In Spades

Style... in abundance

My Updated Skincare Routine

Skincare RoutineIt’s been a while since I’ve done a beauty review, so I thought I’d share my updated skincare routine.

I had been using Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream and Biologique Recherche’s p50 lotion for over a year.  I was convinced I had found my holy grail moisturizer and toner and my search was over.  But like 95% of the beauty products in my arsenal, after about a year of use, they seemed to stop working.  I wasn’t seeing any visible benefits.  Maybe my skin got so used to both, they lost their efficacy.

And so a new search began.

Toner

I had heard great things about Moon Juice’s Acid Potion being a great alternative to p50 lotion.  While Biologique Recherche has one of the tightest quality control standards in the world and is considered very clean, the Acid Potion is officially green, clean beauty.

I’ve been using it for 4 months now and love it.  Unlike p50 lotion, I can feel it working every time I apply it (it tingles/burns).  A little goes a long way.  I put a few drops in my palms and pat it on my face and neck (no cotton ball).

I love that it’s easily accessible – it’s carried at Sephora, etc. – and comes in a glass bottle.

Final verdict?  I’d recommend Acid Potion over p50 lotion.

Moisturizer

At the end of the day, The Rich Cream ended up being too rich for me.  I tried switching to The Cream, but didn’t like it near as much.  For how expensive it was, I wasn’t seeing enough of a benefit to continue buying it.

I’m now using a combo of OSEA’s Atmosphere Protection Cream and Ere Perez’s All-Beauty Crème.  They clock in a $48 and $35 and leave my skin feeling so soft and hydrated.  I love that they’re both clean beauty.

Final verdict?  I love both and have re-orderd both several times.

Retinol

Due to pregnancy and breastfeeding, I couldn’t use retinol for years.  Now that I can, I chose this clean beauty version.

I use it two nights per week (start off with one night/week).  A lot of people will experience “purging” when they start retinol (your skin will break out and bring all of the yucky stuff to the surface).  Since I had been using p50 lotion, my skin was already well prepped so I didn’t experience this.

It makes my skin feel SO silky and smooth after applying.  It does, however, definitely dry out my skin (what it’s intended to do).  It comes with a hydrating serum they recommend using to cut down on the dryness.  It’s also offered in a mini size if you want to try it before committing to the $74 full-sized version.

The combination of these three products has increased cellular turnover, kept my skin smooth and hydrated and I love the results.

Final verdict?  I’ll be buying this again.

How to Treat Cystic Acne So It Doesn’t Come Back

Cystic Acne Treatment

Ugh, cystic acne.  I hate it.

Sadly this is something I’ve battled off and on throughout my life.  Once I stopped nursing, it reached its all-time worst.  While my hormones readjusted to the new normal, I battled several painful, underground pimples on my chin each month.

If you’ve ever experienced cystic pimples, you know they take FOREVER to heal.  And even if they don’t break through to the surface, they still leave a mark.  Trying to lighten hyperpigmentation when you are constantly being hit with new pimples each month is a vicious cycle.

Thankfully I’ve found a skincare routine that has drastically reduced my cystic acne.  Some of the products are more recent finds – within the last couple months – so I’m excited to see what the longer-term benefits are (I’ve already seen amazing results).

How to Stop Cystic Acne

1) First, start with the right cleanser.  In a world of double-cleansing, it’s important to use a cleanser that won’t strip your pores.  If that happens, your pores overcompensate and produce more sebum, which makes cystic acne ten times worse.

I recently started using this one and love it.  It’s soap and sulfate-free so it won’t strip your skin.  It has alpha and beta hydroxy acids which are formulated specifically to remove impurities while plumping and toning the skin.

2) Immediately after cleansing, I use these acne eliminating pads.

They’re drenched in salicylic acid.  Forewarning, they burn.  I use one on my entire face, but you can spot-treat if you prefer.  To save money and get the most out of the product, you could cut them in half.  Just a half pad is big enough to do the trick.

The packaging says they can be used daily, but I only use them when I feel a pimple coming on.

3) Right after applying the acne eliminating pad, I dab on benzoyl peroxide just to the affected area.  I use one from my dermatologist, but this one is also great.

Pro Tip: you can purchase over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide up to 10%.  While you may think a higher concentration is better, it’s not.  Stick to between 2% – 5% benzoyl peroxide. The reason? 10% is extremely drying and your pores will overcompensate and produce more oil.  You’ll just make the situation worse.

This one is 2.5%.  The one from my dermatologist is 5%.

4) I use this mud mask for maintenance.

It draws bacteria out of your pores, then tightens and shrinks them.  You can actually feel your face get a “lift” after you wash it off.  It’s incredible and I’ve been using it for years.

5) These pimple patches are my favorite.  They tend to work best if a pimple has broken through to the surface, but you can use them at the beginning stages of a cystic pimple too.

Tons of companies make these types of pimple patches, but this one is by far the best.  For the record, I don’t like Zit Sticka.  The consistency is weird – it has prongs on one side that actually poke into your skin and kind of hurt.  It doesn’t stay on for more than a couple hours without sliding off and I didn’t find them to be effective for cystic pimples.

6) If you just need to cover a cystic pimple, this concealer is life changing.  

Formulated with shea and mango seed butter, it’s super nourishing.  It won’t stick to dry skin, cake or flake.  It also doesn’t sink into your pores and make them look more pronounced like thicker concealers do.

It’s 25% off right now and comes in 30 shades.

Pro Tip: choose a shade with a yellow undertone.  When covering pimples, you need a yellow-toned concealer to reduce redness.  Even if you have ZERO yellow undertones in your skin, trust me, go with yellow.

If you are nervous about this choice, mix it with your true match concealer.

7) Ice your face.  

It’s literally that simple.  Every morning and evening, I put three ice cubes in a washcloth and press it to the affected area for 5-10min.  This helps reduce inflammation (and ward off pain).

Photo by Arielle Levy