotion once every couple of nights.
other than that everything is the same

[intoskin]

Well its turning into summer again
so i don't need to use the Napoleon Primer anymore
and i use the EL Toner at night every other night.
I also have added back in my Neostrata 10% AHA lotion once every couple of nights.
other than that everything is the same

I think i might try the clinique product line. I forgot all about them. I have really combo skin my chin is very oily but also completely irritated and dried out from all the junk i have put on my face. I was a BP was and BP cream and it fried me my face is so red its peeling yuck. How do you like the makeup from clinique?? Does it give you good coverage what about the pores being clogged?? I'm using bare minerals but I think it might be actually breaking me out. Any suggestions would be great

[Tyga]

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Edited by Heir, 17 October 2009 - 04:40 PM.

[lilgilly]

Well its turning into summer again
so i don't need to use the Napoleon Primer anymore
and i use the EL Toner at night every other night.
I also have added back in my Neostrata 10% AHA lotion once every couple of nights.
other than that everything is the same

I think i might try the clinique product line. I forgot all about them. I have really combo skin my chin is very oily but also completely irritated and dried out from all the junk i have put on my face. I was a BP was and BP cream and it fried me my face is so red its peeling yuck. How do you like the makeup from clinique?? Does it give you good coverage what about the pores being clogged?? I'm using bare minerals but I think it might be actually breaking me out. Any suggestions would be great

My skin used to get soo red form the BP products as well! then i found that clinique Anti- Blemish moisturiser. I tried the other anti-blemish products but they had alcohol in them so they were a big no no for me. But i recommend the moisturiser cause it has 2.5% BP in it, and moistuirser so i dont have to apply another product over the top and my skin is not red anymore

I really like the makeup from Clinique as well. They are good cause they are all fragrance, oil-free ones. I use the superbalanced and the superfit. They are a bit similar but the superfit one is better for summer/oily skin. So yeah i recommend trying it Its pretty good coverage, but i dont like to wear really heavy makeup cause it blocks my pores. So its enoguh coverage for me with a powder on top.

[*MEaGAiN*]

Thanks for the info. I really like ur regimen i think im gonna go to the clinique counter and look for these products! I do have a question tho...does the turnaround concentrate moisturizer or the primer have spf in it? I really need spf cause im really light skinned. thanks!

[lilgilly]

i think part of the reason why i have blackheads is i workout/dance alot, ad when i dance i leave my hair out so it gets all over my face quite a bit?? meh i dunno im trying to think of everything. but i cant change this no matter if i use 4 hair ties it ends up falling out after 5 minutes anyway so i gave up on that.

I think that was the cause of my forehead/hairline breakouts. I used to have long shaggy hair and wore hats all of the time. I would sweat a lot and noticed my forehead breaking out badly. It was a mixture of black and whiteheads.

I'm sorry you can't change your hair getting in the way. It wasn't until I shaved my head that I noticed the breakouts were slowly fading away. I haven't broken out on my hairline in a year. I also play sports and do lots of running, so it was a better option to shave my head and wipe my forehead with a clean towel (and shower of course) I also don't know how many times I've been fooled by products that had alcohol included. Alcohol on my skin always causes me to break out.

Cetaphil has always treated my skin well. I have oily skin, so it dried my face up quickly. I have found success with basic moisturizers from Neutrogena. I also use their sunscreen spf 30, as my skin has become susceptible to sunburn and redness (from using Retin-A and Minocycline)

Sadly i cannot shave my head...well i guess i could but i don't think i could pull it off as well as you do. I also wear a cap when i go running and sometimes when i dance! I also get confused as to whether i should wear moisturizer and other products on my skin when i work out. Cause when you sweat do you think that contributes?? i know that sweat is 99% water, with NaCl, Vit C and antibodies and a good pH. But still.....mixing it with other products might clog pores???? What do you do?

Oh Alcohol is the enemy! i think alot of people with oily skin just think (like i once did) that it will dry out my skin, but it doesn't! It just irritates it. Do now everything i buy is alcohol free .
Ohhh which Neutrogena moisturiser do you use? and what is Retin-A and Micocycline? is that like doxycycline?

[lilgilly]

Thanks for the info. I really like ur regimen i think im gonna go to the clinique counter and look for these products! I do have a question tho...does the turnaround concentrate moisturizer or the primer have spf in it? I really need spf cause im really light skinned. thanks!

