My Skincare Journey (How I Cleared My Acne + Current Skincare Routine)
I did an Instagram poll asking whether people would be interested in a blog post where I talk about how I cleared my skin, and it was the first Instagram poll where everyone answered yes. So here it is:
My skin was in a poor state back in June 2017. To be honest, I did not realize how bad my skin was until I found my old photos. Back then, I broke out frequently, and I always tried new products to try to combat my bad skin, but they never really worked out.
Products I Stopped Using:
As I've said, there were a few products that did not work well for me. Yes, they may work out for other people, but not for me personally.
1. Oxy Cover Up and Oxy 10
Back then, I bought a ton of these oxy products since they were readily available at the supermarket. But, it only worsened my skin condition the more I used these.
At the start, they worked for me, but this lasted for a short period. I applied the Oxy Cover during the day and Oxy 10 during the night. Oxy 10 was the most painful thing I've ever applied to my face. It stung so much. And, the worst part was that I used to think that the pain was a good thing and that the pain was just a part of it since "beauty is pain" lol.
I've stopped using it, and I feel that after I stopped using them, my skin cleared up much faster.
So afterwards, I got into Korean beauty after watching some youtubers, and I found out about the 10 step Korean skincare routine. I've also tried doing the 10 step Korean skincare routine, but when dealing with acne, there were only specific products that I would use.
2. Garnier Products
I always break out using Garnier products. Some people like Garnier, so I'm sorry if this offends you, but they do not work for me.
Like the Oxy creams, they worked for me like at the start, but as I continued using their facial wash, I noticed I would breakout afterwards. I tried their r pomegranate facial wash and their matcha pure active deep clean facial wash. I loved their facial cleansers back then, but it always left my skin feeling squeaky clean, which I didn't know was bad for our skin.
Products I Used To Clear My Acne
1. Cosrx One Step Pimple Clear Pad
I included this pimple pads in my daily night time skincare routine. Being the broke student that I am, I was initially reluctant because to me, it's expensive and there are only 70 pads.
But it helped to clear my skin, and once my skin started clearing up, I reduced my usage to roughly once a week. Now, I use it only when I feel like my skin going to break out soon. After washing my face, I'll use this to prep my skin before applying anything else to my face. It helps to clean out any remaining dirt that my facial wash may not have cleaned.
2. Etude House Soon Jung pH 5.5 Relief Toner
This toner is my favourite toner so far, and it has appeared numerous times on my feed because it is very gentle and hydrating. (Update: it's almost 2020 and I still love it).
Every morning, I apply this after washing my face and at night, I'll use this after using the Cosrx One Step Pimple Clear Pad. Some days, I'll put in the effort to do the 7 Skin Method using this. This toner is suitable for the seven skin method because it's free from alcohol and it's suitable for sensitive skin.
3. Cosrx Centella Blemish Cream
I use this cream to deal with acne scars only, and I think that helps to speed up the recovery process.
However, I realized sometimes my face tends to get itchy if I use this with other products. When I use this cream, I wouldn't apply any other products. Also, I only use it at night because this does leave a white cast.
4. Oxy Acne Patch
These are my favourite acne patches hands down.
I'm one of those people who like to pop my pimples, so these were (and still are) helpful. After popping a pimple, I will immediately stick a patch over it. Typically, I apply the patches at night and change it in the morning cause all the gunk is already on it. Yes, sometimes I will still leave it on when I'm at school (just cause I want it to heal faster). It does look obvious when it's there after it collects all the gunk from the pimple, so there were times when people stared at me lol.
I stop placing a patch when it has become just an acne scar, and then afterwards I will apply the Cosrx Blemish Cream.
Current Routine
I'll be honest. Some days I'm lazy, so I will only use 1-2 products. On days that I feel like taking greater of my skin, I have a more comprehensive skincare routine. I focus on mainly on hydration, so I tend to use products that are hydrating for me.
One thing I've been doing regularly for the past month is rubbing ice all over my face. It sounds weird, but it's been working well for me. I started doing it as I like massaging my face at night, and I see many people using jade rollers as part of their skincare routine. But I was like "I have no money to buy a jade roller or those fancy v-shape face rollers", so I as an alternative, and I was like "why not use ice cubes?"(cause ice cubes are hard enough and easy to glide around my face).
It takes some time getting used to it because some people might not like the cold, but I enjoy it. I do this every morning, and at night, and in the morning, I like to rub the ice cube around my eye area for a few seconds to reduce any puffiness. Some days, I would use a wash off mask, like the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal mask or the Origins out of trouble mask, and I would immediately rub the ice around after I have washed off the mask.
Of course, before I started doing this, I went to research if it was terrible for my skin. But there were articles (links below) that said it would benefit, so I went ahead with it. But it might not be suitable if your skin is thin (I read that somewhere, but I can't remember which article was it in). I recommend using a really thin cloth (like a handkerchief) if you don't want to apply the ice directly. And if you're applying ice directly, I would recommend letting it melt a bit first.
The facial wash that I use regularly is the Neogen Blueberry Real Fresh Foam, which I'm sad that it's already halfway through. I usually use facial wash only at night now. But, on some mornings my face might be oilier because of the products I use the night, so I will wash with this facial wash in the morning as well. However, on most days, I will wash my face with water alone.
In the morning, whenever I have school, or I'm going out, I make sure to apply sunscreen. Nowadays, I use the Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sun Cream more than the Innisfree sunscreen. I always apply sunscreen to avoid getting tanned, and it also helps when I have acne scars by making sure the scars don't become darker.
If there's one thing you should take away from this post, it is to remember to apply your sunscreen.
I use the etude house toner quite frequently but not as much as I used to when I was trying to clear my skin. This soothes my skin, especially when I realise my cheeks has a lot of textures.
As I've said, I still have pimples now and then, just not as bad as before. So on days that I have a sudden pimple appearing, I would use this oxy acne patch.
The next few products are those that I don't use every day, but I use them specifically on days that I feel like I need to. (Also, I don't use these three together because my skin gets itchy when I use all three combined)
When I feel like brightening my complexion, I choose to use either the Skin&Lab Dr Color Effect Red Serum or the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence. The Purito Essence feels quite oily, so I don't use it in the morning if I'm heading out
On the days that I feel like using a proper essence (and when I feel like my skin needs more hydration), I will use the Secret Key First Treatment Essence. There's so much product, and I am barely halfway through this bottle. Its ingredients are generally quite safe, and it's more affordable than the Missha and SKII treatment essences.
Additionally, roughly about every 1-2 weeks, I exfoliate my skin using the Skinfood Black Sugar Mask. I don't use sheet masks, so I don't have sheet masks to recommend. Wash off masks that I recommend are the Origins masks cause those helped, especially the "Out Of Trouble" wash off mask.
That's all for today's review, and I hope it was useful for you.
Thank you for reading and until the next post :-)
Stalk me at:
Instagram: @matchaslushie (beauty) | @fartingpizzza (food)
Twitter: @matchaslushie
Email: matchaslushie@gmail.com
Articles
"Kate Moss's Secret Facial Remedy Is Already In Your Freezer"
https://www.vogue.com/article/ice-cubes-best-skincare-trick-pore-shrinking-acne-cure-beauty-benefits
"8 Benefits of Ice Cubes For Your Skin"
https://india.curejoy.com/content/benefits-of-ice-cubes-on-skin/
Photos:
Oxy Products
http://uk.hycosmetics.com/product/oxy-5-10-cover-acne-pimple-treatment-5-10-benzoyl-peroxide/
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