My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 3 Weeks! What I’m Doing to Maintain My Clear Skin. :)

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The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid Powder

I’m nearing 5 months on this journey soon!! My skin officially cleared up after 4 months. I’m just in maintenance mode now. All I’m doing is the basics. I’m glad I got rid of all of those excess amount of skin care products. Currently using them on my body. I have to use them up somehow. It’s still taking forever! 😭 But, lesson learned, I guess, lol. I feel like I should know this already since my skin thrives on a basic skin care routine plenty of times before. I guess it’s called a skin care addiction. πŸ˜‚ Well, let’s check out what went on this week!

What’s new this week?

I stopped using a moisturizer in the morning. Yup, I don’t have a dedicated moisturizer for mornings anymore. I feel like I was using too many products even though it was just this single product. It just felt too much applying that moisturizer on my face in the morning, lol. I noticed more blackheads and sebaceous filaments when I started using a moisturizer in the morning too. It felt like a waste of product and money when I didn’t really need one for AM use. What’s the point of using a product when it’s not necessary? I have oily skin, and it just makes things worse. So I started using a more moisturizing sunscreen instead, so it’s more like a two-in-one deal. The product is La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100. I was using La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50, but it was too drying on my skin. I got really tired of the white cast and how drying it is. It’s my favorite sunscreen (right now) for touch-ups, but I want a sunscreen that’s more moisturizing. And that is, the La Roche-Posay SPF 100 since I still have it. Here’s my experience with this sunscreen this week!

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100:

I chose this sunscreen because I remember it being moisturizing. I can just skip moisturizer and go straight to using sunscreen in the morning. This helps to cut down my morning routine too. I’m only using a single product on my face. It makes things even simpler. So this sunscreen is very moisturizing on the skin. It feels lightweight without any other products underneath (serums, essences, moisturizers, creams, gels). It made my skin appear a little greasy, but that didn’t bother me too much. It sat comfortably on my skin. I liked that it didn’t dry my skin out. I needed the moisture. But, with this sunscreen, I can’t use it near my eyes. Yes, it burns like hell. It must be the smell of this sunscreen. It has a strong sunscreen/chemical smell to it. Yuck! Not a fan. But even with the negatives, I’ll still use it until I find something else that’s better. It moisturizes my skin and protects my skin. That’s what matters most to me. It hasn’t irritated my facial skin. It works for what it is.

Here’s my experience with some other sunscreens I’m trying to finish up. πŸ‘‡πŸ»

Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30:

This sunscreen feels very soft and soothing when applied to the skin. It rubs in nicely and doesn’t leave residue behind. I didn’t notice a white cast this time either. With this sunscreen, it never sets on the skin. It sits on top of the skin. It leaves my skin shiner and greasier. Since it’s only SPF 30, I’m using it as an indoor sunscreen. I prefer to stick to SPF 50+ sunscreens for everyday/outdoors. It works very well as a moisturizer. It saved my dry skin when it was cracking and peeling. Works well on sensitive skin. It contains ceramides, and I really do love my ceramides. πŸ₯° Keeps my moisture barrier happy. This moisturizer with sunscreen is actually even more moisturizing compared to the Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin, in my opinion. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth after I rinse it off for the day. So it helps to improve the quality of the skin. I didn’t notice any breakouts after using it this time. Keep in mind that I didn’t use any other products underneath the sunscreen. I feel that this sunscreen has some good qualities, but I don’t like the way it leaves my skin looking shiny and greasy. Plus, it’s only SPF 30. I need a higher SPF for my skin type.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (Clear):

I tried this sunscreen again. I still have a few bottles of it left to finish. Applying this sunscreen to the skin was nice and soothing at first. But after it absorbs into the skin, it leaves the skin feeling dry and super tight. It felt like my skin was going crack. I couldn’t move my face. Yes, it absorbs quickly. Yes, it feels lightweight on the skin rather than thick and heavy. But, I’d much prefer a sunscreen that’s thick and heavy than a drying one. My face hurts using it. Reapplying was not fun. By the third application with this sunscreen, my eyes started to burn and the sunscreen pilled near my hairline. So the only way I’ll be able to finish this sunscreen is if I use it with another sunscreen that’s moisturizing. I’ve been using it with Vanicream Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. Not mixed together, but I layer them. Vanicream helps to lessen the dryness. I only use Canmake when I’m indoors. It didn’t work for me at all. I tanned, burned, and freckled using it outdoors (including reapplying). This sunscreen is so overhyped. It didn’t protect my skin at all. Thinking about it pisses me off, lol.

When I can’t use a sunscreen near my eyes (La Roche-Posay SPF 100!), I use another sunscreen that I still have (trying to finish it). It’s the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. This sunscreen doesn’t burn my eyes, so it works for the eye area. I can’t use it on my face due to it clogging my pores.

I love how my morning routine just consists of sunscreen. πŸ™ƒ It’s so simple. πŸ‘ŒπŸ» I don’t need extra products. My skin’s good. βœ…

New Products??