No it doesn't sorry!!! If i need SPF i use the Almost Makeup SPF15. Or the City Block SPF 15. Even though i recommend it cause its worked for me it doesnt for other people and it can be expensive. So maybe ask for testers. They are usually pretty good with that. Cause i don't want you going otu splurging on Clinique then hating the products. Even though i love love my routine it is a bit cha ching. liek the concentrate is $88 and the Estee Lauder is $70, and I'm @ uni, So any products which are cheaper in Paulas choice I'm going to start getting them, Fingers crossed they work as well!!!

I'll update when i change to them anyway and if they suck/or are great!

[Tyga]

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Edited by Heir, 17 October 2009 - 04:44 PM.

[*MEaGAiN*]

haha yea i know clinique is expensive. ill probably try to find similar products made by different brands. but yea keep us updated

[lilgilly]

Sooo alot of my clinique products ran out and i decided to go for a cheaper brand. Paulas Choice. So now my routine is

AM
cleanse: Clinique liquid soap- mild (PC one was more expensive)
exfoliate: PC 2% BHA gel (i used up the liquid and i always found it a bit greasy the gel feels so much better)
moisturize: Because the turnaround concentrate was $88 and it had 1% BHA I'm just using the PC exfoliator above and now i moisturize with PC Skin Balancing moisturiser.

PM
cleanse: Clinique facial soap
tone: Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv (i've had this products for months and it last soo long)
exfoliate: PC 2% BHA or PC 8% AHA.
moistuirise: PC skin balancing moisturiser (i used to use the anti-blemish Clinique moisturiser but i dont break out anymore and the fewer chemicals i put on my face the better)

So thats the update!! Hopefully my skin wont react badly to changing products. I guess ill jsut see how i go.

[Wynne]

Try to maintain the same regimen/products for a good period of time (three months) to determine if the products will be successful or not.

[lilgilly]

Try to maintain the same regimen/products for a good period of time (three months) to determine if the products will be successful or not.

Thanks

I always tend to use the whole product up before i determine if its good or not. unless it makes me break out really bad quickly. i have really sensitive skin. So i will slowly introduce probably one product at a time instead of bombarding my skin with all the new stuff.

[lilgilly]

yay! im crystal clear now i dont have any blackheads/whiteheads. nada so im very very happy.
I got jojoba oil sometime last week and i looove it!
so now my regime is

AM
jojoba oil (leaveon for a bit)
cleanse: Paulas Choice one step facial clenaser (normal/dry)
moisturiser: PC skin balancing moisturiser (only if i wear foundation)
and i make sure it s a foundation with SPF

If I'm just staying @ home for the day studying then ill just put on 2 drops of the jojoba oil and thats all.

PM:
jojoba oil 9if face feels dry) OR PC carbon face mask 9if face feels oily)
cleanse: PC one step cleanser
exfoliate: PC 2% BHA gel OR 10%AHA Neostrata Ultra Smoothing Lotion.

Slowly i stopped using the benzoiyl peroxide lotion and i then stopped layering the products on my skin cause i started not needed it all. And the less i put on my face the better i guess.

[lilgilly]

So I'm still clear. I get probably one-2 pimples every month. And i've learnt to just leave my skin alone. Jut apply the products at night and day and then I'm done.

So my regime hasn't changed that much. I still am in love with the Paulas Choice products.

AM
Jojoba oil
PC Skin Balancing Cleanser
PC skin balancing toner (not if skin is oily)
PC skin balancing moisturiser
makeup- PC sheer matte SPF20 or Mineral makeup SPF15

PM
jojoba oil (used as a makeup remover)
PC skin balancing cleanser
PC skin balancing toner
PC 2% BHA liquid
10% AHA Ultra smoothing cream

I barely use any makeup anymore which is great! So be positive everyone it was happen for you! You jsut have to persist. I swear i tried every-brand under the sun.

[The Genius Next Door]

I unfortunately have a regimen similar to yours, and I've learned that while it may work temporarily, it is ultimately a waste of time, effort, and money because it is treating the symptoms rather than the source of the problem. You can cleanse, tone, moisturize, and purify all you want, but it will never cure your acne. If you really want your skin problems gone, and gone for GOOD, it's likely more beneficial to save up the money to invest in proper treatment, whether that be antibiotics, hormone blockers, cosmetic surgery, or even Accutane. ~