…Or I could title this seriously and call it “My Favorite Skin Care Products for Acne Prone Dry Skin.” But that’s less fun, so I’m leaving it.
And yeah, you read that right, this acne suffering chick has dry skin, not an oil slick. As my esthetician (the fancy name for Lexi, my girl at skoah where I get facials) tells me, its the dry skin that’s at least partially responsible for my break outs and clogged pores. Awesome, right?
But in all seriousness, I thought it’d be fun to share my favorite skin care, because some of these items have saved my life (slight exaggeration) and made me much happier come that special time of the month.
Full disclosure, I did receive one of these items as a press sample, but I was not paid to write this post, just asked to review it. But because straight up product reviews are boring and I’ve had my daily skin care regimen in my drafts for awhile, I figured now was as good as time as any to share it. :)
A Few Products My Dry Acne Prone Skin Cannot Live Without
What I Put On My Eyes
Clinique All About Eyes – Thanks to Liss for sending me this in my Pacific Northwest Box Swap because this stuff is great! It’s super thick and helps plump up those slight fine lines beginning to appear around my eyes. At this point, it’s more about prevention of eye wrinkles than anything else and keeping that area hydrated, which this product is perfect for. ($21, Sephora)
What I Put On My Lips
Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub – Kelly recommended this lip scrub from Lush a few months back, and of course I went and picked it up. I chose the popcorn flavor (salty and sweet, yum!) and its both edible AND works great to get those little dry flakes off of my lips. ($9.95, Lush)
Julep Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment – Obsessed. I’ve written an entire post about Julep’s Luxe Lip Treatment, and it’s still my favorite thing to use on my lips. I apply it every night before bed and when I miss a night I definitely can tell. ($24, Julep)
What I Put On During the Day
Dermologica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 Daily Moisturizer (press sample) – I’ve been using this under my makeup this past month and am loving it. I have a hard time with products with SPF in them, but this has yet to cause any new breakouts or skin irritation. (I sometimes will get contact dermatitis from sunscreens…the worst!) What I love about this is that you can slather it on and it will soak in and not peel off like I’ve experienced some SPF moisturizers. It also feels heavy enough to actually provide enough moisture, which is great for my dry skin. I will definitely purchase this one myself when I run out! ($65, Dermologica.com)
What I Put On To Take the Day Off
Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil – This is my second oil cleanser, the first I tried was the one by Julep. I like this one more because it really feels like you’re really pulling off your makeup without having to use a ton of product. It’s also very gentle and doesn’t overcleanse like so many products that leave your skin feeling tight and dry after. ($32, Sephora)
What I Put On During the Night
skoah Hydradew Moisturizing Mask – This is probably my favorite product in my skin care arsenal. It smells like watermelon and feels amazing. It’s cool and super hydrating, plumping up my skin almost immediately. The days when I don’t use this, I feel like you can totally tell because you can see all two of my forehead wrinkles and my skin looks pretty dull. ($35, skoah)
skoah Kalm Down Mask – This is a newer find, and it seriously saved me after I came back from Disneyland. I didn’t pack all of my usual treatments, and I had an awful break out post sugar-and-junk-food-bender. I tried to work overtime with this and it seriously helped so much with reducing the redness and inflammation in my troubled spots. While I can’t say its going to magically cure all that ails you, it noticeably makes a difference. ($45, skoah)
What I Put On As Needed
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid – Rebecca recommended this a few months ago and like the good blogger shopping addict I am, I bought it immediately. I use this as a spot treatment, and it’s seriously amazing at attacking those nasty under the skin, painful zits. It brings them out within a day or so and, well, the rest is TMI. A word of warning, if you have sensitive skin, don’t go overboard with this, only dab it on single spots. ($22.10, Paula’s Choice, use my referral link & get $10 off your first purchase!)