I thought I wasn’t going to add any skin care products, but I decided to add vitamin c powder. I know, I know, lol. I said I wasn’t going to, haha. I needed an affordable, easy-to-use antioxidant in my routine. Using vitamin c went well this week. No orange 🍊 face. I woke up to a brighter and more even-toned complexion. By the way, I only use it at night. I don’t use anything else on my skin besides sunscreen in the morning. It’s too extra for me. Also, I haven’t worn makeup for a few weeks now. I started wearing makeup then stopped. Might pick it up back up again whenever.

That’s what I did this week. I really didn’t think I would ever use vitamin c again. But, knowing me, I love trying out previous/new products out. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ See everyone next week! I can’t wait!

If you missed out on my acne journey (more like maintaining clear skin journey now, haha), follow the links below!

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

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 Results…

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!! πŸ˜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!!

Update: 1 Week of Using Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 as My Sunscreen!

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Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

I’m back with an update on Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50! I stopped using this sunscreen last year. I thought I would try it again after eliminating so many products from my routine. Also, I was looking for a sunscreen that’s purely zinc to add to my morning SPF routine. This one popped in my mind. It contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. Awesome!

So this is the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. For more information on this product, go here. My experience with this sunscreen before wasn’t good. I had issues, such as the product being too thick, difficult to spread across the face and blend, breakouts, pilling, dry skin, and the sunscreen leaving a white cast behind. Since my skin is doing so much better now, I’ll take the risk and try it again. Here are my updated thoughts on the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50!

My 1 Week Experience with Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50!

The sunscreen comes in a 2 fl. oz. (59 mL) bottle. On the box it says that it’s a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 50. I will only purchase sunscreens that are SPF 50 and above from now on unless it’s a product I really like. I’m on the pale side and much prefer high protection sunscreens to prevent burning and freckling. I’ve started to notice a huge difference in my skin after using SPF 50 and reapplying often throughout the day. I haven’t developed any new freckles. This sunscreen contains 100% mineral active (21.6% Zinc Oxide). It’s hypoallergenic, oil-free, and water-resistant (80 minutes).

How I applied the sunscreen.

This sunscreen has a strong chemical smell to it. At first, it was too much for me. I sneezed a few times after opening the bottle. I have a very sensitive nose. Fortunately, mid-week, it didn’t bother me as much anymore. I got used to it. Odd, I know, lol. When dispensed from the bottle, it’s a white creamy gel texture that feels soft and smooth yet sticky to touch. Honestly, this sunscreen was pretty difficult to apply to the skin for the first couple of days. To successfully apply this sunscreen, the key is to smooth the product out then pat it into the skin. I was using too much product at one point. It’s best to apply the sunscreen layer by layer to get even coverage that doesn’t look blotchy and messy on the skin. Also, while using this sunscreen, from my experience, it’s best to use it on clean skin without skin care products or very minimal, lightweight skin care products underneath. Nothing too moisturizing. It sticks better to the skin when there’s less, non-moisturizing skin care products underneath. I’ve gotten really nice results (easier application) eliminating products from my morning routine when using this sunscreen.

White cast? πŸ‘»

The sunscreen does have a white cast, but it’s not too bad like I thought it would be. All mineral sunscreens have somewhat of a white cast. This white cast has helped me get away with not wearing makeup because it sort of helps to even out the complexion, lol. So after about 10 minutes (around there), the white cast blends and sinks into the skin. But I wouldn’t recommend this sunscreen to individuals with richer, darker skin tones. The product is already difficult to blend into the skin as a pale person. On top of that, even if it blends into the skin, there’s still a slight white cast that’s noticeable. Remember, this sunscreen contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. I have yet found a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t have a white cast.

It’s moisturizing. πŸ™‚

Since the sunscreen has a silicone feel to it, it works decently well as a makeup primer. I tried applying makeup, and my makeup looked really smooth. It’s definitely not the best makeup primer out there due to the stickiness of the product, but it’s something. The stickiness of the sunscreen would make my hair stick to my face. But maybe it’s because it’s summer?? πŸ€” It’s already super hot and humid out! This sunscreen feels very moisturizing on the skin too. I can just use this sunscreen without using a proper moisturizer underneath without drying my skin out. Even though it doesn’t dry the skin out, since it’s a mineral sunscreen, it can still accentuate dry patches on the skin. I’ve had my good days and my bad days with this sunscreen and dry patches.

Did it break me out?

As for breakouts, after a week of using this sunscreen, I didn’t break out in cysts or even small little pimples. But, I did notice some other acne-related issues like my pores filling up. I noticed more sebaceous filaments on my nose and other oily areas of my face like my forehead and mouth area. The sunscreen is on the thicker and heavier side. It leaves my skin looking very shiny and glossy rather than matte. Not ideal for my skin type, but that didn’t bother me too much if it didn’t cause acne. Unfortunately, it does cause some acne issues since my skin is very oily. Surprisingly, at the same time, I noticed that it helped to reduce the size of some blemishes. And it’s possibly due to the zinc oxide in this product. Zinc oxide is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and helps to promote healing in the skin. ✨ I think it’s the inactive ingredients that my skin has problems with.

