Lately, my skin has been freaking out and I still have yet to figure out the reason why. Typically my skin is pretty well-behaved, my only gripes with it being occasional splotchy redness and its ability to scar for months whenever I do break out. But recently I’ve just been coming up in large pimples, so I had to quickly whip together a routine to quell them. My usual spots are those large, painful under-the-skin bumps. Whenever I feel one forming I just think, “here we go again,” to myself because they used to sometimes last months before disappearing. But now I just spring into action with this routine.
The first thing I always make sure I use while breaking out is the Pixi Glow Tonic. This is probably the most-mentioned skincare product on this blog, because it truly works wonders for me. I take it on an exfoliating cotton pad and really scrub at any deep-set spots. The gentle exfoliating acids help to unclog my skin in those areas and really help diminish the spot. I go over areas with whiteheads and smaller spots more gently, and I find it helps them disappear faster and not leave as bad of a scar. I can never be without this - in fact, I've been getting a little antsy that I only have about a quarter left. I need to order another bottle ASAP!
When my skin is in crisis mode, I tend to stay away from the masks in the fear of upsetting it more, but one I’ll always go to when breaking out is the Cremorlab Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask. It’s a sheet mask that’s soaked in an incredibly soothing essence. It gives the skin a shot of intense hydration and really calms my skin down. The mask actually shrinks the size of the giant under-the-skin lumps with one use, so it does really make them go away faster. This is one mask I always make sure I’m stocked up on.
If I have any smaller pimples or whiteheads, I apply a tiny amount of the Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel to them. It’s the only spot treatment that works for me. It doesn’t dry the spots out like other ones, and while it does sting at first, it goes away quickly. It's not a bad sting, but more of an "it's working" sting. This doesn’t work on the under-the-skin bumps, but it works a treat on other blemishes.
Another thing that’s been working wonders if I have a breakout is the Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream* (full review). I have a feeling some skin dehydration may be linked to the appearance of these spots, so having an extremely hydrating cream like this is a must. But this one is special and perfect for angry skin because it’s a lightweight, almost gel texture. It really feels like it’s sinking in to nourish the skin without clogging or congesting anything. I treat this as more of a serum step, and continue with the last product after waiting about half an hour for this to really sink in and work its magic.
Lastly, I’ll apply some of the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil (full review). Some people have reported that this gets rid of their blemishes, but for me it doesn’t really. What it does do, though, is take out so much of the redness and swelling out of the bumps so come morning, they don’t look so bad.
After going through this routine every night since the appearance of a couple giant spots, they’ve already disappeared in a week, rather than lasting months and months like they used to. What products do you reach for when your skin is in crisis mode?