My Current Skincare Routine – 10.19.16

As a little backstory…

About a month ago, my skin started breaking out like crazy and my forehead was full of under the skin zits that were extremely painful to the touch. This might have been caused by my bangs, or was just my skin changing. Whatever the cause, I was really unhappy. I tried a few different cleansers, but nothing was helping with the acne, and my skin was left really dry as well. I wasn’t sticking to a consistent skincare routine either, and I think it showed.

So one day I decided to go to Shoppers and ask the skincare expert if she could help me out. She went on to recommended that I try a few products from the La Roche-Posay Effaclar line.

I originally bought a box that had a few samples and a full sized tube of the Effaclar Duo [+]. The kit featured sample sizes of their gel and toner. I eventually bought the full sized bottles after about a week since my skin had improved quite a bit, and the products weren’t harsh on my skin. Three weeks ago I started this routine with about 7 or so under the skin zits, and maybe 5-7 normal zits. After three weeks, I’ve got 1 under the skin zit, and a few scabs.

Keep reading to find out what I’ve been doing and what products I use to help clear up my skin!

After First Wash

After One Week

After Three Weeks

Now on to my actual skincare routine.

Every morning and every night I follow the same routine, with a few variations at night depending on my skin’s current situation. As soon as I wake up and once I get home from work, I apply the Effaclar Gel after wetting my face with warm water. On most days I’ll just do this with my hands, but maybe once a week I’ll use my Olay Regenerist brush to really deep clean my pores. Once I’ve rinsed the gel off, I dry my face and apply the Effaclar Astringent Lotion with a cotton pad. Once that has dried, I will apply the Effaclar Duo [+] all over my face as well. The next step in my routine is to apply whatever moisturizer I have at the time, and in this case it was Pond’s Dry Skin Cream. I don’t find the Pond’s moisturizer to be anything special, and it is fragranced so it may irritate your skin if it is really sensitive, but for me it’s fine.

That’s really the bulk of my routine! I stick to those steps twice a day, every day of the week. I never sleep with my makeup on, and I try to keep my bangs off of my face when I sleep or once I come home from work.

Below I go into a little more details on some of the variations of my routine, and what I do when my skin is acting a little off.

When you’re skin is being a little moodier than usual..

On certain occasions, my skin needs a little extra care. If my skin is really dry and flaky, or it just feels gunky, I’ll go in with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I’ve been using this stuff for years and I absolutely love it! If I have a difficult zit, I treat it at least once a day with the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment and I try not to touch it. I will admit to picking at my skin, and touching it often, which is why my skin still isn’t completely clear, and also the cause of scabs/scars. If I do develop a scab or a scar, I treat it with Vitamin E. I find it really helps with mild scarring, and it will speed up the scabbing process and can help prevent really bad scars from happening afterwards.

And that’s it!! It may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t that complicated. Cleanse/Tone/Moisturize/Treat. That’s all there is to it! I’d also recommend you talk to a specialist and get professional help if you can, and also to stop touching your face if you do!!! I’m trying to stop doing it, so I know it’s hard, but I can assure you your skin will be way less angry!

Hopefully this helps you in some way and please let me know in the comments below if it did, or if you have any other tips!