Eucerin Aquaphor – I suffer from sensitive skin and a little bit of eczema, so from time to time I’ll get some weird reaction on my face or other body part and use this on it. (Like the contact dermatitis I get from certain sunscreens… this is a must have when I travel.) It’s also great for helping to heal up burns and scrapes without leaving as much of a scar. ($5, Target)
What I Put on My Face Weekly
skoah AHA Mask – As I mentioned earlier, I learned a lot more about my dry skin from getting facials at skoah. One of those tidbits was that chemical exfoliation is much better for my skin type than the more “manual” type (scrubs that have beads or granules). This AHA mask is something I use once a week to help slough off dead skin and keep my skin as clear as possible.($35, skoah)
What I Splurge On
As I mentioned above, I splurge on a facial every other month at skoah. I wish I had done this sooner – I suffered for years with pretty bad acne (and still do, from time to time, get those nasty ones that really, really hurt). Seeing a “skin trainer” really helped me understand that keeping my skin hydrated and using gentler products would actually HELP my acne, not make it worse. I used to flood it with too many harsh scrubs (none of those bead ones for me), washes, and treatments and it really just made my skin more angry and thus exacerbated the problem.
So now that you’ve seen my skin regimen, what’s yours like? I’d love to hear about your favorite skin products in the comments!
I love Aquaphor and Josie Maran’s Argan Oil! They’re also in my daily skincare routine. I have oily skin, but I can’t not have these two in my regimen. :)
Cheers,
Jae
SCATTERBRAIN
Josie Maran’s Argan Oil line is great – it’s perfect for sensitive skin (and probably all other skin types too, honestly!) Aquaphor is also a life saver, glad you agree, Jae!
I do use Argain oil for my face (as moisturizer) and hair. They’re amazing! I apply Aquaphor, however, on my lips overnight because I’m that type of person who always have chapped lips regardless of the weather. Or that I’m simply dehydrated.
I’m with you Jae, my lips are chapped year round too! I’ll have to try Aquaphor on my lips and see if that helps too!
You’re so good at your routine! I, admittingly, am awful and literally wash my face and go. Oops.
I’m jealous that works for you! I wish I didn’t have to have this crazy routine, but without it, my skin hates its life.
Oh I’m horrible with this, I wash my face and moisturize but that’s it! Sometimes I’ll do a scrub or mask, but it’s rare. I really need to take better care of my skin! All these products look amazing!
If that’s working then I think that’s fine! I was only doing that, but my skin really needs the extra hydration at night and the exfoliation weekly.
Love this post!
I’m working on my ‘Fall Beauty’ post now. I’m on a ‘anti-expensive products’ kick right now.
Aquaphor is amazing! I use it on my lips, really dry areas and my feet. I’m curious about the Josie Maran oil. Does it really remove eye makeup easily?
Thanks for the suggestions!
V
Life+1
Yes, and the cleansing oil is non-irritating for eyes as well, even contact wearers!
Love this post!
I’m working on my ‘Fall Beauty’ post now. I’m on a ‘anti-expensive products’ kick right now.
Aquaphor is amazing! I use it on my lips, really dry areas and my feet. I’m curious about the Josie Maran oil. Does it really remove eye makeup easily?
Thanks for the suggestions!
V
Life+1
Thanks for this post! I had been looking for certain nightly treatments for my lips and this gave me two great options to try out!
Yay, so glad it was helpful!
I haven’t heard of Skoah, but I need to check it out! I love Aquaphor- I just burned my arm last night cooking and I slathered it with Aquaphor right away for instant relief!
Ah good call on the Aquaphor, so helpful with burns!
I have used some of these in the past…others I need to try! Thanks!
Of course, glad it was helpful!
I have eczema too, and I loveeee aquaphor. They sent me some coupons recently because I use so much and it adds up, haha. Love this post–it’s so tough to have sensitive dry skin sometimes. I’m excited to try the lip scrub–so funny that it’s popcorn flavored!
summerandatlantic.blogspot.com
They also have a bubblegum flavor, but I’m partial to the salty-sweet combination! Sensitive dry skin is definitely difficult but glad there are things out there to help like Aquaphor!
Well you obviously know that I like the Paula’s Choice stuff … I use it all over my face though, not as a spot treatment. The only other thing I’ve tried from this list is the Dermalogica Moisturizer, which didn’t irritate my skin, but I absolutely hated the smell and couldn’t get past it. :( The skoah Hydradew mask sounds AMAZING though. I want watermelon-scented skin plumping magic!
My skin is a bit too sensitive to use it all over, otherwise I totally would. Bummer about the smell with Dermalogica, I noticed it, but I kind of like it! I do think you’d like the scent of hydradew, smells like summer!
