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| My phone has an automatic filter for selfies, but my skin was virtually clear in here! |
Growing up, I never had acne problems. I mean, sure, there were definitely cases of the occasional Mount Everest with the peaking red tip and oozing white puss, but never consistent everyday acne problems that most teens suffer in high school. My friends would always comment on my clear complexion and when asked what my secret was, I said that I washed my face with the nearest hand soap and moisturized using anything within arm's reach that was labeled "lotion" or "cream". All in all, I didn't care that much about my skin probably because I didn't have to. I was blessed, past tense, WAS.
It wasn't until I turned the age of 27 and moved to New York City that I started getting a very serious, stage one, adult acne. OK fine, that's not actually a thing but it certainly felt like it! For the first few months, I was freaking out like it was the end of the world because I had no idea what it was or how to deal with it. I remember waking up every morning and looking into the mirror feeling sad and horrified about my own face. My friends and family would see me and long gone were the compliments about my good complexion. Instead, they were asking me, "What happened?" as if I knew the answer to my rapidly growing skin condition.
A few months flew by and I started to come to terms with my acne. I realized that it wasn't going to go away on it's own and I need to do something about it ASAP if I ever had any wish for my skin to be normal again. I started to do tons of research on what causes acne and what you can do to help prevent it from happening. It turns out there's a lot of things that can contribute to bad skin. It could be diet, hormones, weather condition, the city's water, lack of moisture, pollution etc. I also consulted very popular sought-after blogs, from beauty guru's like Michelle Phan and Sun Hye Mi, in search for effective products that won't rob me at the register. Here's what I found and my honest reviews so far on this seemingly long journey to great skin:
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| Here's a pic of some of what I used that night! |
1. Wash your face at night and in the morning. At night I start removing my makeup using coconut oil on a cotton pad. Sure, it gets greasy, but it's very effective (especially with my waterproof eye makeup), it's moisturizing, and it's all natural! Afterwards, I use a D'or24K Milk Cleanser to wash away leftover residue and the oil. After gently rubbing that into my skin, I usually jump in the shower to clean off the rest of my body, but that part is totally up to you.
2. After patting my face dry (pat, don't rub!), I use this Skin Food Black Sugar Mask. I absolutely love this mask. It smells great and it makes my skin feel tighter and my pores look smaller! If you are looking for an exfoliating mask, definitely try this one.
3. Follow up with a toner! I'm currently using two different toners depending on how I feel that day. The first one is the D'or24K Toner. It's expensive but I feel like it does nothing for my skin. I actually bought this set with the cleanser mentioned above. The cleanser is good but this toner... not so much. I'm only using it to get through the bottle and not be wasteful. The other toner that I do actually love is the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner. This thing is great! It cleanses your skin for pH balance, reduces pore size, tones, tightens and so much more. The best part is that it's only about $12 which is a steal in comparison to the other toner I use.
4. Next I use the Missha Essence Spray Time Revolution. I'm not sure exactly what difference this makes yet, but apparently, according to beauty guru's, the essence spray or liquid is very essential to your skin care regime. Since I'm only a beauty grasshopper, I've headed their advice and incorporated it into my daily routine as well. So far it's been serving me well!
5. After I'm done tapping the essence into my skin, I apply a nice moisturizer on top. It's important to remember that you need a DAY and NIGHT cream. The day cream will usually have SPF and the night cream will usually have components that work harder to restore your skin while you are sleeping. There are two different creams that I use and love. The first one is the KNU Anit-aging Day Cream which I sometimes use for both day and night. It doesn't have SPF so I usually add a SPF layer before applying if I'm using this in the morning. I love this cream because it smells great and leaves my skin feeling tighter and looking more clear. The other creams I use are the D'or24K Day and Night Cream. No, I did not pay $500 for this. I actually caught a deal on Nordstrom Rack and ended up only paying less then half the price. Although it's pricier then the KNU cream, I think it's less effective. In general, it's great for moisture, but other then that, it doesn't make me skin feel different. This line is living proof that not everything expensive is better for you!
6. On days when I'm feeling very spa'esque (usually once or twice a week), I'll use masks for my eyes and face. Of all the masks I've tried, the one that leaves my skin feeling most dramatically different after one use is the SK-II Mask. It's a little pricey but it really works. I personally don't buy this mask because my rent won't allow me to, but it's great for those who aren't constricted by their lifestyle. Masks that I do buy include Etude House Face Masks and the Collagen Eye Patches. If you're new to masks, I would try the Etude line first and then work my way up to the more advanced masks with more age-defying properties.
7. Finally, one last thing that I sometimes (usually three times a week) use before going to bed is the Lioele Waterdrop Sleeping Pack. I first read about this on PeachandLily.com and wanted to try it out since it does this cool thing where water drops form on your skin after you apply. Apparently it's supposed to lock in moisture and leave your skin feeling soft by morning time but I haven't noticed too much of a difference since using it. I guess I use it because it's more fun then anything to watch the water magically appear on your skin without using water. It's pretty cool!
There you have it! My new skin care regime. It sounds like a lot but it's so worth it. So far in the past month, I've noticed a reduction in red spots and sebum (pimples) and my pores have significantly reduced in size and number! My skin feels and looks more energized and moisturized as well. Although I'm pretty happy with most of my products so far, I'll definitely continue to try out new products to tell you all about it. I know that struggling with skin is a really stressful ordeal for many adults so I'm hoping this helps other readers out there to cope with their skin and find the right products that will work. Remember that great skin is choice and it depends on you.
-Cheers!
