For two glorious months I was blessed with the clearest skin I've ever had. And now this month, the hormonal breakouts that normally plague me for about a week each month have returned with a vengeance. My chin and jawline are currently speckled with angry red spots, and they're so painful that I just want to use the most gentle, soothing skincare on them instead of beating them into submission and risk making them angrier.
When I'm wearing makeup, I've been going in with the Pixi Double Cleanse.* It's super gentle and non-irritating, and it gets all of my makeup off without too much fuss. The cream cleanser side has been great for soothing my skin as well. In the mornings, or at night if I'm not wearing makeup, I've been cleansing with the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. It conditions the skin and keeps it clean, but not stripped. This is my all-time favorite facial cleanser, and I think I'm on my sixth or seventh bottle by now.
I also like using a mask to gently clear out my pores and cleanse my skin, and the gentlest of them all is the Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack. It's a thick, creamy clay mask that doesn't totally dry down or strip the skin. It really helps my skin feel cleared out, but not in a totally-vacuumed-and-squeaky way. I've used charcoal/clay masks over breakouts before, and sometimes they're just too harsh for me. This one is just perfect.
I've never had much luck with dedicated spot treatments, but what's really been helping me is a BHA toner. I had heard nothing but good things about the CosRX Blackhead Power Liquid, and it really has been helping. I sweep it over my chin and T-zone with a cotton pad most nights, but I make sure to never skip out on it when I'm breaking out. Despite implying it's only to treat blackheads (and they have a whitehead version), it's really been helping clear up any and all breakouts. Usually my breakouts are aggravated by dehydration, so I'm sure to pat on a few layers of a lightweight, hydrating toner like the Mizon Intensive Skin Barrier Toner after using the BHA toner.
When my spots are particularly angry, I look no further than the Glossier Super Pure Serum.* This niacinamide and zinc serum instantly feels cooling and soothing on the skin. It doesn't cure my breakouts, but it definitely helps with redness and the pain. I usually just concentrate this where I'm breaking out and go in with a hydrating serum elsewhere. My go-to hydrating serum is the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid. It feels so soothing on the skin, and I can just feel it smoothing and softening any dry patches. It's a watery fluid, so it never feels too heavy or clogging on the skin.
I always seal it all in with the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream. After falling in love with the Liquid, I just had to get myself a tube of the cream. It's just as good, and they work beautifully together as a pair. I could see these helping the driest of dry skin. They're both packed full of ceramides, which hydrate and repair the skin barrier. so they're really so good for your skin. Maybe it's the clinical-looking packaging, but they just feel so healing on the skin, so they're always the serum/cream duo I reach for when I'm breaking out.
What products do you reach for when you're breaking out?
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*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.