Bye Bye Acne
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by acne. Probably most of you! Clear skin is a feature I used to dream of as a teenager. My hormonal imbalances combined with unhealthy habits did not serve my skin well at all. I dealt with acne for many, many years and tried every single solution that was on the market- ranging from Neutrogena to Clearasil to Proactiv to prescriptions from the dermatologist. Of course, everyone’s skin is different and what works for me may not work for you, but it can’t hurt to give these tips/products a try!
This may seem like the obvious, but, never forget how important it is to drink lots and lots of water. Staying hydrated is key because any acne treatment you use will dry out your skin in attempts to get rid of blemishes. Give your skin the fuel it needs and moisturize daily- even for those of you with oily skin! If your skin is already oily and you don’t give it the moisture it needs, your body will naturally respond by producing more oil to make up for the moisture it did not receive. Extra oil will seep into your pores and cause more breakouts! My favorite moisturizer is the Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream. It has the perfect thick consistency, but doesn’t feel like you have anything on. Bonus- it smells like beautiful rose petals!
Don’t fall asleep with makeup on! It has happened to all of us at least once, but it’s a bad habit to develop, no matter how tired you are after a night out. When your head hits the pillow without cleansing your face, it makes for a pore-clogging nightmare. I like to use Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm to remove makeup before using a cleanser. It has a gel-like consistency that helps remove makeup as you rub and warm it into your skin.After all of my makeup is removed I like to use a face wash to make sure all my makeup is gone. I go back and forth between cleansers that I use, but some of my faves include the Fresh Soy Face cleanser and the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal cleanser. Then, I use the Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater toner to hydrate my skin and tone. Rosewater is perfect for hydrating and witch hazel is good for fighting acne, so it’s a 2-in-1 product and also smells amazing. Can you tell I love the smell of roses?!Loading foundation on your face may help you feel better in the short term, but if you load it on continuously, it will not help the products you are using do what they are meant to do. Even though I felt pretty uncomfortable doing this, I usually tried to go natural a few days of the week to save my skin from getting consistently coated with foundation and layering on blush, bronzer, and other cosmetic products. This cosmetic detox every few days would give my skin time to breathe and prevent pore clogging. Trust me, your skin will thank you later.When I was a junior in high school, I discovered my holy grail acne remedy. I am a Sephora guru and always love getting samples. One day, I was introduced to a Murad concealer that contains salicylic acid to help get rid of acne while covering it. I ended up loving it and decided to give the Murad Pure Skin Clarifying Dietary Supplement a try because an artist in the store had sworn by them and I have read so many good reviews online. They are LIFE CHANGING. You take two pills in the morning and two at night. The bottle comes with one month’s supply and it retails for $50 at Sephora. I have even recommended these to some friends and they have had the same improvements that I had. When taking these supplements, I started to notice a difference in just a few weeks. It did not break out my entire face before clearing it, but the acne gradually disappeared. I stopped taking the supplement for about a year after achieving my desired results and did not go back to my original state- it truly cleared my skin. I do pick up a bottle once in a while when I feel that I need a detox, but I do not use it as religiously as I used to, simply because my skin improved so much and I don’t find the need to. If you have acne concerns, do yourself a favor and try these supplements! On occasion, I do still get some pimples here and there, but that is when I turn to Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. Kylie Jenner swears by it, I swear by it, and you should too. All you have to do is take a Q-tip, dip it into the small glass bottle, and apply the pink solution onto any imperfections. Just remember never to shake the bottle. The pink solution should always be on the bottom. I usually apply this right before bed so it can dry out the blemishes overnight- they will be completely gone after a few days. It is also very affordable for all my beauty gurus ho are on a college budget- it retails for $17.
If you’re looking to upgrade your current skincare routine/fight acne, I highly recommend you try these tips and products.
I hope you all see some fabulous results!-Gabriella D’Anna