My Skin Care Routine & How I Cleared My Skin

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skin care routine

Here’s my new skin care routine!! ๐Ÿ™‚

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free

I’m almost done with my second bottle of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free. I’m not having any issues with it. I tried switching over to a benzoyl peroxide-based face wash. The benzoyl peroxide-based face wash did nothing for my skin. It didn’t clean my skin well and didn’t help with acne at all. It was such a waste. Here’s the benzoyl peroxide-based face wash I was using — PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash (4%). I’m better off just sticking to a leave-on benzoyl peroxide product. And that’s what I exactly did. So I’m going to keep using Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free. It works on my skin. It doesn’t dry my skin out, moisturizes, and hasn’t caused any breakouts. Yay! It works! I’m moving on to my third bottle soon. I think I found the one.

Skin Treatments:ย Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment & Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10

I started using Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment two months ago. This was after I stopped using other skin care products on my skin. After switching to the Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment, I started seeing results within the first 2 WEEKS!! It helped to decrease sebum in my skin and reduce blemishes. This BP treatment absorbed so much faster and better compared to my Acne.org BP Treatment Gel that I was using for many years. I thought about purchasing the Acne.org BP Treatment Gel again but decided to try something new. I needed something quick. I ran to the store and picked up the Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment. So far, it’s been working very well. My skin stays clear when I use it. I stopped using it a few days and that resulted in my skin going back to extremely oily with a few blemishes. Once I start using it again, my acne vanishes. I’m trying my best to use it as often as I can. I’m currently using it mostly in the morning while I use something else at night…

At night, I use Clean & Clear Persa-Gel. I don’t really need to use Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment twice a day. I know it says AM treatment, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s just a benzoyl peroxide treatment product. As for Clean & Clear Persa-Gel, this product brings back so many memories! I’ve been using it for so many years. I guess it’s back! I use this product to treat stubborn areas like my nose (blackheads begone!) and any blemishes that pop up out of nowhere. The 10% is much stronger and more effective on very stubborn acne. With this combination of acne topicals, my skin is clear. I couldn’t believe it either. I’ve been struggling with acne for years now. I can actually look at my skin in the mirror now.

Sunscreen: Trader Joeโ€™s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 & La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100 & Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50

I’m currently using 3 sunscreens. It’s Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 (not pictured, I ran out), La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, and Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50. Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 works on my skin now, haha. It’s great since it’s silky smooth and easy to apply. It doesn’t burn my eyes and that’s awesome. La Roche-Posay SPF 100 is my favorite sunscreen right now. It’s moisturizing, hasn’t caused any breakouts, and the high SPF is much better for my complexion! I was still getting freckles when I was using SPF 30 and SPF 50. I decided to bump it up to SPF 100 and noticed that my skin feels and looks better. I like it a lot more EXCEPT for the fact that it burns my eyes. I only use it on my face. I have another sunscreen that I use around my eyes and that is Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50. I’m not a huge fan of using this sunscreen on my face. It’s greasy, causes acne, and makes my face look very shiny and oily. I only use it around my eyes and neck/body. I love that it’s high UVA. So those are the 3 sunscreens that work on my skin.

That’s all I use. I thought about adding at least a serum in, but I’m so afraid that it might cause breakouts. I am very acne-prone. I don’t want to make any changes that’ll revert my skin back to a field of acne. I’ll wait it out just a little bit more.

My Skin Care Routine ๐Ÿ™‚

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My Skin Care Routine

Here’s my skin care routine! ๐Ÿ™‚ Let’s start…

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free

The face wash I’m using is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel (the fragrance free one). I’ve tried other cleansers in the past weeks, and I didn’t like them as much as this face wash. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel feels soft, soothing, and gentle on the skin. It slightly foams up, cleanses the skin, doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, and refreshes my skin. It doesn’t contain any acne fighting ingredients. I prefer facial cleansers without them. I’ve tried cleansers that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide before in the past, and they didn’t do anything for my acne. I didn’t see the point in using them anymore. I’ll just stick to a plain, boring face wash that cleanses without stripping the skin. This one has been working for me.

Acne Treatments: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

It took me a while to settle on products for my acne. I think this is it for now. I’m only using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution to help unclog my pores and to help prevent future breakouts (if it works that way, lol). I love how this product is a liquid. It absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves my skin feeling very clean. It doesn’t feel sticky or tacky on my skin. Let’s see if this works or not. I’ve only been using it for 2 weeks. Check out my experience/results below (first week).

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

Moisturizer: La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin

It took me forever to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. In other words, moisturizes and doesn’t cause breakouts. This moisturizer isn’t the most moisturizing. It’s also not the best at absorbing excess sebum (like it claims to do). I still have excess sebum seeping through the moisturizer afterwards. But, it’s good enough for now. It somewhat moisturizes, and I haven’t noticed any breakouts. It also contains niacinamide, but I haven’t noticed a brightening effect or any other improvements with this ingredient. I’ll stick to this moisturizer until I find another moisturizer that’s better for my skin (if there’s one). My skin doesn’t seem to like moisturizers too much. I’ve gone through life not bothering with moisturizers due them clogging my pores.

Sunscreen: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint

I have a few more sunscreens, but the one sunscreen that I’ve been using the most is the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. It’s a mineral and tinted. Contains SPF 30. The tint in this sunscreen product makes it easy to reapply throughout the day. The tint is a tad dark on my skin. At first, it didn’t bother me. But now, it makes my skin appear a little dull. The shade isn’t a perfect match for my skin. It blends into the skin, but I can still see that my face is darker than the rest of my body when using this product. Oh well, haha. I’ll use it for the time being. I haven’t experienced breakouts from it after going through 3 bottles. I’m on my 4th! So with the tint, there’s no white cast, obviously. It’s moisturizing and simply just very easy to use. It’s currently winter with less sun. I’m mostly indoors, so that’s why I’ve been using this SPF more often over the other sunscreens I have. This will change when spring and summer arrives. I will need a higher SPF.

