My Acne Prone Skin Products
““Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by your acne””
Y’all, I get it. I’ve spent years wasting money on products that didn’t work, eliminating things from my diet, layering foundation, concealer, powder, etc over and over again to hide it, and then being left feeling so annoyed with my genetics. But finally, at the ripe age of 26, I nailed down a routine the works for me. Obviously I still have breakouts every now and then but it’s usually when I’m not being consistent (i.e. “It’s not a big deal I don’t need to wash my face tonight. I’m too cozy to get up. It’s fine”).
Skincare is such a tricky thing because it’s completely individual to you, and you alone. So keep in mind that what works for me may not be right for you but I wanted to share anyways you never know. I found all of these products not by my own accord but by meeting people with similar issues, talking to the Sephora store associates, googling, and reading blogs just like this one.
THIS. This is holy grail #1. The biggest change in my skin I ever noticed was when I switched from a cream based moisturizer to gel. The thing about acne prone skin and combo skin is that it needs moisture but if you use a cream base it could actually clog your pores and make the acne worse! The gel is like a drink of water for your face without adding any unnecessary oils.
Holy Grail #2. I’ll always be honest with y’all so I’ll just say it - I have no clue what Niacinamide is lol! But I know that I read about it in a Vogue article once and bought it. I use a few drops at night before bed and also in the morning before my makeup. I’ve noticed that it makes my skin feel “tighter” like it tightens my pores. Also, when I don’t use it for a week or so, I break out (keeps those little bumpy acne pores away).
Sunscreen! You need sunscreen on your face to prevent wrinkles and damaged skin. This is just fact haha so don’t forget to use your sunscreen. This is the one I’ve been using for years. It’s not too oily so it doesn’t clog my pores and still has the SPF protection I need. Also, it works as a great almost primer-like base for my face. (I still use a primer for doing a full face but for day to day this is what I use instead)
This is a new product for me but so far so good. It does a good job at really cleaning my face in a gentle way. I use it at night after I take my makeup off and then first thing in the morning before I put anything on my face for the day.
This is the toner I used to use before I wanted to try the micellar water. Which for a couple years did a fantastic job. Literally, never thought I’d change, so affordable and I will probably go back to it at some point.
I use this cleanser maximum once a week (or 1x every couple weeks). My disclaimer on this one is that it is intense. Since I have combination skin, if I use this too often my skin dries out but it’s also great for me when my skin is feeling oily or dirty because it really strips all that gunk away.
I don’t have this yet but I just ordered it from Sephora. I’ve heard it’s amazing! In case you want to try.
This one is low in stock but I’ve had mine for a LONG time so that’s probably why. Anyways, the clay masks with salicylic acid usually work and I do that about twice a month.