Take 5 | Fighting Acne Spots
My skin has been pretty well behaved over the last few months and aside from two monstrous chin residents a few weeks back (time of the month + candy eating), it's been smooth sailing. The skincare obsession has really been carrying through over the last year. Not sure if it gets any more obvious than this! I'd like to say that my new little routine of products has got my skin being well behaved so I thought I'd share them with you! Here's my take on 5 products to use to fight acne spots.
One product that I've been reaching for a lot more lately has been my Glossier Super Pure Serum. I usually take a few drops and concentrate it on a few specific area - my cheeks, forehead, and chin. I usually use this around my cheeks to help reduce redness and around my forehead/chin as those are the two areas where I am most susceptible to getting spots. When I feel a spot surfacing I'll reach for two items that have been pretty good at banishing any unwanted spots before they come to be monstrous. This one is a bit strong as sometimes it does make my eyes water up. I love the consistency of it as it is very gel-like but with more of a watery base rather than a sticky/tacky serum. This is a firm favorite amongst many Glossier Reps, myself included, and for very good reason. As you can tell in the photos, I was at the very end of my bottle and I'm ready to crack open a new bottle. Be sure to pick yours up or restock by shopping through my link!
I also have The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil which I usually place on a Q-Tip and run over any little bump that's just waiting to surface. A little goes a long way with this one for me so I don't end up going through this too quickly anymore. I also really only reach for this when a bump begins to surface or gets painful. At that point, I'll also go over and add a generous little dab of the La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I. over the impending monstrosity that is forming. I actually picked up my LRP Effaclar A.I. when I was in Europe a little over a year ago. I had been reading up on some French Pharmacy bits and this was one thing I had wanted to try - especially with my bag space / carry on limitations. This has pretty much been a godsend to me as it has been the magic trick for banishing any surfacing spots and helping to avoid any excessive hyperpigmentation spots. This has ingredients like niacinamide to help stop a pimple from going from 0-100, piroctone olamine and glycacil to help tackle bacteria, and Micro-exfoliating LHA + thermal spring water to help with the skin's regeneration process. Of course I thought it'd be important to note that I bruise and scar like a f*cking peach so even a scratch from a sponge (yep - a sponge) can give me a scar. I have some crazy scars on my body and they're all from lame things - one day I'll share all of these silly stories lol. Although I'll usually be left with a tiny dark spot after a spot has subsided, it hasn't been too bad and has faded within a few weeks. I credit this phenomenon to all the skincare products I have on rotation.
A few years ago I could say I had never used a face mask - these days, you'll find a wide variety in my skincare stash. My favorite types of masks (aside from peel-off masks) are clay based, detoxifying masks which really pull all the gunk out. I have two that I like to rotate through right now. The first is the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask. Back in June I did a little comparison on the Aesop Parsley Seed Mask and the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask (here) - both are similar, but for ease of accessibility and price I'd go with Caudalie. *However, an Aesop store just landed near me so I'm in dangerous territory as it is now easy access for me. I guess it's really just down to your budget and your preference for aesthetics - although I do think both look fab!
I also started using the Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack - detoxifying face mask. Initially I had purchased the Moisturizing Moon Mask as my skin had felt dehydrated so I wanted extra boosts of moisture. My bf had some dry Winter skin recently so I brought and left that mask at his place (which is why you probably never see it featured on my blog these days - but it's a good 'un too!). The Mega Greens mask has a thick texture and is very comfortable on your face - you won't feel like you're walking around with a mask. You can talk, you can sing, you can do whatever you want and you won't feel restricted. This does have little bits of orange peel so it acts as a mini exfoliator when you wash it off. This one is seriously the best for calming your skin - I suffer from a lot of redness in my cheeks and this one always does a stand up job at helping to calm my skin while pulling out any unwanted oils and impurities. There are also ingredients which help to fight environmental pollutants - who doesn't want that? Glossier does recommend using the masks together, Mega Greens first then Moisturizing Moon second! And better yet, you can save when you buy both masks together.
Y'all know by now that I am a rep for Glossier. I know I blab on and on about their products all the time, but I truly do use and love their products! Which was why I was so excited to be part of the rep fam when I was invited. I use their skincare products on the regular and it has really changed my skin for the better. As you can see from my (almost) empty bottle of Super Pure, it's the real deal. I have backups of basically everything at hand because I don't want to be without them. You can watch my little intro video over on my rep page (here) to see me talk about my skin and why I love Glossier so much (as if it wasn't already obvious). As always, I do want to make it clear that I do make a small commission for every purchase made through my link! As a blogger on the side, it really helps me invest more into this space - which I always do with my earnings! I typically take any money made through my blog to reinvest back into my blog, whether that be through giveaways, items to test, or updating this space/my photography gear. I also have mini monthly goals with Glossier and when I reach them I'm able to receive new products and share them with all of you as my readers. I know there's lots of other reps out there who are all such great gals, so if you could rotate through all our rep pages that would be the absolute absolute best! (yes, x2 absolutes). You can read more about my disclaimer here.
What are some products you reach for when you're looking to treat, avoid, or prevent spots? Share with me cause I am a skincare obsessed woman.