In the morning, I use a lip balm with SPF too. You can check out my lip care routine right here!

So what else should I add? I’m only using 4 products (face). ๐Ÿ˜‚

My Acne Journey: 7 MONTHS!!!

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CeraVe Healing Ointment

I took a whole week off of tret. I just wanted to take a break from it for a little bit and restart maybe next week?? I’m not sure yet. So this week, I focused on using an antioxidant. I chose vitamin c. Yes, it’s back, hah!

Vitamin C ๐ŸŠ

I started using vitamin c again. Not the powder version. The essence or serum version. I started off with whatever vitamin c product that I had (Melano CC Vitamin C Essence). I used Melano for two days. Melano has a lightweight, oily, greasy texture to it. It absorbs into the skin fast and leaves a matte finish. It slightly moisturizes the skin but not by much. I’m not a fan of the texture of the product. The essence stung my skin upon application. It irritated my skin just a little bit. After a few seconds, the stinging sensation disappeared. So, what are the results from this product? The essence brightened my skin instantly after a day of use. I noticed a brighter, more glowy complexion. But, I stopped using it after 2 days because I wanted to try another vitamin c product. I’ve been using Melano on and off over the years. I think it’s time to let it go if it hasn’t worked for me for this long. The vitamin c product I’m using now is Lโ€™Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum. I picked this product up this week. This vitamin c product contains 10% ascorbic acid. It also comes in a metal tube. One of the reasons why I chose to purchase this one. I’ve only used this serum for…I’m nearing a week soon. I started off using it at night at first then moved up to twice a day, morning and night. So far, the texture of the serum is soft and moisturizing. It has a silicone feel to it, but I’m not bothered by it. It smooths over my skin nicely and effortlessly. It feels nice, and it’s very easy to apply to the skin. I only use a pea-size amount for the whole face. I’m liking this serum a lot more compared to the Melano (texture-wise). As for results, I can’t say it. I haven’t been using it for too long. I’ll make an update on my new vitamin c serum soon.

What happened when I took a break from tret??

As mentioned earlier, I took a week off of tret. I’m glad I did. My skin needed it. I still don’t know when I’m going to restart it or if I am. My skin looks pretty decent right now. When using tret, my skin looked so thin. I lost so much fullness from my face. It’s been a week off of tret, and my skin looks normal again. My skin thickness is back! It looks more youthful and more natural-looking now. It’s not shiny and plastic-like. Tret gave me this weird, odd look to my skin. It makes my skin look smoother, but how it makes my skin look overall is a bit too much for my liking. It just doesn’t look natural or even normal. It made my skin appear more aged. Hmmmm, that’s something to think about. ๐Ÿค”

At the beginning of the break, my skin was so dry. I stopped using a moisturizer because the moisturizer I was using was breaking me out (Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin). I didn’t have any other moisturizer to use. All I had was CeraVe Healing Ointment. I used it. Applied a whole bunch of it to my face. I know slugging isn’t for me, but my skin was too dry to do nothing. I love the CeraVe Healing Ointment too. It’s a versatile product and contains ingredients that I love like ceramides and hyaluronic acid. It helped to prevent my skin from drying out, but I won’t be doing this (slugging) again. It was a once in a while type of thing. It feels too sticky. It gets in my hair and makes it difficult for me to get a good night’s rest. It’s difficult to wash off in the morning too. It is oily after all.

During this break, I started a new acne product. I needed a product to treat my acne. I picked up the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I’ve been meaning to try this product out. What put me off from trying it out were the negative reviews on it. But, everyone’s skin is different. It could work. I’m currently using it. Stay tuned for my 1 week experience on this product soon! It’s coming up real soon! The other cleanser I was using was from Neutrogena. I stopped using it for now just to try out CeraVe. Neutrogena cleaned my skin and didn’t dry out my skin, but I needed a product that would help with acne. In particular, those close f*cking comedones. They’ve been hanging out on my skin for far too long! Also, it’s time to try a new acne product when I’m not using any harsh acne products.

Product Updates

Remember that eye cream I stopped using? The RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream. I stopped using it on my eye area weeks ago, but I started using it on my neck for a week. After a week of using it on my neck and chest area (to finish it up, need to use it somewhere), I developed a rash on my neck! It was red, swollen, and itchy. WTF. I don’t know what they did to the formula of this eye cream, but it sucks. It used to be soft, smooth, and moisturizing. Now it just burns and makes the skin itch. It’s not cheap either. ๐Ÿ˜ก

Happy 7 months! ๐Ÿฅณ This is my last update on my acne journey. It’s time to move on to new things. I feel like this journey has run its course. I need something new. A new adventure. A fresh start. Look forward to a new update on my experience with the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Here’s the rest of my Acne Journey if you missed out!! ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 1 Week Results.

My Acne Journey: 4.5 Months + Clear Skin!!

My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 3 Weeks! What Iโ€™m Doing to Maintain My Clear Skin. ๐Ÿ™‚

My Acne Journey: 5 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 5.5 Months Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 3 Weeks

My Acne Journey: 6 MONTHS!!! ๐ŸŽ‰

My Acne Journey: 6 Months + 1 Week!

My Acne Journey: 6.5 Months

My Acne Journey: 6 Months + 3 Weeks!

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