I have really dry acne prone skin too. I usually do my own oil cleanser with coconut oil, which has helped a lot with the dryness but not the acne. I’m going to look into a few of these products, because I’m willing to try just about anything :)
I have heard a few people say that Coconut Oil actually made their acne worse. Not sure if you’ve had that experience, but something to consider! I’d definitely recommend the Paula’s Choice BHA line, if not the liquid the lotion may be better if your skin is pretty dry!
Wow, I never realized that dry skin can actually cause acne! I always have at least mild acne, yet i have such dry skin that sometimes after I take a shower my face actually hurts! I have been avoiding using moisturizers because I thought they would cause acne… but now I see that it can be the other way around! Sadly, I don’t have the money to spend on a good skin care ritual. Do you have any recommendations for somebody who needs to shop at Target?
Hi Angel- have you tried using Rosehip Oil?
It’s reasonably cheap, and you only use a tiny bit, and although I was scared at first about putting an oil on my face, it is so, so good. Another cheap/good moisturiser/makeup remover is coconut oil- which you can get from the grocey store.
Hope that helps!
Nicola
http://www.spackelon.blogspot.com
Oh no! Sounds like your skin is pretty irritated! I had to quit anything that has alcohol in it, anything with physical scrubbers (no sugar scrubs, anything with exfoliating beads, and no apricot scrubs!) and I also find I’m sensitive to talc used in a lot of makeup products.
As for recommendations, I’d check out Cetaphil, which is mild and dermatologist recommended. I think their moisturizing cream would probably be really helpful, and their cleanser should be pretty mild. Another option to try is oil cleansing, using olive oil or a blend of oils. I’d also check out the Yes To line. For a daily moisturizer, this one from Yes to Cucumbers is geared towards sensitive skin.
Hope that’s helpful!
I want to try the Julep lip conditioner and the Josie Maran cleansing oil! I’ve also heard really great things about the All About Eyes! Thanks for sharing these – my skin has been freaking out lately and I definitely need to change up my routine a little!
Of course – hope they’re helpful! I imagine your skin has a little more going on these days with hormones from baby!
Thanks so much for this recommendation. I was actually putting in an order with Paula’s Choice this week and I requested a sample of the Skin Perfecting Liquid. Can’t wait to try it out!
Awesome! Hope it works for you! :) What else do you use from Paula’s Choice?
I’m a dry skin acne girl too!
Have you tried exfoliating peel pads? I love the ones from malin + goetz, Dr Dennis Gross and Origins, for a 2-3 times a week proper clean. Plus I’m obsessed with La Roche Posay’s mosturisers, so light but also hydrating. It’s a hard life for us acne-dry girls!
http://www.spackelon.blogspot.com
I haven’t! I’ll have to check those out, thanks for the recommendations! I really like the Charcoal mask from Origins to declog my pores every so often too! It definitely is a challenge to find the right mixture of products, isn’t it?!
Welp, looks like I’ve got a slue of new products to try! I’m always on the hunt for the best goops to slather on my face, so I’ll probably end up trying quite a few of the finds you’ve shared here. Thanks, Jenn! (:
lovelovelove,
Erica
cominguprosestheblog.com
Of course! Let me know if you end up trying anything and what you think :)
As another girl with acne prone skin, I totally feel you, lady! I actually did a similar post, if you want to trade secrets (http://oddlylovely.com/5-incredibly-effective-acne-fighting-products/). I also LOVE the popcorn lip scrub from LUSH. Delicious. Plus, I was blown away by how well a lip scrub helps your lipstick stay on! Who knew?
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
Oooh, I will totally have to scrub my lips before applying lipstick next time, normally I just do it at night before bed a few times a week! Great idea, and loved your post too!
This skin care reggie really isn’t that bad, it’s nothing compared to the Korean skincare routine. It’s also good that you’re starting young! The only things I would suggest would be to avoid parabens, adding in some organic rosehip seed oil (I swear by that stuff for keeping away crows feet), and incorporating some facial massage into you routine.
Thanks Karama! I definitely try to avoid parabens, but I’m not quite as diligent as the Korean skincare routine for sure! I’ll have to look into Rosehip Seed Oil! Thanks for the recommendation. :)
Lovely article ! <3
Xx
Thanks Lucie!
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