Not sure about you guys but my skin has been acting crazy these past few months. Maybe it’s the lack of sun and fresh air or possibly due to wearing a mask when we are outside??? I noticed my rosacea (while it’s very mild) is acting up in and causing annoying bumps on my forehead and my skin is breaking out in places that have not seen a single pimple in almost 20 years.
I have always had really tricky sensitive skin. I can’t just use anything, no matter how pricey the product. I stopped using prescription washes, metronidazole gel and retinol cream from my dermatologist a few years back. For the most part, Ceravé and Neutrogena products seemed to keep my skin calm and breakout free.
In efforts to keep up my ‘preventative’ wrinkle routine I bought a few night creams last year from one of those Beauty Edits for ‘Best Drug Store Buys’ and my face completely broke out. So much for trying something new! I put them away and kept to my usual minimal products.
While I still get “you look so young” from most people, my usual routine is no match for whatever is happening to my skin these days. I even noticed the texture of the skin on my face has changed a bit. I’m probably noticing this now more because I’m so aware of myself and because I have more time to stop and stare at myself in the mirrors in our home.
I started researching online how to care for my gentle skin. Looking into what products to use but also concentrating on the ingredients in ‘said product’ when I came across one that is recommended as an over the counter option. Cross referencing active ingredients and vitamins that might help. It’s kept me quiet busy!
I am also starting to really wonder about the benefits of starting from the inside out. This makes sense to me and most of the research I came across reminded me of what my Derm. told me years ago - that removing certain food that cause inflammation and adding anti-inflammatory goodies to my diet might help my skin.
I already drink TONS of water each day. I started drinking more green tea instead of coffee in the morning.
I added fishoil and supplements to my daily vitamins.
If I had a dollars for each blueberry I’ve eaten in the past few weeks….Not sure that I am any less inflamed, but I can say that frozen blueberries are delicious.
Next, I narrowed down to a few key products I was willing to try.
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Crystal Contour Gua Sha Beauty Tool
DR. BARBRA STRUM, Hyaluronic Serum
Jade Facial Massager
/Skin regimen, Vitamin C serum
I got Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to suck the life out of pimples. This specific item I have wanted to try since 2007. There had been quiet the span of time when I didn’t really need a $17 a bottle spot treatment for a pimple. I can say that this lotion was pretty damn good. I put it on during the day instead of at night just to keep an eye on my skin. It worked really well. I can still see a red blotch where the pimple had been but there’s no more bump. I’ve used it a few other times and it definitely takes down I’ll for sure keep using this wonder.
While doing all this internet research I came across a few articles about helping blood flow - not so much linked to any of these skin problems but more to help with anti-aging and anti-puffy skin. This sounded very relaxing so I purchased Crystal Contour Gua Sha Beauty Tool and a Jade Facial Massager.
The Jade roller came broken so I never got a chance to try it. It’s supposed to be an easier way to get blood flowing in your face than the Gua Sha. I can’t use any oils on my face that are recommended with the Gua Sha, so this roller should be what I’ll use go forward when I re-purchase it.
After the first use of the Gua Sha I noticed my puffy under eyes were not so anymore. A BIG win. I had really struggled with this for so long. It’s a bit of a production to work into a daily normal routine, even in quarantine but is worth the $45 dollars and 30 min of time every few days to see even the slightest of improvement. I make sure to use light pressure because I’m not using actual oils with this tool. I decided to used it the other day while I was wearing my SPF while laying outside and that was a big help for the Gua Sha to glide nicely over my skin.
Lastly, during my nightly downtimes I stumbled on a few articles about this DR. BARBRA STRUM. I’m always curious about these celebrity endorsed doctors. I narrowed in on her Hyaluronic Serum. On the web it’s either GREAT or STEAR CLEAR in terms of Hyaluronic serums. So I concentrated on the benefits. It’s supposed to hydrate, reduce breakouts and give you young supple skin. Who wouldn’t want that?
This was a HUGE splurge for me but after all the research I did I was sure it would either do nothing or help but certainly not make anything worse. The first time I tested it on a small patch on my cheek. I didn’t instantly break out and my cheek felt so freaking soft after. Two days later I used it on my entire face and neck. Nothing is getting worse and I’m noticing the texture of my skin is getting a lot better. I am using it every other day and using a lot less than recommended on the instructions because I want the bottle to last as long as possible.
My skin feels a lot softer and it’s clearing up. It doesn’t get as oily throughout the day anymore either which is a win too! I will for sure keep using this product and might look into getting the lotion. I know that using a few products from one line is better than just one here and there.
Lastly, vitamin C is supposed to be great for skin and there might be some benefits for my quarantine acne. While looking at different Vitamin C serums, many didn’t have any information about their active ingredients. From what I googled (and correct me if I’m wrong) an important active ingredient in a Vitamin C serum is Ascorbic Acid. I landed on /Skin regimen. I plan to wait a few more weeks and then add in this serum to my routine. I want to give my skin the chance to settle in to these new products before I introduce anymore. I’ll write a part 2 after I’ve added /skin regimen and post that in a few weeks with my thoughts on her.
I guess the moral of this very long story is that I finally broke down and did a ton of research and tried some new things. If I can give anyone one piece of advice it’s “do your research before buying and trying anything”. Everyone has totally different skin and what one person said works for them might not work for you.
Hopefully I’ve given you a bit of inspiration and probably just confirmed to everyone to look at the actual active ingredients of what you are buying (just like your clothing).
If you want to check out any of the products I mentioned in this article click the below button and you’ll find the exact items I’ve purchased.
xx Yours in style,
Allie