This post is totally dominated by the fact that the day after we drove away from Monterey, my face boycotted life. I’ll back up.
When it comes to skin and skin issues, breakouts have never been my struggle bus. Even when I was pregnant (and hormonal) I didn’t break out. I got melasma for sure – but not breakouts. Even in high school and college… you get the picture. Instead, when I would get stressed, I would break out in hives. If you’re comparing, I’m not sure it’s much better. Picture trying to get ready for a formal, and praying the steroids you just got work fast enough to minimize the hives all over your face and neck…
Ironically, it’s been a couple of years since I got hives, and not because those last few years have been stress-free. I just think that my pregnancy hormones, postpartum hormones took over and my body reacted differently to stress than before. And with this move, it reacted differently again. I remember asking my SIL if it looked like I had poison ivy on my forehead…because that’s how many bumps were there. It took driving to the California/Arizona border for me to realize it was not poison ivy. My forehead was breaking out, and I literally had no idea what to do about it!
The products I’m sharing were really focused on helping my skin get back to where it was, even though I totally know that the breakouts were hormonal / stress-related.
1 – Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
Grapefruit is drying, and this wash ranked high in helping breakouts. I got it mainly to help with breakouts I got on my chest and back. It isn’t close to being clean, and actually has red 40 in it…. but as a targeted wash, it really helped my acne.
2- YESto Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Deep Cleaning Scrub
Charcoal is alway drying, really drying, and I like that this came with a scrubber but the solution wasn’t rough. Charcoal, in the past, has been way to harsh for my skin, but this time, it really helped make sure my skin was free of bacteria and oils. I usually use it now about once a week, and make sure to put moisturizer on right after.
3 – Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel
This stuff was amazing. I wish I would have picked this up first! I almost purchased the Differn, but the Neutrogena actually had better reviews, so I went with it. It worked for me!
4- Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair
This was a minimal investment- as far as wrinkle creams go – , and while I didn’t expect to see massive change in my forehead wrinkles – those are the deepest – I will say that the cream in general, has regenerated my skin – which I think it helpful when you’re trying to get rid of impurities. It tells you that you could experience mild redness, a warm, tingling sensation or flaking skin (skin exfoliation) and the area around my temples/crows feet totally did all of that. I don’t know that it’s so incredible that I need to write home about, but I’ll finish the jar and see how it goes. Maybe I’ll even look 10 year younger….
5- Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer
I’ve always done well with Aveeno products – they’re not to harsh on my face – and I got this just because it has sunscreen in it. So I don’t feel to bad when I forget to put sunscreen on my face…
6 & 7 – Glossier Super Bounce and Super Glow
Super Bounce is my favorite out of Glossier’s three serums. I like that it’s a moisturizer, but not a cream, and it really is hydrating. I just need it in a bigger bottle…
Super Glow is the first vitamin C (ish) serum that I’ve tried and I totally think everyone needs one in their bathroom. I love the smell, that it’s super affordable, and easy to apply.
8- Aveeno Cear Complexion Foaming Cleaner
Honestly, I’ve always been partial to foaming cleansers. For some reason, they seem easier for me to use. And the Aveeno products have always worked well with my skin. The marketing of clear complexion helped too…
My skin has calmed down, probably because bulk of the stress of moving is behind me. But I kinda liked looking into face products and seeing what might help. My research was totally because of a freakout reaction TO breaking out, but I ended up learning a little more about my skin too. There’s always something to learn, right? Next up, something to help those under eye circles….