How to remove the sunscreen.

It’s a water-resistant sunscreen. That’s a good thing, but this is one of the most difficult sunscreens I’ve had to remove from my skin. It truly does stick to the skin. I used an oil cleanser and micellar water to break down the sunscreen first. After that, I used The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser (still have it, gonna use it) to break down the sunscreen and oils even further. Next, I finish off with my main facial cleanser with a facial brush. That seems like a lot of steps, but it’s a must to remove all of the sunscreen, sebum, oils, dirt, and debris from the skin. That could be the reason why I haven’t had any breakouts like cysts from this sunscreen like I did before in the past. I made sure I removed every trace of the sunscreen product from my skin. For the sebaceous filaments, there’s not much I can do about it. I think it’s because this sunscreen is pretty occlusive on the skin. My skin just pumps out oil like no other, and it gets trapped underneath the sunscreen. It just builds up in my pores from there.

Final thoughts

It’s only been a week, but my experience so far with Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 has been OK. I thought I would get a massive breakout (mainly cysts) and itchy skin, but it’s been quite the opposite. It has actually helped heal some of my acne, so it’s not just a sunscreen. It’s also very beneficial for acne-prone skin! That only applies to big bumps on the skin like cysts. Sadly, I feel like this sunscreen is just too occlusive for me for everyday use. It definitely fills up my pores with gunk. I continued to use it to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, lol. My pores kept filling up over time. It was pretty much out of control. Other than that, this sunscreen left my skin feeling very moisturized. Since it’s occlusive, it seals moisture into the skin very well and leaving the skin feeling hydrated. I really wanted to like this sunscreen due to the high percentage of zinc, which does amazing things for my acne-prone skin, but I’m not sure what to think about it anymore after noticing more sebaceous filaments. I think I’m going to take a break from it for a while and see what happens.

Check out my current sunscreen — La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50. I took a break from it when I started using Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. I guess I’m back to it now after this experience, lol.

Review: Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

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Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Here’s another sunscreen that I used earlier on this year! It’s Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50! I was searching for a sunscreen that was a physical sunscreen and stumbled upon this one. This sunscreen contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. It says it’s a gentle formula that protects the skin against UVB and UVA rays. Good for sensitive skin, fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalates-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, oil-free, won’t sting eyes, water-resistant (80 minutes), and doesn’t contain irritating chemicals. It’s specifically formulated for the face. Contains antioxidants and layers invisibly underneath makeup. Easy to apply with a lightweight, non-greasy finish. The product claims sound really good. Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 had really good reviews too. I thought I would give it a try to see if it works or not. Here’s my experience with this sunscreen!

This sunscreen is very thick. It looks and feels like a thick, white paste. Goopy in texture. Neutrogena claims that this product is easy to apply to the skin. It’s far from the truth. It was very difficult to apply. The sunscreen just doesn’t blend into the skin. It was so hard to move it across the facial skin. Patting it into the skin didn’t work too well either. It took so much time to apply this sunscreen in the morning. What a waste of time! So, the application wasn’t pleasant. The product is labeled sheer, but it’s definitely not sheer at all. lol. It left a horrible white cast on my face. At first, it wasn’t a big issue, since I’m not that tan, but it became very annoying since I didn’t like the whiteness that it left behind on my face. I wanted something that blends into my skin and looks natural on my skin. This sunscreen didn’t give me that. It was just a terrible sunscreen.

The first day of using this sunscreen was mostly disastrous, but there were a few pros to this sunscreen. It left my skin matte and less oily. Since I have oily skin, this was a good thing. It also helped dry up some pimples. I didn’t get any breakouts on the first day. The next day, I had issues with it. The product pilled under my eyes. It dried out my skin. My skin felt extremely dry. I noticed dry patches on my chin. After I removed the sunscreen thoroughly (cleansing oil, micellar water, face wash with facial brush), I noticed closed comedones on my forehead, chin, and on the sides of my face. They left marks behind too. So let’s take a look at what’s in this sunscreen…

It’s pretty heavy in silicones and some wax. It contains some antioxidants. It’s nothing out of the ordinary or special. I’m not too fond with the ingredients, especially the silicones. I can use products with a little bit of silicone, but this product was just too dense and heavy on the skin. It felt like the sunscreen just sat on my skin and trapped sebum within my pores, which can lead to breakouts! And it did! It makes a really good makeup primer though! My makeup went on silky smooth, and my skin looked smoother. But it’s not worth it. It clogs my pores! I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone with acne skin.

βœ… Pros

❌ Cons

I didn’t like this sunscreen. It’s way too thick, pore-clogging, too many silicones. There’s absolutely nothing special about the antioxidants in this product. It’s so overhyped because it contains zinc oxide to protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays. There are other sunscreens that do the same without making the skin look terrible. This was just a horrible sunscreen. I wouldn’t recommend it. Save your money.

Go here for more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products

Go here for more reviews on sunscreens

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