My skin has always been a battle ground. Starting in my late teens and extending through my early twenties I suffered from severe acne. If you’ve never struggled with acne before you will probably never understand the full psychological and emotional distress it can cause. There were days I didn’t leave the house. I cancelled plans. I cried. I asked why me (my mom and sisters never had these issues!). It was literally a plague on my life and nothing would fix it. I saw multiple dermatologist, tried countless prescription drugs, spent thousands on blue light treatment and microdermabrasion from expensive med spas. I finally took the plunge and started Accutane. If you haven’t hear of it before, Accutane is a somewhat controversial acne medication that is considered a last resort due to some of the potential side effects. For me it was a life saver and truly the only thing that worked. It’s definitely not for everyone, but for me it was a God send. It took about 6 months to work, but when it was gone the acne stayed gone.
Unfortunately after suffering for years from acne even though it had cleared up, I was left with the ruined remains. I had post inflammatory hyper pigmentation that took months and even years to fade as well as acne scarring. My battle with acne had ended but the damage control was just getting started.
I’ve been acne clear for about 6 years now (minus my pregnancy with Emerson…that was rough!) and have finally gotten to the point where I feel comfortable wearing no makeup. I attribute this to my diligence in keeping a skin routine and some amazing products and skin care devices that have made a world of difference!
I wanted to share with y’all what my current skincare regime looks like. I’ve tried hundreds of products and these are what have worked for me. I will often try new things and switch up my routine but eventually I always come back to my tried and true favorites.
Morning:
Cleanser: I have recently been using this system from DFND. I was surprised to find I actually really like the cleanser (typically I always prefer a cream cleanser like this one from Korres). BUT I have really been loving the gel cleanser from DFNF! It leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh without overly drying it out.
Serum: This one was a game changer for me and stays in my rotation at all times. It basically does the work of a vitamin c serum but with some great added bonuses. It’s a highly concentrated, natural, oil-free serum that combats dark spots, evens skin tone, and boosts radiance—and proven to be 62 times more effective than vitamin C. Yes please. Sign me up. If I had to pick only three products from my skincare regime to recommend, this would be one of them.
Morning Moisturizer: I switch back between two. This one from Social Skin, it leaves your skin with the most GORGEOUS luminous glow and smells amazing! The other one is from the DFND system above. It glides on super smooth and makes a great base for foundation.
Night:
Makeup Remover: There are plenty of great makeup removers out there, but truth be told I actually prefer using coconut oil to take off my makeup. I just take some between my fingertips and gently massage it into my skin and all over my eyes, lashes, and brows to remove all traces of makeup. It leaves my skin feeling so moisturized and radiant. Not even joking! I just grab mine from the grocery story, but you can also buy it here.
Cleanser: After using the coconut oil, I use my same cleanser from the morning to wash off the oil and any remaining makeup.
Serum: One of my all time favorites. Ever. This serum has made such a huge difference in my skin. I cannot say enough good things about it. This helped fade so many scars, hyper pigmentation, and unevenness for me. It has AHA/BHA, glycolic acid, and a ton of vitamins and extracts that help achieve clarity, smooth texture, and treat fine lines and wrinkles. Basically its a miracle worker. When I talk about a ride or die product. This one is resolute.
Eye Cream: I have super sensitive skin and I’ve tried several eye creams in the past that have left my eyes red, itchy, or flaky. This one is gentle and helps combat my hereditary dark under circles.
Night Cream: I have several night creams I like to rotate, but lately I’ve been rotating these two. This one by Glamglow leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated, the only con is i feel like the application feels sticky or tacky. In my book thats a small price to pay for having luxuriously supple skin when I wake up. I also really like this one a lot and see great results from it.
Devices:
The following two products rocked the world of my skincare game when I implemented them. Both helped deliver the products I was already using and helped them absorb better into my skin. I’ve seen amazing results!
Clarisonic: Tried and true and a cult favorite for a reason. I know some girls use their Clarisonic every time they wash their face. With my sensitive skin that’s a bit much, I use mine about 2-3 times a week at bedtime. This helps remove any trace of your makeup and gently exfoliates your skin to prperare it to better absorb your serums, oils, or moisturizers. If you suffer from acne, this can be a hit or miss. I used mine when I had severe acne 2-3x a week but skipped it if I had open or recently popped blemishes. In cases like these it will aggravate the blemish and spread around the bacteria.
Sonic Refresher: The newest addition to my regime, and y’all I’m inlove! As previously stated, when my acne was at its height I was spending thousands going to med spas for microdermabrasion. The treatment is great for your skin but can get expensive and time consuming. Enter Michael Todd Beauty. They developed this easy to use home microdermabrasion kit and y’all, I’m here for it. I want to be very clear and transparent with y’all. This device was gifted to me, but in all honesty since starting the blog I get hundreds of requests to post about products (particulate skin products). I have turned down every single one except two thus far. My collaboration with Chicwish (a clothing boutique that I shopped previous to even starting the blog) and Michael Todd Beauty. This device is amazing and easy to use. I have been using it once every two weeks and have seen amazing results. It exfoliates and removes dead skin cells and helps prepare my skin to absorb more product.
Treatments and Misc.
Babyfacial: I tried to think of the best way to describe my love for this product and sum up what it does exactly. The best way I can say it is it essentially sloughs off all your skin and leaves baby soft new skin in its wake. Seriously its amazing. The price tag is a little high but it will last you ages and the investment is worth it. I use this either once a week or once every two weeks.
Sunscreen Refresher: Y’all already know I get my sunscreen from one of my top 5 beauty products ever, my beloved CC Cream. If you’re new around here, I rave about it all the time and its the best thing you’ll ever own! It has an SPF 50 in it, but since you are supposed to reapply sunscreen every 4 hours I rely on this bad boy! Such a handy product and can be applied over your makeup. Sunscreen is the most important thing you can do to protect your skin and keep it from aging. So making sure you apply it more than once a day is key!